Downtown Update

[TheRitsman]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

they could oppose an application by trying to depute at council, but it would remove their ability to appeal a council approval to the OLT.

This is a far better design in my opinion. I support community groups and individuals who comment on development, but removing third party appeals to OLT is good I think. It will stop frivolous appeals meant to bankrupt a proposal into submission, and will require community groups to lobby council which makes more sense and is the entire point of council. If a development meets guidelines, council will have to tell their constituents that the development meets the criteria and that the city cannot appeal to the OLT.

[TheHonestMaple]

Originally Posted by TheRitsman

This is a far better design in my opinion. I support community groups and individuals who comment on development, but removing third party appeals to OLT is good I think. It will stop frivolous appeals meant to bankrupt a proposal into submission, and will require community groups to lobby council which makes more sense and is the entire point of council. If a development meets guidelines, council will have to tell their constituents that the development meets the criteria and that the city cannot appeal to the OLT.

I totally agree. It's not really fair that a group of community members can come together and totally stall out a perfectly legitimate application, circumventing city council, simply because they don't like the building. We elect people in council to make these decisions.

[Innsertnamehere]

90% of such appeals basically get tossed at the first CMC anyway as the community groups can’t afford to hire actual experts to fight the case in court. They spend $2k on an appeal and delay the project 6 months until it gets tossed at its first court date because they can’t afford the $200k to fight it properly with expert witnesses and a good lawyer. Then if they do manage to cobble together enough cash, they get clobbered by the best lawyers and expert witnesses in the industry at the actual hearing because they can’t afford good lawyer and consultant fees.

[Wigs]

Was just skimming through the updates on different downtown projects.
Exciting times for downtown Hamilton. All these new residents will bring a shot of vitality into the core.

[SteelTown]

Mansion is opening this weekend, aka the former Embassy.

Based on their instagram account the place looks great, some serious interior upgrades.

https://www.instagram.com/mansion_hamilton/?hl=en

[Chronamut]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

Mansion is opening this weekend, aka the former Embassy.

Based on their instagram account the place looks great, some serious interior upgrades.

https://www.instagram.com/mansion_hamilton/?hl=en

Holy shit, that's not just an "upgrade" that's an entire rehaul to take it from what the crapheap the embassy was into that - that looks like a club from toronto - and they finally fixed the chandelier! Now if only they can spiff up the entrance a bit - after seeing the umbrella academy version of it how it is it's a bit.. run down hehe..

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by Chronamut

Holy shit, that's not just an "upgrade" that's an entire rehaul to take it from what the crapheap the embassy was into that - that looks like a club from toronto - and they finally fixed the chandelier! Now if only they can spiff up the entrance a bit - after seeing the umbrella academy version of it how it is it's a bit.. run down hehe..

maybe it's the lighting but I'm getting goth-y vibes

[Chronamut]

Originally Posted by Wigs

maybe it's the lighting but I'm getting goth-y vibes

I also checked the images and the chandelier is still janky - they never took it apart and fixed it so it's still crooked haha.. but at least it lights up..

now I wonder, embassy was lgbt, is this also lgbt or just regular, or both..?

[StEC]

Yeah Mansion's new digs looks incredible a real high end looking club.

[Innsertnamehere]

https://pub-hamilton.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=340213

Looks like Valery Homes is ready to move forward with the gut-renos of the two Ventura towers (192 Hughson St N and 181 John St N). They are looking for variances relating to parking as they have to install new shear walls in the parking garage to stabilize and structurally secure the structures which have been deemed structurally deficient.

For those that don't recall, they had an OLT approval several years ago to add a floor over the podium levels and from what I recall, basically evict every tenant and gut renovate the 500 or so existing units on the site.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

https://pub-hamilton.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=340213

Looks like Valery Homes is ready to move forward with the gut-renos of the two Ventura towers (192 Hughson St N and 181 John St N). They are looking for variances relating to parking as they have to install new shear walls in the parking garage to stabilize and structurally secure the structures which have been deemed structurally deficient.

For those that don't recall, they had an OLT approval several years ago to add a floor over the podium levels and from what I recall, basically evict every tenant and gut renovate the 500 or so existing units on the site.

This will be a BIG social housing issue. If it hasn't been one already.

[Innsertnamehere]

October 2022 permit values are out.

Major permit issues:

- 2x $4.15 million permits for new apartment buildings at 261 and 259 King St E, Stoney Creek. These are actually well progressed with both buildings well into framing right now from when I have been by.

- $25 million for a new apartment building at 415 main st w. This is the permit for Westgate Condos.

- $4.5 million for a "University alteration" At McMaster. No idea what this is for.


There are also an unusually large amount of very large new single family dwelling permits (i.e. $2+million permit values). One permit, for 61 Barnabas Street (a rural property out towards Brantford), is $3.8 million for a single dwelling!

[urban_planner]

More work completed.

[ScreamingViking]

This looks pretty good. Not special, but I do like what has been done with it and hopefully it adds life to the street.

Its neighbour to the south really needs some love.

[davidcappi]

EIFS? Gross

[Chronamut]

Originally Posted by urban_planner

More work completed.

Mrm.. stucco.. still, it's better than I thought it was gonna turn out like.. I am just glad they were able to save it from total collapse.

Not gonna lie, it looks a little chincy, as it is, but we'll see what the finished product looks like.

Also what is up with the brick in the entrance? The 2 L shapes.. odd..

also is it just me or is the fire escape staircase lacking an ending retractable ladder to get to the ground floor from..?

I really hope someone peels the barnacles off the building next door one day - the rest of the buildings on this street need some tlc.

[Pulkvedis Pods]

On the corner of King and Victoria, apartment renovation going ahead steadily. The store front where Loonie Land used to be is cleaned up and the building that once housed Oriental House Chinese Restaurant has been stripped of the red tiled siding. I hear that this will be torn down to make way for more apartments.

IMG-0155 by Pulkvedis Pods, on Flickr
IMG-0157 by Pulkvedis Pods, on Flickr
IMG-0158 by Pulkvedis Pods, on Flickr

[matt602]

Wow, that actually looks really good so far. I like that they didn't stucco the crap out of the main floor.

[Chronamut]

I dunno.. the arches feel very fake, like the whole thing was crafted out of styrofoam, would have liked some stone on the facade..

[Pulkvedis Pods]

Originally Posted by Chronamut

I dunno.. the arches feel very fake, like the whole thing was crafted out of styrofoam, would have liked some stone on the facade..

Not quite sure which arch/es you may be referring to, but the little roofie thing over the main enterance door is old - the original. The door is new, and so are the mail boxes, as are the windows and all that is going indoors.
They have spray painted part of the south facade white, are promising to clean up the rest of the outer brick walls. As far as I can see, no material changes on the outside - just cleaned up.