200 Centennial Pkwy N | 70 m | 9+9+13+15+16+20 fl | Approved

[Innsertnamehere]

I saw this in SmartCentre's Q3 2021 investors presentation.. First I've seen anything about SmartCentres redeveloping this property. It doesn't look like it's performing all that well as a retail plaza so it makes sense..

Phase 1 is two buildings with 520 units, the overall master plan is 1,065 units across 7 buildings apparently, with application submission "imminent"

https://www.smartcentres.com/app/upl...6&zoom=100,0,0

[Berklon]

With the exception of Food Basics and maybe Kings Buffet at times - that plaza is pretty dead. JYSK doesn't get busy, and all the other shops are dingy or just small potatoes.

They've been renovating the run-down apartments in that neighborhood the last few years, so it's starting to look better. The new development will definitely improve things greatly here.

That second picture showing "Confederation GO STN" is quite the distance away from where it actually is. I guess no one picked up on the train tracks as a clue.

[Innsertnamehere]

yea good point - they point as if it's out of frame but the GO station is actually right in frame. You would think SmartCentres would know better as they also own the Walmart Plaza right next to the GO station..

Anyways, this is actually a pretty good location as it is walking distance from both the GO station and the LRT, it sort of straddles the two.

I don't want to know what traffic on Centennial will be in a decade or so as more intensification happens along it. It's already atrocious at rush hour with people avoiding the RHVP.

[TheRitsman]

It looks to be a bit drab on the urban design side of things. Could have been the start of masterplans communities on large strip mall lots and instead it looks to be a bit suburban with surface parking and no street grid to speak of. Just looks to be intensification of the property, which is not bad in itself. It's just too bad that this entire area will likely be less of an urban area, and more of a vertical suburb.

[Innsertnamehere]

Originally Posted by TheRitsman

It looks to be a bit drab on the urban design side of things. Could have been the start of masterplans communities on large strip mall lots and instead it looks to be a bit suburban with surface parking and no street grid to speak of. Just looks to be intensification of the property, which is not bad in itself. It's just too bad that this entire area will likely be less of an urban area, and more of a vertical suburb.

It's just an early massing model, let's wait for a detailed plan to judge fully.

The initial phases will likely be the southern parts of the plaza, preserving Food Basics as a tenant with their parking servicing the store, with the final phases replacing it.

[Berklon]

I assume Food Basics will remain, but I'm not sure why it has the same color tone as the new developments in that second picture instead of keeping the same look as in the first picture. Is that just to indicate that they're going to keep it in place, but renovate it?

[ccheck7]

Great to finally see some residential activity on Centennial!
Hopefully this is the catalyst for some of the larger institutional owners along this stretch finally capitalizing on their holdings. Having spoken to a few of them the City's complex Secondary Plan for Centennial has not spurred development like the City hoped.

[HamiltonBoyInToronto]

How I wish they would do something like this at Eastgate mall where the old Sears is ... that's ripe for development and right on the LRT line

[TheRitsman]

Originally Posted by HamiltonBoyInToronto

How I wish they would do something like this at Eastgate mall where the old Sears is ... that's ripe for development and right on the LRT line

I was just at Eastgate yesterday out of necessity and I was thinking about this. It looks like they're letting it empty out on purpose. I figured if they were going to split the Sears unit into a new hallway they would have done so already so maybe they're waiting for LRT to redevelop the property.

I'm moderately new to Hamilton so I'd love to know more about Eastgate but history of the mall is hard to find. I'd love to see an old map of the mall compared to today even.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by TheRitsman

I was just at Eastgate yesterday out of necessity and I was thinking about this. It looks like they're letting it empty out on purpose. I figured if they were going to split the Sears unit into a new hallway they would have done so already so maybe they're waiting for LRT to redevelop the property.

I'm moderately new to Hamilton so I'd love to know more about Eastgate but history of the mall is hard to find. I'd love to see an old map of the mall compared to today even.

