Hamilton Waterfront

[SteelTown]

Waterfront corporation in the works

May 20, 2010
Meredith Macleod
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/772188

Now that the city has laid out a broad vision for a bustling west harbour, the next step will be finding the money to make it happen.

It's expected to come from the public and private sectors, and partnerships between the two.

The city is working toward setting up an arm's length but municipally owned waterfront development corporation that would either develop land itself or facilitate deals.

A proposed mandate, governance structure and financing options will be presented to city councillors sometime this summer.

City councillors were presented with a master plan earlier this month. That has set in motion the process to include the vision in the city's official plan.

The project, estimated to cost about $143 million in public and private money, will cover the entire stretch of city-owned land from Bayfront Park to Pier 8. The plan calls for restaurants, cafes, shops, boat rentals, waterfront trails and many other amenities.

Chris Phillips, senior adviser in the planning and economic development department, has studied a range of waterfront development corporations in order to bring a report to council.

He said it would be an agency of the city with an independent board, much like HECFI or Horizon Utilities.

It would work in conjunction with the Hamilton Waterfront Trust, says Phillips, which focuses on recreational uses and public access.

Councillor Chad Collins, chairperson of the HWT, says the development corporation should focus on leveraging action at the waterfront deeper into the neighbourhoods surrounding it.

He says the city and the trust regularly get inquiries from private investors willing to sink money into the waterfront.

"Those lands at the water's edge will go no problem. They'll be automatic. It's the properties a block from the waterfront or with contamination that are not such an easy sell."

A development corporation is strongly endorsed by the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, says CEO John Dolbec.

"It's a fabulous way to move this issue forward and hopefully depoliticize some of this," he said.

Dolbec says there are tremendous opportunities for low-density, low-rise development such as small stores, restaurants and recreational services along the waterfront.

"The more opportunities you make for private-sector investment, the less comes out of the public purse," he said.

While there has been some suggestion the development corporation could include the downtown, Phillips says he thinks it best it concentrate on the waterfront.

"There is a long stretch of waterfront to look after. We could work with the (Hamilton) Port Authority on its lands, the Lake Ontario shoreline, Confederation Park and all the way down to Fifty Point," he said.

[bornagainbiking]

I was up and out early, I grabbed a coffee and sat at a picnic table along the waterfront near the Discovery Centre.
A bit breezy but very nice view and tranquil. Nice reminder to what we have availble.
I strongly suggest some stain for the tables if you want to get some life out of them. Weather damage and sun. Wood is warping.
Lots of picnic tables grab a pizza and treat the kids, some evening.
I picked up some garbage and it looks like people having a drink after dark while gazing into the harbour. They could use some recycling bins.

[thistleclub]

A waterfront entertainment zone

Jeremy Grimaldi
The Hamilton Spectator
(Jun 30, 2010)

Casinos, hotels, restaurants, student residences and office blocks are just some of the venues that Hamiltonians might expect in a potential entertainment district.

A report commissioned by Katz Entertainment Holdings Corporation, which is being advised by AEG -- the world's largest owner of sports teams and events -- and presented to Hamilton council yesterday, outlined its view of a west harbourfront sports and entertainment district.

Daryl Katz, the owner of the Edmonton Oilers, is proposing to take control of Copps and the Pan Am stadium. Part of that proposal involves the creation of an entertainment precinct around the Pan Am stadium.

According to the document, the waterfront land would not only be an ideal location for the new Pan Am stadium, but it could also support hundreds of thousands of square feet worth of development worth billions.

Currently the Katz Group and AEG have a proposal in front of the city of Edmonton for a $1.5-billion entertainment district centred around an 18,000-seat rink.

In that city, where councillors have just put the plans on ice until the fall, the group has also drawn up controversial plans to build a sprawling, above ground bubble dubbed "the winter garden" which would link to surrounding amenities.

In Edmonton, the Katz Group wants the city to pay for and own the $400-million arena. At last word, the Katz Group proposed it would kick in $100 million toward Edmonton's proposed entertainment district.

Although AEG has seen successes in London, England and Los Angeles, a Kansas City mayor's office spokesperson said an eight-block district in the city's downtown is losing money every year.

Joe Miller warned any city interested in a new entertainment district to beware "because there are hundreds of ways to get zapped" on similar deals.

[thistleclub]

Related Video

[SteelTown]

West harbour development isn't dead: Eisenberger

July 08, 2010
John Kernaghan
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/803764

Mayor Fred Eisenberger isn't abandoning his city-building strategy around a west harbour stadium.

