Dundas Update

[realcity]

I hate Dundas

[SteelTown]

Village Bakery friends rally round
Fans create Facebook page

January 04, 2010
John Burman
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/697778

The future of The Village Bakery in Dundas may be up in the air but its friends are out in force.

While city engineers probed the bakery’s bones Monday after a devastating fire which caused $750,000 to $1 million damage to the King Street West business, other merchants and friends of owner Susan Preston met to see what can be done to help.

A Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=...d=236374977041 - has sprung up dedicated to support for Preston and the bakery with longtime customers and friends pledging support.

Judy Boswell, executive director of the Downtown Dundas Business Improvement Area (BIA) said the community wants “to see how we can help.”

There have been offers to hold  of benefit concerts and other fundraising activities and the BIA would play a part, she said.

Preston, who won the award for best frontline service in the City of Hamilton, Tourism Awards in 2008, was not immediately available for comment.

“That’s her whole life,” Dundas BIA chair Phyllis Kraemer said after the fire. “She did nothing but work her tail off to get that business going.”

The fire, caused by an electrical short in the Christmas lights on the bakery’s real tree, burned out the landmark bakery and two upstairs apartments at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

Hamilton Emergency Services fire prevention officer Bob Simpson said Monday the blaze did not damage the buildings on either side of the bakery.

“There was minimal water and smoke damage to the adjoining buildings,” said Simpson.

Fire officials believe stout brick firewalls and 911 calls within seconds of the fire starting prevented damage to the adjoining buildings and a major threat to the downtown’s quaint streetscape.

City engineers were inspecting the bakery building Monday morning to see if the structure is sound.

[LikeHamilton]

Originally Posted by realcity

I hate Dundas

OK I'm bored and I'll bite....Why?

[SteelTown]

Raising the dough to help town bakery
Dundas shows its heart of gold in fire aftermath

January 07, 2010
John Burman
The Hamilton Spectator
DUNDAS
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/698332

The Village Bakery will be back.

Owner Susan Preston is looking for a location, just days after her bakery went up in flames due to a fault in lights on the store Christmas tree Saturday morning.

It's possible she could return to the same King Street West building.

Where it will go depends on the condition of the building or what other sites are available, she says.

"I'd love to be downtown again," Preston said yesterday as she prepared to tour the gutted bakery with the insurance adjuster. "There's nothing left, they want to write everything off.

"There is definitely no way I can't not start again. In some form, I will be back again."

That wasn't how she felt Saturday after battling the flaming Christmas tree with two fire extinguishers only to see it flare up again into an inferno at 10:30 a.m. with a store full of customers.

Staff and customers and the tenants living above the bakery all got out safely.

"Saturday and Sunday I was so sick about it all ... I just wanted to crawl under a rock somewhere," she says. "But my friends wouldn't let me."

Those friends, customers and business neighbours in downtown Dundas have been busy whipping up support for Preston, her staff and the occupants of two apartments burned out and another that suffered heavy smoke damage above the store.

First they jumped on Facebook and set up a page at Fans of The Village Bakery in Dundas. There are now more than 530 fans and the number is rising.

They posted pictures of their kids' birthday cakes or plates of cookies enjoyed long ago and talked about how much the bakery means to them. Then the fans got down to brass tacks, planning how they could help.

Among their plans is a cash collection at Fortinos on Main Street West in Hamilton this weekend to benefit the tenants who lost possessions in the fire, says Preston.

Also in the works are two big benefits.

The first is at Knox Presbyterian Church in Dundas Saturday Jan. 23, 6 to 9 p.m. with the proceeds to go to the bakery's staff who have been left with no income.

The second will be Feb. 13 at the Dundas Lions Memorial Community Centre on Market Street, a day-long affair organizers hope will start with a pancake breakfast, an auction in the afternoon and a dinner and dance in the evening. Details are still in the works.

Preston started baking in her kitchen with her sister Sheree Veevers when the two of them pooled what money they had -- about $200 --and bought ingredients to make and sell cookies so they could buy Christmas presents for their kids.

That was in 1995, the cookies were a huge success, and the sisters never looked back. The business grew, moving into a tiny 400-square foot space downtown in March 1998.

Along the way, Veevers's real estate career blossomed, demanding more of her time, and the bakery was moved to its present rented location, behind the quaint double doors Susan fell in love with around Thanksgiving Day 2005.

The outpouring of support has overwhelmed Preston. And she's moved by the town's support for the others in the building.

"I had no idea I would have this kind of support ... and love," she says.

"It has been unbelievable. I feel so bad for all the business, those poor people upstairs who have no home."

Customers have been dropping off their phone numbers with offers to help paint wherever she re-opens.

"They have been awesome," she says. "Dundas is a wonderful town."

