Royal Connaught Hotel | ? | 36 fl, 33 fl, 24 fl & 13 fl | U/C

[Jon Dalton]

Wow. Great to see the opposition to this is still being misconstrued as nimbyism. Apparently this Watson guy has no clue that there is a revitalization and economic development aspect to it, or pretends it doesn't exist.

[omro]

Originally Posted by Jon Dalton

Wow. Great to see the opposition to this is still being misconstrued as nimbyism. Apparently this Watson guy has no clue that there is a revitalization and economic development aspect to it, or pretends it doesn't exist.

Is there anywhere that a protest to the provincial level is being focussed? As, were I aware of somewhere to put down my name or a place to send a letter to, I would. I just don't have the time to hunt for this information myself right now.

I object to this entire proposal on the following grounds:

1) People should not be able to profit from buying a building, lying about their intentions, taking city money based upon those intentions and then letting the building become derelict. I would prefer the city to compulsory purchase the building back, at the price it was sold for, and the provincial money go to them.

2) There is already plenty of affordable housing downtown. Let's spread it out a little. I have no objections to such housing, merely the downtown density of it. Show me hard evidence of the benefit of such and I'll change my mind. Terraces on King, which is a nice looking building I'm happy with it, but I.V. is pretty dead around it and seems to have died further since its construction. And those are just my observations over the last 6 months of living here.

[matt602]

So... everyone forget what Mr. Battaglia said about this project if we got the Pan-Am games?

Well, we did. Now is the time for him to realize that affordable housing is not going to be the most profitable venture for him, with tens of thousands of people due to visit this city in a few years.

[BCTed]

Originally Posted by matt602

So... everyone forget what Mr. Battaglia said about this project if we got the Pan-Am games?

Well, we did. Now is the time for him to realize that affordable housing is not going to be the most profitable venture for him, with tens of thousands of people due to visit this city in a few years.

What did he say? I honestly can't see what difference the Pan Am Games will make to the Royal Connaught.

[highwater]

I remember him saying they would abandon affordable housing if we got an NHL franchise, but I don't recall him saying anything about the PanAm Games.

[matt602]

Ah I must have gotten confused. Never mind then. Feel like a bit of an idiot now.

Still, this has been kind of quiet now. I guess we have to wait to see what the province decides.

[SteelTown]

Hopefully with the 2015 Pan Am Games coming it'll help get some hotels under construction and renovation. I bet the Sheraton renovation is guaranteed now.

Hopefully the Hilton Hotel will become a reality.

We're hosting the largest event, track and field and that will require hotel/motel space for coaches and trainers.

[matt602]

I really hope that Sheraton renovation goes through. It's a nice hotel but it's looking rather dated. Even a modest renovation would go a long way to making it look great.

[BCTed]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

Hopefully with the 2015 Pan Am Games coming it'll help get some hotels under construction and renovation. I bet the Sheraton renovation is guaranteed now.

Hopefully the Hilton Hotel will become a reality.

We're hosting the largest event, track and field and that will require hotel/motel space for coaches and trainers.

The Pan Am Games will last about two weeks. I do not see how that can spur on construction of hotels.

[SteelTown]

Plus another two weeks for the parapan am. Where going to have major hotel space shortage for coaches and trainers as I'm sure they'll be plenty of tourist taking up hotel space.

They'll be over 10,000 athletes and they all come with coaches, trainers and friends/families. Track and field is the largest event so that's gotta be around 4,000 athletes.

One thing that will be certain will be the renovation to Sheraton, it'll push the owner to complete it by 2015.

[BCTed]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

Plus another two weeks for the parapan am. Where going to have major hotel space shortage for coaches and trainers as I'm sure they'll be plenty of tourist taking up hotel space.

They'll be over 10,000 athletes and they all come with coaches, trainers and friends/families. Track and field is the largest event so that's gotta be around 4,000 athletes.

One thing that will be certain will be the renovation to Sheraton, it'll push the owner to complete it by 2015.

Four weeks' worth of solid bookings would be a help, but it still would not be nearly enough to spur on entirely new construction.

I am not sure how major the renovation plans for the Sheraton are, but if the hotel is in a state of disrepair, then I certainly hope that renovations would be complete well before 2015.

[SteelTown]

Plus there'll be tons of other events that will come because of these new venues. There's no doubt the City will now bid for Cycling championships as this velodrome is the only indoor international sized venue east of LA. Plus I'm sure there be more events happening because of the new stadium, wouldn't be surprised of a 2014 Grey Cup if they get a 30,000 stadium.

[omro]

Are there any plans to get this blocked at the provincial level? Some form of locally organised protest that is sent to them?

