Downtown Update

[Hawrylyshyn]

Anyone know what's being done to the courthouse ? Covered in scaffold

[king10]

Originally Posted by Hawrylyshyn

Anyone know what's being done to the courthouse ? Covered in scaffold

Repointing some of the stone.

[ChildishGavino]

I think I read a notice saying it was for some sort of fire prevention.

[LikeHamilton]

BOUSFIELDS INC. now has an office at 1 Main Street East. They must feel there is opportunity to set up here and not do everything from Toronto.

From their web site

Is one of the pre-eminent community planning firms in Ontario with special expertise in urban design, planning policy, community design, development approvals, community consultation and project management. Bousfields offers a full range of land use planning and urban design services to the development industry, municipalities and government agencies. In addition, as land use planning and urban design specialists, the firm is frequently a prominent team player within multi-disciplinary consortiums of firms having complementary skills. We quite often act as the prime facilitator or project manager coordinating the overall project design and working with a number of different landowners and municipal staff.

PLANNING + DESIGN + ENGAGEMENT
Bousfields Inc. offers a full range of planning services associated with the preparation of official plan amendments, zoning by-law amendments, draft plans of subdivision, site plan approvals, minor variances and severances for a very broad client base. Having worked for both the public and the private sectors, we have a thorough understanding of the development process and the steps necessary to secure timely approvals.

Land use planning services include preparing planning policy studies for public sector clients and securing development approvals for a wide range of residential, commercial, employment and institutional projects. Bousfields is recognized as one of the foremost community and subdivision design specialists in the Province. Urban design services include evaluations and preparation of urban design guidelines for numerous downtown residential and mixed use developments. Furthermore, our expertise includes the preparation of three dimensional massing studies and shadow analyses, as well as the development of concept plans.

https://bousfields.ca/

[Innsertnamehere]

Urban Strategies set up an office in Hamilton a few months ago too. Wonder what the rush for the pre-eminent consulting firms to set up shop in the area is.

[LRTfan]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

Urban Strategies set up an office in Hamilton a few months ago too. Wonder what the rush for the pre-eminent consulting firms to set up shop in the area is.

It's the only way for investors to navigate the red tape and NIMBY culture here. Virtually nobody attempts a development in Hamilton anymore without hiring one of these firms to fight like heck at city hall for them. Sad state of affairs but it's what happens when a city is run by people with zero business experience or sense.

[Innsertnamehere]

^ you need a planner on a file regardless of location in Ontario. It’s not because Hamilton is some red tape riddled hellhole.

Usually there are local planners that handle files - UrbanSolutions is a local firm that seems to handle most applications right now. I’m sure they are sweating in their boots as Bousfields brings with them a much deeper bench and greater capabilities.

What I’m interested in is why these two firms, which are generally considered the best in the province, have decided to set up in Hamilton for each of their first satellite offices. Is it the urban nature of the city that draws them? Are they hoping to grab files in Kitchener as well as it’s closer to there than Toronto is? Why not set up in Ottawa? London? Why now, both of them opening a few months apart?

[LRTfan]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

^ It’s not because Hamilton is some red tape riddled hellhole.

LOL...you may want to develop some relationships with business people....

[king10]

Originally Posted by LRTfan

LOL...you may want to develop some relationships with business people....

Of course developers are going to want as little regulations and oversight as possible. Theyre going to want applications rubber stamped which isnt good for all residents of the community. There is a happy medium that can be reached.

[interr0bangr]

The Wellington Arms (dive bar at the corner of Cannon/Wellington) is being completely renovated and turned into a gay bar/club called "The Well".

http://thewellhamilton.com/

[woreg75]

That is something positive for the gay community in Hamilton. I've always hoped for something better to take over that bar as it does have great bones and street presence.

[SteelTown]

That's good news, that's a big building too. Hopefully, they'll scrub the exterior a bit. Maybe they could knock a door along the Cannon side of the building and turn it into a wellness/resource centre for the LGBTQ community.

I believe Darko used to own that building so he must've sold it to them.

[Chronamut]

Originally Posted by interr0bangr

The Wellington Arms (dive bar at the corner of Cannon/Wellington) is being completely renovated and turned into a gay bar/club called "The Well".

http://thewellhamilton.com/

Yeah my friend steve palmer is running it - he and his friend francis run the "pitbull" bar events in toronto. It will be nice to have a gay bar again in hamilton. Unfortunately the gay community is its own toxic worst enemy and tends to be vengeful towards places like this if they aren't absolutely perfect and abandon them. So here's to hoping. There have been a long string of failures before this - the werx, the steel lounge, the embassy..