That seems to be what they're doing with the former Sears at Mapleview. I believe the space at Eastgate has been leased out short term (e.g., I seem to recall a Halloween costume shop) but longer term I imagine the owner's plans hinge on LRT and any re-design of the bus transit terminal.

Eastgate opened in the early 1970s. Apparently, as I was learning to talk, I called it "eats-eats square" I recall it having a rather dark interior space, with brownish "brick" tiles on the floor. The food court used to be connected to the north-south mall section by a perpendicular corridor, and it was cavernous... it had round tables and cylindrical stools of several colours that echoed through the space when scraped across the tiles. There was a second level that housed the public library, and a Consumers Distributing closest to the mall entry roughly where Shoppers is now. There was also an arcade on the first floor under the library. In the 1980s they brightened up the mall, and straightened out that corridor connecting to the food court (which was also totally redone and moved closer to the southeast entry) and made it angle off the other part of the mall. Robinsons was where Sears was and became a Bay store then a Zellers before Sears took over. A 2-level Eatons was at the end where Fortinos sits (which was added in the 80s too), and I think the Bay moved there for a while when Eatons closed up shop before it too closed and the space got renovated/expanded for Fortinos. I recall a different grocery store where Homesense is now; it may have been one of the Loblaws chains. The newest part, the middle wing, was built where there used to be a Walmart (Woolco long before that). The separate LCBO and Beer Store went up in the early 2000s (?) along with Jack Astors.

Eastgate used to be fairly busy, with more name-brand stores. After Lime Ridge, in the 1980s-90s, I preferred it to the Centre Mall.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by ccheck7

Great to finally see some residential activity on Centennial!
Hopefully this is the catalyst for some of the larger institutional owners along this stretch finally capitalizing on their holdings. Having spoken to a few of them the City's complex Secondary Plan for Centennial has not spurred development like the City hoped.

They're probably making good cash from the smaller retailers, which always seem fairly busy to me.

Anyone know what's up with that large squarish green lot northeast of this, between Lake Ave and the hydro corridor? Seems odd that it's undeveloped, as pretty much every other big lot in the north Stoney Creek industrial area has something on it. Is it contaminated?

[Berklon]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

Eastgate opened in the early 1970s. Apparently, as I was learning to talk, I called it "eats-eats square" I recall it having a rather dark interior space, with brownish "brick" tiles on the floor. The food court used to be connected to the north-south mall section by a perpendicular corridor, and it was cavernous... it had round tables and cylindrical stools of several colours that echoed through the space when scraped across the tiles. There was a second level that housed the public library, and a Consumers Distributing closest to the mall entry roughly where Shoppers is now. There was also an arcade on the first floor under the library. In the 1980s they brightened up the mall, and straightened out that corridor connecting to the food court (which was also totally redone and moved closer to the southeast entry) and made it angle off the other part of the mall. Robinsons was where Sears was and became a Bay store then a Zellers before Sears took over. A 2-level Eatons was at the end where Fortinos sits (which was added in the 80s too), and I think the Bay moved there for a while when Eatons closed up shop before it too closed and the space got renovated/expanded for Fortinos. I recall a different grocery store where Homesense is now; it may have been one of the Loblaws chains. The newest part, the middle wing, was built where there used to be a Walmart (Woolco long before that). The separate LCBO and Beer Store went up in the early 2000s (?) along with Jack Astors.

Eastgate used to be fairly busy, with more name-brand stores. After Lime Ridge, in the 1980s-90s, I preferred it to the Centre Mall.

Oh the memories. I spent a lot of time at Eastgate in my youth and it was quite busy.
My family used to shop at many stores in there... mostly Robinsons, Eatons and Consumer Distributing. I spent most of my time in food court area because that's where the record store was (Can't remember if it was Sam's or Music World or something else), and also the arcade and the library upstairs. I also remember there being a restaurant next to the library - I never went in though.