[SteelTown]

Kinda hard to block this proposal once it's at the hands of the ministry. You can protest by sending an email to your MPP but they'll just bounce it back saying it was the city that gave approval and it's not the ministry's job to pick and choice especially if it meets the requirements.

[SteelTown]

Connaught may lose out on funding bid again

BY ANDREW DRESCHEL

The provincial government is on the verge of announcing whether the Royal Connaught Hotel will receive funding to convert the downtown landmark into mixedincome housing.

According to city officials, the decision is expected to land mid-December at the latest.

If approved, the Connaught would receive $12.9 million from a government housing program, which would spark an additional $5.6 million in tax and fee breaks from the city.

But sources suggest the project is more likely to receive a nay than a yea from the province.

The Connaught has already been turned down for funding in the first year of the two-year stimulus program. Now it’s starting to look as if the same might happen for second-year funding, which would start in April.

Nobody is saying anything definitively, but signals are quietly being sent that the politics around the project have changed in light of Hamilton being awarded a piece of the Pan Am Games.

Apparently, the confidence boosting Games have raised the prospect of a better role for the grand old hotel to play other than mixed housing.

If so, Tony Battaglia, spokesperson for the Connaught’s ownership consortium, can’t guess what it might be.

Battaglia says nobody has approached the group with a new purchase or partnership offer since the Pan Am announcement.

Nor does he believe the Games buoy the Connaught’s chances of making a comeback as a hotel.

“The Pan Am Games are an event that is going to happen in 2015 and, for two weeks, every hotel in the area will be jammed,” says Battaglia.

“But, beyond that, it’s really not going to have much impact on the hotel industry.”

Battaglia says the housing proposal remains the consortium’s best hope of breathing new life into the Connaught and, by extension, the downtown.

“It’s very important to us.”

Last September, council voted 11 to 4 (Bob Bratina walked out without voting) to send the Connaught proposal to the province as the city’s top choice among six local projects seeking funding from the federal-provincial program.

The issue was hotly debated, largely because of a public backlash against the proposed use for the vacant but iconic hotel.

Built in 1916 and expanded in 1931, the Connaught is considered one of downtown’s most precious historic sites, even though it isn’t designated under the Ontario Heritage Act.

The housing proposal calls for 100 lower-income units for seniors and people with disabilities and 106 market-rate units.

The developers say the project would also include about 53,000 square feet of commercial space.

In the face of strong criticisms, city manager Chris Murray argued the development would help downtown revitalization and bring necessary new housing stock to the aging core.

Mayor Fred Eisenberger also argued the project meets the city’s goal of bringing more residents downtown.

Still, $12.9 million for a single project is considered a big ask. If the Connaught is approved, there is a good chance none of the other five proposed developments put forward by Hamilton — totalling about $16.4 million in requests — would get a dime.

A spokesperson for Municipal Affairs and Housing says he can’t comment on approvals or the timing of the announcements.

Officially, the city remains optimistic the provincial money will flow, enabling the 13-storey Connaught to be reborn as a high-rise apartment. But, again, the background buzz suggests few at City Hall will be shedding tears if the project is turned down.

[bigguy1231]

All I can say is this is great news. The province is going to do what our inept council couldn't do. Turn them down.

[highwater]

We're not there yet, but let's hope.

Whether or not this goes through, the city needs to have a serious look at its RFP process and the way it was managed by staff, and the quality of advice given by staff. Many councillors voted for the proposal reluctantly because they were told by staff that if they cherry-picked the Connaught, the other proposals on the list would be put at risk. Shortly after the vote, we found out from the province that this was not the case. Now we find out that not only would removing the Connaught from the list not have put the other proposals at risk, but in fact, if the Connaught goes through, there may not be enough money for the other projects! You would think staff might have placed a call to the Housing Ministry before issuing such catastophically bad advice.

Not to mention the whole issue of how the Connaught even got on the list in the first place given their tax arrears and the Valeri lawsuit.

Some heads should roll.

[markbarbera]

Should the proposal not go through, we'll be looking at another long-term derelect downtown building at a high-profile corner. Investers certainly aren't queing up to buy the building or finance its restoration. Lister part two.

[SteelTown]

I really wished 220 Dundurn proposal got approved under the RFP, would have been a perfect opportunity to redevelop that land.

[11thIndian]

Unfortunately, I think that's the preferable option in this case. Even if it sits derelict for another 5 years, it sits empty and relatively ready for development. Once it becomes a mixed income property, that will be it for the next 20 years, and if downtown hamilton turns around they way we all hope it will, then it will be a black eye we can't get rid of.

But attention MUST be paid to the condition of the building, and it's security. If the current owners are not willing or able to maintain the security and structure of the Connaught, they should be forced to sell to someone who will. It's time for this city to come down hard on developers squatting on landmark/historical property and waiting for it to fall down.