[King&James]

Originally Posted by Hawrylyshyn

Anyone know what's being done to the courthouse ? Covered in scaffold

Not sure , here is a pic from yesterday. The green monster!

[TheRitsman]

I assume they're cleaning it. It didn't look too bad, but there may also be some issues with the exterior we don't know about.

[thistleclub]

The Wellington Arms (dive bar at the corner of Cannon/Wellington) is being completely renovated and turned into a gay bar/club called "The Well".

In tribute to the (now-shuttered) LGBTQ+ community wellness centre of the same name?

It will be nice to have a gay bar again in hamilton. Unfortunately the gay community is its own toxic worst enemy and tends to be vengeful towards places like this if they aren't absolutely perfect and abandon them. So here's to hoping.

The success/failure of Hamilton's past gay bars and clubs is a complex issue and more than a little bit rooted in lack of business acumen, which is a common issue in all bars and clubs that fail. It's also surprisingly easy to get to Toronto, so serious club-goers of all self-definitions have the option to head there rather than defaulting to the local option.

Tempting as it is to identify toxic drama as the cause of any scene's downfall, sometimes the cause a lot more pedestrian. Roughly a third of new businesses fail before their second anniversary, half bail before their fifth, and everyone wants to believe they're the exception.

[HamiltonBoyInToronto]

The downfall of The Embassy nightclub was directly the fault of the straight owner who neglected the club into complete disrepair and was solely using it as a money laundering establishment.... Once an amazing night club that drew clubgoers from all of southern Ontario....once he got his hands on it the place went downhill quickly.... No doors on toilet stalls .... Lights burnt out everywhere...shit DJs etc .... Yes people went to Toronto due to close proximity but in its hay day The Embassy was drawing people from Toronto to Hamilton.... Nothing to do with toxic drama or bad business in Hamilton

[Chronamut]

Originally Posted by HamiltonBoyInToronto

The downfall of The Embassy nightclub was directly the fault of the straight owner who neglected the club into complete disrepair and was solely using it as a money laundering establishment.... Once an amazing night club that drew clubgoers from all of southern Ontario....once he got his hands on it the place went downhill quickly.... No doors on toilet stalls .... Lights burnt out everywhere...shit DJs etc .... Yes people went to Toronto due to close proximity but in its hay day The Embassy was drawing people from Toronto to Hamilton.... Nothing to do with toxic drama or bad business in Hamilton

the embassy I will agree was due to neglect - the bathrooms were also horrifying - it also had a bit of a bad rep for being a femme club - to which it was dubbed "femme" bassy - the werx however was due to the owner serving minors and lesbians having brawls. They lost their liquor licence and the church across the street prevented them from getting it back, and so they were forced to shutter it down. It was also 4 stores 2 of which were rarely if ever used.

The steel lounge started off as promising but served only specific demographics - considering a lot of the gay community leaves for the point and ceders in the summertime this means the bar was left mostly empty during the summer months. They just couldn't afford to continue operations over time. Also people slowly stopped going.

There were some events in the basements of one of the places along james st for a while, but that place eventually kicked the community out because they didn't want to be open on the weekends. That was a disappointment, as that place was nice.

The gift shop that daniel ran across from the william thomas building recently was pretty good - it was only open about once a month as a club and operated as an art gallery before that. It worked until the guy decided to sell. That one was alright - lots of toronto people coming because they knew daniel, rather cliquey though.

As for going to toronto, yes you can go - but considering public transportation stops at 1 am and most bars are open until 2 or 3 it really makes it difficult to get back home if you don't stay in say a bathhouse, know people there or find someone to hook up with. Torontonians are also rather cliquey and up until recently anyways looked down on hamiltonians.

[Markus83]

Originally Posted by King&James

Not sure , here is a pic from yesterday. The green monster!

I think that I had heard of a rumor stating that it is to become a pizza shop. Though, don't quote me on it to be that accurate.

[movingtohamilton]

Originally Posted by Markus83

I think that I had heard of a rumor stating that it is to become a pizza shop. Though, don't quote me on it to be that accurate.

Perfect! Adaptive re-use of a bldg. Pizza is the new Tim Hortons in Hamilton.