But he's ready to revamp a plan for the North End precinct if the Pan Am Games facility goes to the east Mountain.

"I'm not ready to throw it out of the boat," he said yesterday as the east Mountain location was approved by council as a viable alternative.

There was a clear shift in interest to the new site after Tiger-Cats owner Bob Young promised $15 million toward the stadium and to cover operating costs in a 10-year contract to run the facility.

Eisenberger said the city could scale back funding at an east Mountain stadium and redirect some of the funds to the west harbour and waterfront.

"City building is critical to our future," he said, adding later that some "way out thinking" could imagine a new hockey facility to spur development of the west harbour area if the stadium goes to the east Mountain.

"I think our potential for investment in the waterfront and our city and in hockey in the future is better than ever."

That's a reference to talks between the city and the Katz Group, which is looking at the possibilities of bringing a National Hockey League team to Hamilton.

The Edmonton-based company also expressed interest in the stadium at the west harbour as a possible venue for soccer and concerts. The Katz Group has a strong relationship with entertainment giant AEG.

"They are respectful of the discussions that are going on between the city and the Ticats," said city manager Chris Murray, who has met with Katz representative Patrick Laforge.

"They have an interest in the stadium, but don't want to interfere with our discussions."

Murray said it was an exciting time for Hamilton and that the timing of the stadium decision, Aug. 12, leaves room for more intense talks with the Katz group leading to an Aug. 31 deadline for a memorandum of agreement.

That would cover potential sports and facility development, possibly with an entertainment component.

Meantime, the city is forging ahead with land assembly in the west harbour, some by expropriation.

It started buying property, principally the former Rheem land for $5 million, before the location became the city's preferred stadium site.

The site, northwest of Bay and Barton streets, is part of the Setting Sails plan which calls for residential and commercial development.

It is the subject of several appeals, one by CN Rail, at the Ontario Municipal Board.

The industrial zoning is still in effect, though, allowing stadium construction.

[SteelTown]

Discovery Centre in new hands
Waterfront Trust may convert building into hotel and banquet hall

August 12, 2010
Danielle Wong
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/824554

Ottawa is turning over the six-year-old Discovery Centre at Pier 8 to the Hamilton Waterfront Trust under a 43-year lease.

The agreement to transfer management of the Parks Canada museum to the city's arm's-length waterfront development organization was signed Tuesday. Museum operations will cease in the fall.

Councillor Chad Collins, chairperson of the Waterfront Trust, said possible conversions of the building, which features soaring wooden beams and walls of windows, include a hotel, banquet hall or restaurants.

The intention would be to bring more people to Hamilton Harbour.

"From the (Pan Am) stadium debate, we've seen there's tremendous affection in this community ... (for) the waterfront," Collins said yesterday.

"The Discovery Centre is sort of the poster-child for what the waterfront is to become in the next five to 10 years."

Former heritage minister and local Liberal MP Sheila Copps, who established the Discovery Centre during her time in office, said she was "disappointed" the building would no longer be in federal hands.

"I think the government of Canada should have a major presence in every city and the Discovery Centre was a wonderful hallmark of environment for the Great Lakes."

But she has "great confidence" the Waterfront Trust would hold to its mandate to attract more people to the area.

"In the long run, access to the harbour will manage this blow."

The Waterfront Trust entered into a leasing agreement with Parks Canada in 2008 for the property around the museum and is working alongside the federal government to make the area more vibrant.

Collins said this new step with the Discovery Centre would build on that.

"It provides such a great opportunity for the city to improve its image," he said, adding there have been many inquiries from local businesses about investing in the area.

Parks Canada will still operate the HMCS Haida National Historic Site on Pier 9 and use administrative space in the centre. Next year, field unit offices are expected to be housed in a new adjacent building.

The museum, which was originally a marine heritage discovery centre, features exhibits about Canada's national parks system.

The trust hopes to start working on the building and possible surrounding facilities in early 2011, Collins said.

Councillor Bob Bratina said he would like to see a children's attraction built at the location, adding it's too soon for a hotel because there are no nearby attractions or restaurants yet.

While he understood Copps' disappointment, Bratina said there wasn't enough advertising or follow through to make the Discovery Centre successful.

"It wasn't successful and it wasn't drawing people for what-ever reason ... It seemed to be left to sink or swim on its own," he said.

