City of Hamilton General Discussion Thread - Page 33

King&James · #**641** Posted **Oct 25, 2022, 8:10 PM**

This is pretty huge news... ONTARIO government making sweeping changes to development and conservation authorities... To propel housing

https://www.cp24.com/mobile/news/ontario...units-on-many-residential-lots-1.6124078

King&James · #**642** Posted **Oct 25, 2022, 8:14 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chronamut

Does anyone know the story behind the stripping of 2/3s of northways facade in favour of the giant subway and money mart signs and that big grate covering the gaping wound of its facade? I have never been able to find out what happened here - all the historical photos show it being fine and then bam just not being there..

https://downtownhamilton.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/11-15-king-st-e.pdf

At least itd be an easy fix for someone like core urban - take what is there, copy paste 2 more times - each strip is identical.

the part that is restored already looks beautiful at least: https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.2565451,-...Vf0PxuFv7JyHGQ_SSnB5Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

The big yellow grid (both bays) was installed for Majestic Electronics in the 1980s, when stereo stores were a thing and pre Best Buy moving business to big box centres

ShavedParmesanCheese · #**643** Posted **Oct 25, 2022, 10:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by King&James

This is pretty huge news... ONTARIO government making sweeping changes to development and conservation authorities... To propel housing

https://www.cp24.com/mobile/news/ontario...units-on-many-residential-lots-1.6124078

"They will also streamline the province’s 36 conservation authorities into one agency."

Panic.

TheHonestMaple · #**644** Posted **Oct 25, 2022, 11:19 PM**

All good stuff. Love how people will constantly complain that we need more housing, yet as soon as Ford tries to do exactly that he gets criticized. Probably the best premier we've had in decades, actually appears to be getting stuff done.

ShavedParmesanCheese · #**645** Posted **Oct 25, 2022, 11:23 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheHonestMaple

All good stuff. Love how people will constantly complain that we need more housing, yet as soon as Ford tries to do exactly that he gets criticized. Probably the best premier we've had in decades, actually appears to be getting stuff done.

Hardly appropriate to amalgamate the province's conservation authorities into one castrated body with minimal powers and inevitably different interests which are not at all vested in the wellbeing of the different parts of the ENTIRE province.

Chronamut · #**646** Posted **Oct 26, 2022, 1:10 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by King&James

The big yellow grid (both bays) was installed for Majestic Electronics in the 1980s, when stereo stores were a thing and pre Best Buy moving business to big box centres

It's still a crime what they were allowed to do to that building. I pray for the day I can see the beautiful full facade restored.

King&James · #**647** Posted **Oct 26, 2022, 2:29 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chronamut

It's still a crime what they were allowed to do to that building. I pray for the day I can see the beautiful full facade restored.

100% agree. I think with the right owners the rest could be transformed and integrated with the old Woolworth building and new build on the old Zellers lot. Maybe a bit ambitious, but man would be nice.

matt602 · #**648** Posted **Oct 26, 2022, 11:26 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheHonestMaple

All good stuff. Love how people will constantly complain that we need more housing, yet as soon as Ford tries to do exactly that he gets criticized. Probably the best premier we've had in decades, actually appears to be getting stuff done.

cause people are demanding AFFORDABLE housing, not SFH's in unwalkable suburbia built by his developer buddies. never mind the fact that sprawl is a death sentence for municipalities.

ZTrade · #**649** Posted **Oct 31, 2022, 12:36 AM**

What is being built at the old BMO at 886 Barton St E? This picture was taken last week, I can't find any permits for this development on the city hall website.

edit 10/30: my guess is fast food joint (pizza pizza or harveys because of the orange). There is a KFC next door, and the color scheme plus building size seems ideal for fast food. I would have preferred to see some type of 4-8 unit rentals/condos with a ground floor cafe/sandwhich shop at the bottom.

ScreamingViking · #**650** Posted **Oct 31, 2022, 1:00 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZTrade

What is being built at the old BMO at 886 Barton St E? This picture was taken last week, I can't find any permits for this development on the city hall website.

edit 10/30: my guess is fast food joint (pizza pizza or harveys because of the orange). There is a KFC next door, and the color scheme plus building size seems ideal for fast food. I would have preferred to see some type of 4-8 unit rentals/condos with a ground floor cafe/sandwhich shop at the bottom.

886 is beside the Holy Trinity church on Barton. Is that pic from the Gage side?

The design doesn't look like a quick-service joint to me, maybe something more restaurant-y... but this is definitely some of that "new stadium spinoff" the powers that be spoke of way back when the location debate was happening.

bigguy1231 · #**651** Posted **Oct 31, 2022, 2:39 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt602

cause people are demanding AFFORDABLE housing, not SFH's in unwalkable suburbia built by his developer buddies. never mind the fact that sprawl is a death sentence for municipalities.

