Hamilton developers propose new bowling centre and 300 residential units on former Sherwood Centre site
More than 160 people gather to hear about Hamilton developers' plans for former Sherwood Centre location
NEWS Nov 18, 2019 by Kevin Werner Hamilton Mountain News
New life for Sherwod Centre site
Hamilton businessmen Hamid Hakimi (foreground, left) and Sam Sakhi (background, left) listen to a few of the over 160 people who attended a public meeting at the Sherwood branch of the Hamilton Public Library Nov. 18 to listen to their proposal about a residential/commercial development on the site of the former Sherwood Centre bowling alley. - Kevin Werner/Torstar
Hamilton developers, who are proposing a large, mixed-use commercial and residential complex on the former Sherwood Centre five-pin bowling centre at Fennell Avenue East and Upper Ottawa Street, threw a strike with residents when they confirmed they will be building a new bowling facility for the community.
“We are looking at options to reopen (the bowling centre),” Sam Esposto of Esposto Architects said to a standing-room-only crowd at the Sherwood branch of the Hamilton Public Library on Nov. 18. “The owners have graciously agreed to rebuild the bowling alley as a brand-new facility. It may not look the way it looks now.”
He said, as the crowd applauded the announcement, the owners can construct only 24 lanes, instead of the 48 bowling lanes the former facility had.
“(The Sherwood facility) is really in ruins,” said Esposto.
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The Sherwood Centre at Fennell East and Upper Ottawa closed its doors in July 2018 after opening in 1967.
The development will not include not only the estimated 15,000-square-foot bowling centre, with the possibility of an arcade, but on the plaza, the property will include two four-storey buildings, a seven-storey and a nine-storey building that will have a total of about 300 units.
The developers, Sam Sakhi and Hamid Hakimi, who founded Elite Reality Group, have yet to decide if the residential units will be condominiums or rentals.
In addition, the current Tim Hortons franchise is expected to remain part of the proposed development. Hakimi said they are seeking another restaurant for the project, as well as a possible medical centre.
Hakimi said the residential units will be marketed to seniors and retirees, and they emphasized they believe local residents will be able to afford the units.
“There is a high demand for condos,” he said.
Parking at the back of the plaza will remain “as a buffer” between the single family residences and the buildings, said Esposto.
The developers, along with Mountain Coun. Tom Jackson, held the public meeting to listen to residents' comments on the proposal. Although the proposal elicited some criticism, and a few suggestions, the majority of the residents were cautiously optimistic about what they heard.
Susan Burns, president of the Hamilton 5 Pin Bowlers’ Association, was hopeful the developers will open a 24-lane bowling centre on the property. “It would still be the largest one in the city if they did,” she said.
“I think the development is a positive, and the owners seem willing to listen to the public about it,” she said.
James Webb, an independent planner, said there is “no firm development proposal in place. We are trying to come up with a plan that would best fit the property.”
The owners still have to create a number of studies for the application, including traffic and shadow impacts, and archeological and wind reviews.
Webb said a preliminary application — the owners are seeking at least a rezoning application — to the city could be made by early 2020. It could take a year to make its way through the city’s planning process, he said.
Construction, though, remains a long way off, said Esposto, possibly anywhere from three to five years.
And any construction is expected to be conducted in phases, said Esposto.
Jackson and the owners are committed to holding another public meeting about the project no later than June 1, 2020.
Dan Brown, who lives with his family on Rendell Boulevard, was less than enthusiastic about the proposal. He said he is concerned that he'll looking at a wall of concrete from his backyard. He said the proposed buildings will block out the sunlight to his house, which backs onto the plaza.
“It makes no sense,” said Brown, who wants to live out his years in his current house. “It will be an eyesore.”
Christine Crooks, who also lives on Rendell Boulevard, agreed having the proposed buildings almost on top of the residents who live along Rendell will impact each homeowner's lifestyle.
“It’s a privacy issue,” she said. “We have spent a lot of money fixing our home.”
Warren Socquet, who lives in the area, echoed a few comments from the public that another option would be to reduce or even eliminate the two four-storey buildings, while just keeping the taller buildings in place.
Esposto said that may not be possible because they're trying to “spread the density around the site.”
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