Downtown Works Program

[miketoronto]

What do you guys think if Hamilton worked on some sort of plan, lets call it for fun DOWNTOWN WORKS, that sets a goal and puts a focus on growing employment in downtown Hamilton, by attracting office jobs that would normally go to the sprawl of the 905 suburbs?

I know not all jobs can be put in downtown Toronto or the central area of Toronto. So instead of promoting sprawl, Hamilton could be become the secondary business centre for office jobs that are not going to locate in downtown Toronto for whatever reason.

DOWNTOWN WORKS could set a goal of say increasing downtown Hamilton's downtown employment level to 70,000 in a 10-15 year span or less.

Special marketing could be done, as well as tax rates equal to places like Vaughan, etc. and of course you would need LRT

But think if Hamilton did this, and say Oshawa did this on the east with their downtown. I think it would work out great.
And people from Oakville and Burlington can't complain, because they would both be 30min from downtown Hamilton or Toronto via GO TRANSIT

[flar]

That would be nice. You would need some brilliant marketing, office type people seem to think the worst of Hamilton. Many business leaders would laugh at the idea of putting an office in downtown Hamilton. On the other hand money talks and if land and taxes were cheap you never know.
I was talking to a guy this summer who was putting together a package to try to convince CANMET researchers to move from Ottawa to Hamilton. He mentioned the negative impression people had of Hamilton and their reluctance to relocate here.