[oldcoote]

The power of the internet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX_3DrbYfqw

[matt602]

Also pictures of the interior on thespec. Really depressing. I feel horrible for the owner. I'd imagine the upper level apartments were damaged heavily as well, in the video there are flames shooting out of 2nd floor windows for a good while.

[highwater]

There's going to be a fundraiser. From the facebook page:


Hello All!

Once again, thank you for your support! It means a lot to Sue!

A bank account has been set up for Susan Preston in trust at the TD Bank...2370 6288280 by Jamie Leder (The Collins Hotel) & Phyllis Kraemer(The Keeping Room). Should you wish to donate, please use the account number to do so at any TD/Canada Trust bank.

Also the fundraiser that was mentioned in an earlier message will be an "All Day" event at the Lions' Club Memorial Center on Saturday, February 13, and will begin with a pancake breakfast, events throughout the day, and finishing with an auction and a dance. More details to follow.

A benefit concert will be hosted by the staff of the CIBC on Jan 23 at Knox Presbyterian Church, please check the postings for the details.

If you happen to be at Fortino's on Main Stree West, this coming Saturday and Sunday.....look for the Village Bakery Staff and friends. Much thanks to Fortino's!

Sue called tonight to tell us about the photos that are posted on thespec.com this evening. John Rennison a photographer for the Spec and Susan visited the ruins of the bakery this morning. Truly breathtaking... it's no wonder her heart is hurting.

Take good care everyone!

phyllis

[LikeHamilton]

Thai eatery getting friendly welcome in Dundas

TheSpec.com - Business - (Jan 8, 2010)

A new restaurant has opened in Dundas in the space on King Street West that once housed the DeLuxe Restaurant.

The Bangkok Spoon DeLuxe opened in late November and customers are already lining up to get in. The Thai eatery is housed in renovated space and owned by Teeradech (Neil) Pramauntan-yatath, who also owns two similar restaurants in Toronto.

"We've been very busy in our new restaurant," he says, adding that he's extremely pleased with the reception his business has received. "Also, the people are so nice here, compared to Toronto."

[thistleclub]

Creekside sale ends OMB appeal
(Dundas Star News, Craig Campbell, Dec 20, 2012)

The Alterra Group of Companies withdrew its Ontario Municipal Board appeal for a proposed 7-storey condominium at 2555 Creekside Dr. in Dundas after closing a deal to sell the property to the City of Hamilton, last week.

The city paid $1,000,000 to the company for the property, near of the corner of Hatt and Ogilvie streets, financed through area rating, and plans to create a parkette with greenspace there. The sale officially closed December 12.

Dundas city councillor Russ Powers, who brokered the deal on behalf of the city with Alterra president Rob Cooper, said funding for the rest of the project will come from a few areas.

In addition to using area rating to fund the purchase of the million dollar property, the city’s Open Space Design department and Parks Maintenance Budget will pay for design, technical support and ongoing maintenance.

Money for parkette construction will come from tenants of four existing condominium buildings on Creekside Drive, who strongly opposed Alterra’s building application, and Amica retirement home which backs onto the site.

“Funding from external sources will be pursued to reduce gross costs,” Powers said.

Larry Button, a Creekside resident and member of Dundas Community Council who actively opposed the proposed new building, said last week he was very pleased all the hard work of many people over the past year has brought them to this point.

“And, of course, appreciation for the leadership and guidance provided by Russ throughout. It was invaluable,” Button said.

As far as the next steps, Button said he’s waiting to learn more from the city on the details and timetable for the process, but that he’s “looking forward to a collaborative effort that will result in a parkette (and) greenspace that will be an asset for generations to come.”

Rob Cooper, president of Alterra, previously told the Dundas Star News it made sense to avoid an OMB hearing – even though the company believed they had a good case to support the proposed development.

Cooper said the city found a way to satisfy the company and the Creekside neighbours.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

$1,000,000+ for that property behind Amica and in front of those Creekside condos? Wow, that's a lot for a parkette.

As an aside, downtown Dundas continues to boom. I wish there were a Dundas forumer who could keep us up-to-date on all the great things happening there.

[thistleclub]

Authority buys big chunk of Pleasant View farmland
(Dundas Star News, Richard Leitner, Nov 1, 2012)

The Hamilton Conservation Authority is buying a key parcel of abandoned farmland in the Pleasant View area that has been at the epicentre of development battles over the past two decades.

Land acquisition specialist Jen Baker said the authority hopes to close an $800,000 deal by mid-March for 52 acres of property on the south side of York Road that abuts land owned by the Royal Botanical Gardens.

A fundraising campaign to cover the cost of the purchase is being spearheaded by the Hamilton Conservation Foundation as part of plans to create a park running from Cootes Paradise to the escarpment.