Here are a few pictures of the lovely decor back then. And yes, I always remembered it being dark inside.

https://www.facebook.com/VintageHami...36181813066779

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by Berklon

Oh the memories. I spent a lot of time at Eastgate in my youth and it was quite busy.
My family used to shop at many stores in there... mostly Robinsons, Eatons and Consumer Distributing. I spent most of my time in food court area because that's where the record store was (Can't remember if it was Sam's or Music World or something else), and also the arcade and the library upstairs. I also remember there being a restaurant next to the library - I never went in though.

Here are a few pictures of the lovely decor back then. And yes, I always remembered it being dark inside.

https://www.facebook.com/VintageHami...36181813066779

Wasn't it a steak house? You're drumming up my memories now! Steak and Burger maybe??? And I now remember the music store too but can't recall which... I bought a 45 of Devo's Whip It there, and possibly a Styx album (Killroy Was Here) though that may have been downtown from Cheapies lol

[Crapht]

I feel like it was Sunrise Records.

[Berklon]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

Wasn't it a steak house? You're drumming up my memories now! Steak and Burger maybe??? And I now remember the music store too but can't recall which... I bought a 45 of Devo's Whip It there, and possibly a Styx album (Killroy Was Here) though that may have been downtown from Cheapies lol

Steak and Burger it was. Confirmed by one of the posts on that Facebook link I provided.

That record store is gonna bug me. I know Centre Mall had Music World - or I'm pretty sure it was... so I dont think it was Music World at Eastgate as well. I remember them being different. I dont think it was Sunrise either - but I could be wrong. I'm having doubts about it being Sams as well. This is really gonna bug me today.
I'm pretty sure Centre Mall had 2 record stores... one by the water fountain at the entrance (Music World), and another near the food court - which may have been Sunrise.

[ScreamingViking]

I forgot that Eatons had a restaurant too, on the balcony overlooking the mall. And the United Cigar Store next door.

I see it actually was a Loblaws in the mall too, at least early on (with the second "eating area" in front). Wasn't its deli counter called Ziggy's?

Love that funky font they used throughout the mall.

I also forgot that the tables had ashtrays ...The days of smoking everywhere.

Thanks for sharing those photos.

[Chronamut]

aw im so sad that that old mansion that was kelseys for such a long time will be torn down - it was absolutely beautiful inside..

and yeah ever since future shop went belly up that strip mall has been dead - remember my mom taking me to A&P there every week for groceries growing up..

[The Gore]

Originally Posted by Berklon

Steak and Burger it was. Confirmed by one of the posts on that Facebook link I provided.

That record store is gonna bug me. I know Centre Mall had Music World - or I'm pretty sure it was... so I dont think it was Music World at Eastgate as well. I remember them being different. I dont think it was Sunrise either - but I could be wrong. I'm having doubts about it being Sams as well. This is really gonna bug me today.
I'm pretty sure Centre Mall had 2 record stores... one by the water fountain at the entrance (Music World), and another near the food court - which may have been Sunrise.

It was a two floor Sam the Record Man near the Eaton's courtyard towards Loblaws

[Berklon]

Originally Posted by The Gore

It was a two floor Sam the Record Man near the Eaton's courtyard towards Loblaws

Thanks for the confirmation that it was Sams. That's how I remembered it, but then I started having doubts. But 2 floors? I honestly don't remember that at all and I went there a shit-ton as a kid - always checking out the new albums that came out. Hard to imagine that back in those days I'd only know about a new album release when I saw it on the shelves.

I also remember when Food Basics was an A&P, but back in those days my family rarely went there. We did our grocery shopping at Food City on Strathearne.

[Chronamut]

Originally Posted by Berklon

Thanks for the confirmation that it was Sams. That's how I remembered it, but then I started having doubts. But 2 floors? I honestly don't remember that at all and I went there a shit-ton as a kid - always checking out the new albums that came out. Hard to imagine that back in those days I'd only know about a new album release when I saw it on the shelves.

I also remember when Food Basics was an A&P, but back in those days my family rarely went there. We did our grocery shopping at Food City on Strathearne.

growing up it was A&P for most foods, and The Barn for meats cuz apparently they were cheaper there.