Duff's Corners poised for new commercial development

LikeHamilton · #1 Posted **Feb 11, 2008, 5:44 AM**

Quote:

Duff's Corners poised for new commercial development

A big box electronics retailer, carpet outlet, dollar store, coffee shop and financial institution are expected during the next phase of commercial development at the corner of Highway 53 and Shaver Road.

The booming commercial district in Duff's Corners is slated to grow this spring with the additon of a new Future Shop, Giant Carpet, Dollar Giant, Starbucks and a Meridian Credit Union. The district, home to the Ancaster Wal-Mart Supercentre, is growing in 2008 under the direction of its management firm, Smart Centres.

Smart Centres spokesperson Sandra Kaiser said the new stores will open in early spring. Future Shop will likely be first on the scene. Store fixtures are currently being installed. There are still an estimated 0.37 hectares (40,000 square feet) of potential development space on the property, the company reports.

AncasterNews.com

Rico Rommheim · #2 Posted **Feb 11, 2008, 5:46 AM**

Quote:

A big box electronics retailer, carpet outlet, dollar store, coffee shop and financial institution are expected during the next phase of commercial development at the corner of Highway 53 and Shaver Road.

sounds very exciting and progressive

flar · #3 Posted **Feb 11, 2008, 6:56 AM**

For those who can't picture a big box power centre in their mind, here is a picture of the construction

raisethehammer · #4 Posted **Feb 11, 2008, 1:03 PM**

hmm, where is that now? east mountain? west mountain? ancaster? the crick? waterdown? ahh, I can't tell! they're all the same.

highwater · #5 Posted **Feb 11, 2008, 2:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by flar

For those who can't picture a big box power centre in their mind, here is a picture of the construction

Was that really necessary? I was eating my breakfast.

flar · #6 Posted **Feb 11, 2008, 3:19 PM**

I really was wondering what was going in up there. I can't believe Ancaster is getting another Future Shop, though I suspect the Meadowlands Future Shop will become a Best Buy. Still, basically the same store.

Jon Dalton · #7 Posted **Feb 11, 2008, 3:56 PM**

Great news, but will it have the statues of those super cute Smart! Centres penguins at the entrance?

flar · #8 Posted **Feb 11, 2008, 5:01 PM**

^^it already does. This is an expansion of an existing smart centre.

SteelTown · #9 Posted **Feb 11, 2008, 5:19 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by flar

I really was wondering what was going in up there. I can't believe Ancaster is getting another Future Shop, though I suspect the Meadowlands Future Shop will become a Best Buy. Still, basically the same store.

Yea, the Future Shop at Meadowlands will be a Best Buy and there's suppose to be another Best Buy somewhere in the Lower end of the city.

raisethehammer · #10 Posted **Feb 11, 2008, 5:28 PM**

looks like they hired a great architect for this project. So much more style and pizzaz than most big boxes.
gotta be the easiest 6-digit income going these days.

raisethehammer · #11 Posted **Feb 11, 2008, 7:22 PM**

Starbucks eh?? So I guess Duffs Corners just replaced Locke St as Hamilton's newest hip, happening neighbourhood??

realcity · #12 Posted **Feb 11, 2008, 7:42 PM**

this is hilarious... thanks everyone.

Alexanians, DollarRama, Best Buy, Tim Hortons and TD (with drive thru of course)

The future of Hamilton looks very bright. I don't think we need the new staff at EcDev.

raisethehammer · #13 Posted **Feb 11, 2008, 8:06 PM**

I can't wait for Kevin Werner's next article calling this the 'new downtown'. Lol. I'm convinced he and Dreschel are the same person. If not, then wow. how did Hamilton end up with both of them??

DC83 · #14 Posted **Feb 11, 2008, 8:07 PM**

The worst thing about this centre is that there is absolutely no way one can access it by walking or cycling. This centre is by far WAY worse than the meadowlands which is actually accessible by foot, bike and even public transit.

This "Smart"Centre promotes environmental damage and should NEVER have been approved by the city under the "places to grow" legislation. But I believe it's construction began before that was implemented. Sadly.

I'd take 3 Meadowlands developments over another one of these types any-day!

raisethehammer · #15 Posted **Feb 11, 2008, 8:52 PM**

Smart Centres builds the worst crap in the country. they've taken sprawl and big box to whole new hellish level. I hope an SUV takes out those penguins!

Jon Dalton · #16 Posted **Feb 11, 2008, 9:16 PM**

Smart and RioCan are tied for #1 in my mind. Smart! may have a slight edge if only because the penguins add to that 'cartoon landscape' element of the design. I do have evil thoughts about running over them.

The sad part is, these guys are making money hand over fist building these centres because people actually want them. People flock to them so fast you have stores up and running while they're still digging the ground to build the rest of it.

fastcarsfreedom · #17 Posted **Feb 11, 2008, 9:29 PM**

It's amazing that these types of developments aren't built outside the Hamilton area--but are exclusive to this backward-thinking region.

In seriousness, I can understand a distaste for similar building designs and materials (stucco)--but suburban retail development is nothing new--and if you look back--developments of this nature have usually looked similar--from 60s era strip centers like University Plaza in Dundas to the ever-present Milanese-style galleria shopping malls which were vogue in the 80s.

HAMRetrofit · #18 Posted **Feb 11, 2008, 10:11 PM**

Haha Duff's Corner

Another craptacular big box develop in Ontario.

Jon Dalton · #19 Posted **Feb 12, 2008, 12:24 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by fastcarsfreedom

It's amazing that these types of developments aren't built outside the Hamilton area--but are exclusive to this backward-thinking region.

You're right, this is only par for the course. But it's just more of a kick in the teeth here because our downtown lacks so much retail. That's the big pisser for me - that there's so much potential for high quality retail here but all the money goes into new box centres. They could run the same stores in the ground floor of new mixed use buildings - hell, we've got whole blocks we could give them - but that would require an element of design completely foreign to RioCrap and Shit!Centres who apply the same model everywhere. It would cost more to design to fit the surroundings, so they build where there are no surroundings.

raisethehammer · #20 Posted **Feb 12, 2008, 1:32 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Dalton

Smart and RioCan are tied for #1 in my mind. Smart! may have a slight edge if only because the penguins add to that 'cartoon landscape' element of the design. I do have evil thoughts about running over them.

The sad part is, these guys are making money hand over fist building these centres because people actually want them. People flock to them so fast you have stores up and running while they're still digging the ground to build the rest of it.

You're last point here is what gets me. I read that and I think to myself "why are we paying for their roads, servicing, new highway ramps, interchanges etc...."
Over in the transit discussion, Mr X from Vancouver mentioned how developers pay for the cost of Light rail stations in order to gain approval from the city for higher densities etc.... here, we pay these freaks public money so they can waste more farmland and set our economy further back, not ahead (which exactly what sprawl does to urban cities). it's totally backwards.