New Hotel Planned For Meadowlands

[LikeHamilton]

I know this has been in the works for a while. We will see how long this will take as some people are talking about taking this to the OMB over the building height. Ancaster had a no more than 3 stories rule and the building will be 6 stories. It is on the boarder with old Hamilton and within a kilometre are several buildings around 15 stories.

New Hotel Planned For Meadowlands
Feb, 19 2008 - 1:40 PM

HAMILTON (AM900 CHML) - Hamilton's planning and economic development commitee has given preliminary approval to another new hotel development.
This time, plans calls for a 113 room hotel along with banquet facilities and a restaurant near the Meadowlands.

It is to be built on Old Golf Links Road, overlooking the Lincoln Alexander Expressway.

Ancaster Councillor Lloyd Ferguson says the 30-to-40 million dollar investment will provide the community with much-needed accomodation.

[raisethehammer]

haha...height restrictions.
yea, we'd hate to block that fabulous view looking out over the sea of asphalt and warehouses. Really quaint and village-like.

[realcity]

Originally Posted by raisethehammer

haha...height restrictions.
yea, we'd hate to block that fabulous view looking out over the sea of asphalt and warehouses. Really quaint and village-like.

Too funny. what are they trying to protect exactly with the 3-floor limit? Don't forget the 'ban' (illegal) on outdoor clothes lines. Little do they know they live in the future ghettos.

[DC83]

Originally Posted by realcity

Too funny. what are they trying to protect exactly with the 3-floor limit? Don't forget the 'ban' (illegal) on outdoor clothes lines. Little do they know they live in the future ghettos.

Ancaster has banned clothes-lines?? haha omg, that's so backwards!
"Listen you faux-rich suburbanite... you're going to use as MUCH energy as you possibly can or GET THE F' OUT OF TOWN! You'll drive a gas-guzzler, keep every light in your house on for the fear of being robbed, have 4 rooms with TVs in them ALL on at the same time making sure you're family is completely seperated from eachother, AND dry your clothes in an energy-draining clothes drier! GOT!?!" hahaha

Hopefully some of the older Europeans forced to move here by their families have been "breaking the law" haha

[raisethehammer]

Originally Posted by realcity

Too funny. what are they trying to protect exactly with the 3-floor limit? Don't forget the 'ban' (illegal) on outdoor clothes lines. Little do they know they live in the future ghettos.

FUTURE ghettos???

[DC83]

^^I think they should put the hotel IN the pkng lot, close to an improved transit terminal (where the 16, 5 , 41 & 43 can all join up) providing these tourists/family members/whatever an option to get downtown/McMaster than just by car. They could also build a condo right near it in the pkng lot (not like there's not enough to spare) making a mini up-town'ish 'village' for Ancaster. Any infill in the big box lots against the streetscape would be great for this area. In the long run, it could be good considering that would most likely be a terminal for an East-West mountain RT line.

[hamiltonguy]

Old Golflinks is east of Stonechurch so Transit Terminal is kinda inconvenient if it is put there, although I agree that the parking lots and boxes should be redeveloped.

And re: height restrictions I believe they were put in place because of the old village centre which is nice active human scale and walkable.

I know some people from Ancaster who don't regard the Medowlands as Ancaster. They call it "The Medowlands" as opposed to "Real Ancaster".

I think you'll find people living in old Ancaster are a lot less obnoxiously suburban than Medowlandites (although they still are suburban they are real asses about it)

[raisethehammer]

yea, actually the lady who cuts my hair works downtown and takes the bus downtown every single day. A beautiful home with lots of property in 'real' Ancaster. She is a wonderful lady. Since knowing her, I've come to realize that there are a lot of fine folks out there in the nice area of Ancaster (sulphur springs, lovers lane etc....)
She does all her shopping downtown...she usually hits up the newests cafes and bistros before I can! we always exchange info on the newest place downtown and great ideas etc.... totally different from the Meadowlands weirdos in debt up to their.......

[fastcarsfreedom]

Quote

I've come to realize that there are a lot of fine folks out there in the nice area of Ancaster (sulphur springs, lovers lane etc....)

Imagine my surprise when I realized there were decent people living in the lower city. If anyone made a comment like this about people living in Hamilton they'd be skewered.

[raisethehammer]

Originally Posted by fastcarsfreedom

Quote

I've come to realize that there are a lot of fine folks out there in the nice area of Ancaster (sulphur springs, lovers lane etc....)

Imagine my surprise when I realized there were decent people living in the lower city. If anyone made a comment like this about people living in Hamilton they'd be skewered.

you've obviously been gone for too long. Hamilton's favourite past-time is dumping on lower Hamilton. You should see their faces when I use their same comments about their suburban areas. They don't know what to say. I can see the wheels turning as they think "what? Who doesn't LOVE Upper James???"
I'm not kidding...it's pretty funny here.
I've got a friend who opened a cafe downtown and now lives in a loft above the cafe. His friends make fun of him for living and working in the same place and walking everywhere. That's right - MAKE fun of him! Hamilton's a screwed up town in many respects.