“It’s the largest property out of the four or five that aren’t in public hands yet, and the largest one that has been put forward with development applications, which is why we wanted to acquire it,” Baker said.

“I know their development applications kept on getting turned down, but in another 10 years, which is about how often they come up, who knows? We might have a different council.”

A proposal to develop the area for housing in the early 1990s met stiff public opposition and went to the Ontario Municipal Board, which sided with opponents and set a limit of two homes on the property.

A subsequent bid to amend the area’s Parkway Belt West Plan to allow for a 760-unit development was rejected by the province in June 2010.

The area has since been placed in the Niagara Escarpment Commission planning area, effectively ending hopes for any major development.

+

Push is on to protect McMaster Forest
(Dundas Star News, Craig Campbell, Dec 20, 2012)

There is apparently no existing plan to develop on a 115-acre woodland owned by McMaster University bordering Dundas, Ancaster and west Hamilton – but a group advising the university president wants to make sure it stays that way.

Wayne Terryberry, chair of the president’s advisory committee on Cootes Paradise, said the property also known as “McMaster Forest” on the east side of Louise Drive off Lower Lions Club Road in Ancaster connects to the Ancaster Creek watershed.

“It’s a pretty ecologically diverse area,” Terryberry said. “We’re hoping to make sure that area is conserved.”

The committee recently enjoyed a success when McMaster University announced plans to move ahead with a project to create the 30-metre buffer recommended by the Hamilton Conservation Authority between Ancaster Creek and an existing parking lot on the west campus.

While that change will remove some parking spaces from the west campus, there is some support for removing more pavement and re-naturalizing the former wetland.

But Terryberry said trying to ensure preservation of the existing open space and forest a little further west is the advisory committee’s new main focus.

“We have to create a case for it,” he said. “(We have to) show that it’s in the university’s best interests to conserve it rather than other potential uses.”
Helen Ayre, acting university secretary at McMaster, said she doesn’t know of any plans for the land.

“So far as I am aware, the land has been left essentially untouched since it was purchased,” Ayre said.

The majority of the site is apparently zoned for agriculture, and also regulated by the Niagara Escarpment Commission. Neither the City of Hamilton planning department, nor the NEC is aware of any development proposal or discussions.
Ken Whitbread, manager of the NEC, said the property is in the Niagara Escarpment Plan’s most restrictive land use designations.

“Urban development would be prohibited, as is the severing of lands,” Whitbread said. “Highest and best use could be one house on the property or forestry, conservation, park and open space uses. Passive recreational uses and sustainable forestry could also be permitted.”

Land Registry documents indicate McMaster University purchased the property in two sections – the first in the summer of 1964 from Calder Developments Limited for one dollar. The rest of the site was purchased in the summer of 1969 from the County of Wentworth.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

re. Pleasant View

That's been going on forever - a rare win for the good guys. A nice chunk of property, though it was my impression that the RBG was out of the land acquisition game - lack of funds and all that.

Great news!

[thistleclub]

Freewheel Cycle has been selected by Shimano Canada to be an official Shimano Service Centre. Explanation behind the link.

[thistleclub]

Fundraising begins for urban eco-park
(Hamilton Spectator, Matthew Van Dongen, Jan 8, 2013)

An ambitious plan to grow one of Canada’s largest urban parks is in need of about $5 million in fundraising fertilizer.

A long-standing vision to protect and connect more than 2,500 hectares of natural land between Cootes Paradise and the escarpment has coalesced into a formal proposal for a “Dundas EcoPark.”

Supporters envision a protected patchwork stretching between Dundas and Highway 6, an area home to more than a quarter of Canada’s native plants and a variety of endangered and threatened species.

What the vision needs now is cash.

The Hamilton Conservation Foundation is seeking about $2 million for land acquisition, $2 million for restoration of the Desjardins Canal lands and $1 million for wetland preservation and trail development.

Much of the money will be immediately directed at buying land in the Pleasant View area abutting property already owned by the Royal Botanical Gardens.

“It’s kind of a big hole in an area of otherwise protected natural lands,” said Jen Baker, a land acquisition specialist with the Hamilton Conservation Authority.

“If we’re successful (in buying land) there, the result will really stand out.”

The authority has already conditionally purchased a 21-hectare plot of former farmland that has been the on-again, off-again target of development for more than a decade.

Part of the cash raised will likely go toward that $800,000 purchase, she said, adding the foundation has to come up with the money by the end of March.

“There is some urgency to the campaign,” she said.

The planned land purchases would be the biggest so far aimed at protecting and connecting natural areas for an urban park, said David Galbraith, head of science for the RBG and the chair of the project steering committee that includes representatives from the city, Burlington, the conservation authority and several other landowners.