No actually they want single family homes. That's why Doug Ford got elected. The urban boundary will be expanded and the Green belt will be altered.

ScreamingViking · #**652** Posted **Oct 31, 2022, 2:54 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt602

never mind the fact that sprawl is a death sentence for municipalities.

This is the math our politicians don't understand (or don't care that the public understands)

Yes, development charges bring revenue to the cities. Is it enough to cover the geometric expansion and maintenance of infrastructure needed to serve the new "urban" landscape? Nope.

eatboots · #**653** Posted **Oct 31, 2022, 3:22 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by King&James

This is pretty huge news... ONTARIO government making sweeping changes to development and conservation authorities... To propel housing

https://www.cp24.com/mobile/news/ontario...units-on-many-residential-lots-1.6124078

The problem has already happened, letting big property management companies buy up apartment buildings and jack up the rent is what killed affordable housing not lack of new builds.

ScreamingViking · #**654** Posted **Oct 31, 2022, 3:29 AM**

The conservation authorities were created after Hurricane Hazel, to manage land and water in the watersheds. Each one has different issues, and different development pressures. Amalgamating them into one may ease development progress, but it also weakens the local voice re: the environment.

This is wrong.

ZTrade · #**655** Posted **Oct 31, 2022, 2:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

886 is beside the Holy Trinity church on Barton. Is that pic from the Gage side?

The design doesn't look like a quick-service joint to me, maybe something more restaurant-y... but this is definitely some of that "new stadium spinoff" the powers that be spoke of way back when the location debate was happening.

What stadium spinoff plans are there?

Innsertnamehere · #**656** Posted **Oct 31, 2022, 3:16 PM**

The building permit is listed as:

21 141972 00
Interior Reno to Dr. Office/Pharmacy
886 BARTON ST HAMILTON
Review

So it hasn't been issued yet. Not sure what work is getting done in advance of permit issue - and notably it's a 2021 permit so they are taking their time getting it issued.

ScreamingViking · #**657** Posted **Oct 31, 2022, 4:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZTrade

What stadium spinoff plans are there?

Ha. None.

I think it was back in 2010 or so when the stadium location debate was happening. I don't want to rekindle that, but West Harbour was the city's preferred site and the hope was it would help spur redevelopment (which is happening anyway, without the stadium). The Ticats' brass didn't want it there, reasoned that Ivor Wynne had never resulted in spinoff economic development and presented their own vision of a stadium on various greenfield sites such as the east mountain, the CP rail yard off Aberdeen (CP wanted something like $90 million just for the land, never mind relocation costs; a non-starter even if the location would have been good) and Aldershot... their alternatives included a restaurant/retail plaza, but that likely reflected ownership's own land development aspirations; I think they just didn't like West Harbour because their crowd didn't own any land nearby. Anyway, the compromise is what we have today.

I highly doubt any of the suggested sites would have had a positive impact on local development. Not for a facility that's only used to capacity relatively few days of the year.

Beedok · #**658** Posted **Nov 1, 2022, 1:53 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigguy1231

No actually they want single family homes. That's why Doug Ford got elected. The urban boundary will be expanded and the Green belt will be altered.

He got 40% of the vote with 43% turnout. Or 17% of the actual electorate voting for him.

TheHonestMaple · #**659** Posted **Nov 1, 2022, 11:19 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beedok

He got 40% of the vote with 43% turnout. Or 17% of the actual electorate voting for him.

Generally when people don't show up to vote it means that they have a positive view of the incumbent. Doug Ford's critics really don't like to admit that the guy is actually quite popular in Ontario.

Innsertnamehere · #**660** Posted **Nov 1, 2022, 12:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beedok

He got 40% of the vote with 43% turnout. Or 17% of the actual electorate voting for him.

and Andrea Horwath got elected with 41% of the vote and a 35% turnout

So just 14% of voters voted for Horwath!

It's a bulls*** metric and you know it. People who don't vote don't count as a vote "against" your unliked candidate. They didn't vote. They don't get a count.

Regarding SFH living, something like 75% of Ontarians state that it is the kind of housing they would be living in if they had the choice.

An unregulated market sees about 55% of units in Canada be SFHs, so even in affordable markets not everyone can afford the housing type, but it's by a country mile the preferred form of housing.

Like it or not Hamilton's Urban Boundary is going to be forcefully expanded by the province, the MMAH wrote to council multiple times before the vote explicitly saying so and council ignored them.

The Greenbelt is too politically untouchable and won't be going anywhere, but there are plenty of "whitebelt" lands within the Greenbelt to develop still, especially in Hamilton.

The PCs are very much a party of "more housing everywhere" - so expect large intensification to continue as well, especially along the LRT. We'll just also be seeing new houses in Elfrida along Upper Centennial as well. And honestly, if Ontario genuinely wants to hit the 1.5 million house target in a decade, it'll need every house it can get.