[DC83]

^^ He's right. The amount some of us bash the suburbs is not nearly as bad as people from the suburbs bash the lower city and Downtown.

I get it all the time (usually from the baby boomers), sadly. Most people who were born & raised in the 'Suburban Dream' era don't understand why I would want to live in "crummy Downtown Hamilton". They want wide open fields they can let their dogs run in & a giant driveway to park their RV, etc.

But that's ok... I just remind them that when they're too old to drive, they'll have to either suck it up and move to a ped-friendly neighbourhood or walk 1.5hrs to get groceries. hahaha

[DC83]

Ancaster hotel takes first step forward

February 20, 2008
Nicole MacIntyre
The Hamilton Spectator

A new Ancaster hotel is over its first hurdle at city hall.

The city's economic development and planning committee gave preliminary approval yesterday for the construction of a six-storey, 113-room Holiday Inn in the Meadowlands area.

The hotel and a twin office tower, worth up to $40 million, violate Ancaster's three-storey height restriction of three storeys maximum.

But staff still endorsed the proposal by Dennis Vranich and John Bukovac on Old Golf Links Road just off the Linc.

The buildings are being built at the bottom of a slope, which will make their height look comparable to surrounding buildings.

"We're really taking advantage of being in a hole," said Sergio Manchia, the developers' agent. "This is a very significant project."

Ancaster Councillor Lloyd Ferguson said he supported the hotel proposal after extensive consultation with the community.

"Ancaster needs a hotel."

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/327277

[fastcarsfreedom]

Thank you all for the reminder that you are all better than the rest of society. It amuses me that you attempt to validate your arguments by using the same negativity and same descriptors that you accuse others of using against the city. I can appreciate that you prefer to live in the environment you live in--I respect that--in fact, you seem downright passionate when it comes to talking about urban living--I can't understand why the positives don't stand on their own. I enjoy where I live and I assure you that any list of reasons why would not include a long list of reasons why I "hate" the city.

I actually agree in spirit with you on both the height ban and the clothes line ban (though neither are particularly rare or exclusive to Ancaster). For all the times that I have been accused of being a s***-disturber, this thread has turned on a dime--turning with incredible speed from a forum about a hotel being built in Ancaster to a tirade about your distaste (or utter hatred) of anything that isn't in the "old" City of Hamilton--and below the escarpment only. There is a far greater number of business travellers coming into and out of the Hamilton area on a daily basis than many people realize--and depending on who and where they are visiting--a good majority right now end up staying in Brantford or Burlington. A full-service, business-oriented hotel like this is a long-time coming for this area in particular. I would expect more projects to locate near it within short-order.

[raisethehammer]

if we're reading the same thread, I don't see one person on here disagreeing with the hotel/office building complex. In fact, it would appear that we all support the project.
It wasn't US, but the Spec who mentioned the snit about the height restrictions. I would hope that you have enough of a sense of humour to see the hilarious irony in people trying to prevent a 6-storey building from being built in Hamilton's most land-wasting project ever. Heaven forbid someone build something out there that isn't one storey, surrounded by 3,000 parking spaces.
I wish it was 10 stories and I agree with earlier posts that the central parking area in Meadowlands be replaced with a village-like development with multi-storey buildings and more shops, services and population. If you don't see the humour and irony taking place here, that's too bad.

[fastcarsfreedom]

I believe I already stated that I think the height restriction is ridiculous. If this hotel project is successful as I believe it will be, there will likely by a boom of hotels built in that area. Suburban hotels are built vertically these days--so this is likely the first of many. A cluster of midrise buildings in that area could be quite attractive.

My sense of humor is intact. There is humor/irony in a building height restriction in that area--any such humor was a small part of this thread however. Most of it is comprised of the typical arguments about "suburban hell" unrelated to this hotel/office project.

[BCTed]

Originally Posted by fastcarsfreedom

Most of it is comprised of the typical arguments about "suburban hell" unrelated to this hotel/office project.

The whole "lower city vs. suburbs" thing is ridiculous.

[BCTed]

Originally Posted by BCTed

The whole "lower city vs. suburbs" thing is ridiculous.

And the whole double standard about going off-topic is equally ridiculous. It is OK to stray from the original topic for some posters, but not for others. My own opinion is that it is fair game to write about any topic in any thread as long as people are interested in discussing it. Discussions evolve and topics change.

[BCTed]

Originally Posted by BCTed

And the whole double standard about going off-topic is equally ridiculous. It is OK to stray from the original topic for some posters, but not for others. My own opinion is that it is fair game to write about any topic in any thread as long as people are interested in discussing it. Discussions evolve and topics change.

I couldn't agree more.

[raisethehammer]

hey, that's pretty cool. I've never seen anyone quote their own post before. Lol.
Nice.

[realcity]

I meant "Future Slums" read James Kunstler. With an energy crunch, mortgage crisis and given the lifespan of these houses/buildings, the odds are stacked against it. Houses possibly falling apart, still with huge mortgages, maybe declining house values because if they are located in pure car dependency and there is a lack of gasoline or very expenisve gas who will buy these houses?