“It is very exciting to see things move forward,” said Galbraith, who added project partners are also working on a governance model.

The City of Hamilton recently committed to pay about $15,000 annually for three years to help cover administrative costs associated with the project.

The foundation has partnered with McMaster University professors and students to create a video campaign for the fundraising drive.

[thistleclub]

Dundas EcoPark gets boost from Ottawa
(Hamilton Spectator, Jan 23, 2013)

An ambitious plan to create one of Canada’s largest urban parks has received a financial shot in the arm.

Ottawa announced a $502,274 contribution Wednesday to the $5-million fundraising campaign by the Hamilton Conservation Authority to establish the Dundas EcoPark Project.

The contribution was presented to vice-chair Jim Howlett at the HCA’s Ancaster headquarters by Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale MP David Sweet.

The money comes from the Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund and is the first major contribution to the fundraising campaign. The HCA applied to the fund for assistance.

“That’s awesome,” Howlett said of the contribution. “That’s 10 per cent of the total fundraising project right there.”

The funds will go toward improvements at the former site of the Ben Veldhuis greenhouse operation on King Street East, along the old Desjardins Canal.

The HCA bought the site and cleared it of its 20 greenhouses in 2010 for a park. Veldhuis was famous for growing cacti and gave Dundas the nickname, Cactus Capital of Canada.

The Dundas EcoPark concept connects more than 2,500 hectares of natural land between Cootes Paradise and the Niagara Escarpment. The area is home to more than a quarter of Canada’s native plants and a variety of endangered and threatened species.

The HCA is seeking about $2 million for land acquisition, $2 million for restoration of the canal and $1 million for wetland preservation and trail development.

“It’s a good project and it’s finally going to clean up that area along the Desjardins,” said Sweet. “I joked today that the Canada geese around there will finally have a home.”

[thistleclub]

Craft brewery plan fermenting in Dundas
(Dundas Star News, Craig Campbell, Jan 24, 2013)

When Ed Madronich started looking for a place to base his new craft brewery within the Greater Hamilton Area, he knew Dundas would be a great location.

Madronich, owner and operator of Flat Rock Cellars winery in Jordan, was well aware of the Valley Town’s long brewing and industrial history – and how the Desjardins Canal helped build it into a larger and busier business area than its neighbour Hamilton.

So when he heard the Valley City Manufacturing buildings at 64 and 65 Hatt St. were available, he started working with owner Bob Crockford. Now a rezoning application will come to city councillors to permit a craft brewery at the former Valley City warehouse building at 65 Hatt.

Madronich thinks a craft brewery – focused on beer production and tourism – is a great fit for Dundas, and he’s aware there’s plenty of excited buzz around the project already.

“That speaks to how right it is for Dundas,” he said.

Madronich said the brewery will not feature a pub or restaurant. The focus will be brewing beer, public tours and an opportunity to sample the product.

“I’m not a restauranteur. I want to sell my beer to restaurants in the community. I don’t want to be a competitor. I don’t have a restaurant at my winery,” Madronich said. “It’s a craft brewery. There is an art and a craft to it.”

His vision is to bring a winery-style experience to a small brewery.

“It really is a tourist-destination,” Madronich said. “That’s why I think it fits in Dundas. People already come to spend the day in the shops.”

Currently operating under the name Shed Brewing Company Ltd., Madronich’s craft brewery still has plenty of details to work out. He’s hired a consultant and done some preliminary work, but isn’t ready quite yet to announce what types of beer they’ll make, or any branding decisions.

“(Shed Brewing) is our corporate name. I don’t know if it will be on the front of the bottle or not,” Madronich said.

City councillor Russ Powers mentioned the craft brewery zoning application at his Dundas Community Council meeting last week, and the early response from committee members was positive.

Shed Brewing Company Ltd. incorporated in Ontario on Dec. 27, 2012. The two named directors are Madronich and Shawn Kaley Arnold Till of Potomac, Maryland.

A notice announcing the application was circulated to neighbours of the potential brewery site. The public is invited to provide comments before planning staff prepare a report on the application for city councillors on the planning committee to review.

Public comments received before Feb. 1 will be published as part of that report.

Any potential environmental impacts of a craft brewery are also expected to be reviewed in the staff report. The planner responsible for the file is Kate Mihaljevic.

[Pearlstreet]

YES!! I can't wait!!

[movingtohamilton]

Originally Posted by Pearlstreet

YES!! I can't wait!!

Great news indeed. I assume he'll find a good brewmaster, since he is a vintner.

[mattgrande]

Well, looks like I'm moving to Dundas.

[movingtohamilton]

No need to move there! Hopefully the brewery will sell to places like The Winking Judge, and will have its own on-premises store.