In early May, city council was presented with a master plan developed by the Waterfront Trust that called for a $143-million private and public investment in restaurants, cafes, shops, boat rentals and waterfront trails along the waterfront from Bayfront Park to Pier 8. That plan will be subject to future public meetings.

[northender98]

I live near the discovery centre and when it was being built I predicted it would end up being either a banquet hall or a yacht club type use. The arched facade with all the glass to me always lended itslef well to some kind of large gathering spot where people could enjoy a meal overlooking the water and I always felt the museum was ineffective, once you went once which took less than an hour, there was little reason to take the kids again. I often wonder if the intent to change it was there from the beginning, get the public funds to build it and then change its use. I'm a conspiracy theorist that way. When I read the news this morning I laughed because that was what I always told my friends when we walked by it, "A few years from now it will be a banquet hall or Yacht club!"

[SteelTown]

Would be a great place for a banquet hall. I'm sure the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club hates the idea.

[markbarbera]

I'd rather see it as the site for the new Creative Catalyst centre.

[SteelTown]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

Completely forgot I had this, sorry!

Coming Soon!

Now open.....

Cathie Coward/The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/news/local/ar...ing-by-the-bay

[markbarbera]

Did a grammar school hold a contest to draw up those concept renderings?

[bornagainbiking]

We have so much waterfront and ?????????
Toronto vs Hamilton

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/...aterfront?bn=1

[SteelTown]

Looks like demolition will begin this summer for the West Harbour, $775,000.

http://www.hamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/...y16PW11039.pdf

The current layout of the West Harbour Precinct stretches across four City blocks, comprising approximately 10.58 acres. The following structures are being proposed to be demolished:

• 4 properties - (3) auto garages and a small industrial warehouse; and (1) the auto garage at the south-west corner of Barton and Caroline which has a lease until the end of May 2011;

• 1 property as a former gas station and a variety store;

• 1 large industrial type use (B & M Metals);

• 1 office building and a gate/security house (B & M Metal’s ancillary buildings);

• 13 residential properties.

Rheem isn't on the list because...

Of note however, is that the Rheem property, known as 128 Barton Street West, is excluded from this specific recommendation. Staff is already in the process of issuing an additional tender that combines the demolition of 128 Barton Street West with the abandoned portion of the former Firestone building at 1579 Burlington Street East. Staff intends to issue the tender for Rheem and Firestone buildings in mid-May 2011. Based on the large amount of steel contained on these two sites, it is seen as being attractive to bidders for the City to bundle these specific facilities together. This bundling could have the effect of a “zero-cost” for the City and even possibly stand a chance of collecting shared revenue with the bidder, assuming that the scrap steel market trends continue to be relatively high during the demolition of the sites. These results will be known upon completion of the tender.

[SteelTown]

Discovery debuts next summer
Discovery Centre The Hamilton Waterfront Trust hopes to revamp and reopen the Discovery Centre by May 2012

http://www.thespec.com/news/local/ar...ts-next-summer

The Hamilton Waterfront Trust is on track to revamp and reopen the Discovery Centre by next summer.

The centre — a former high-tech museum that was called “Canada’s first virtual urban national park” when it opened in 2004 — will be transformed primarily into commercial space, said executive director Werner Plessl. He’s aiming to open the facility to the public by May 2012.

“What our board prefers is restaurants in there. And there could be a banquet or meeting space associated with it,” he said.

Plessl said the Waterfront Trust is still negotiating with potential tenants who could bring more variety to the facility on the west end of Pier 8, near the foot of James Street North. A Williams Coffee Pub opened near the site about five years ago.

“We’d like to see a range of restaurants, not just one or two,” Plessl said. “We’d like to see people have choices down here.”

The Waterfront Trust, an arm’s-length development organization, took over the building and grounds under a 43-year-lease with the federal government last October. Parks Canada closed the six-year-old facility last fall after attendance started dwindling.

[LikeHamilton]

Bayfront out in front of Canada’s public spaces

Teri Pecoskie
July 26, 2011
Bayfront Park was named one of the country’s top public spaces by Spacing magazine.

The waterfront park, near the foot of Bay Street North, was ranked third on a list of the top five public spaces in the Greater Toronto Area. Discovery Landing in Burlington also made the cut, ranking second in the GTA.

“They’re both really good public spaces,” said magazine publisher and co-founder Matthew Blackett. “They’re a nice escape from the bustle of the city, yet they’re close to the city. They also really function well in the colder months of the year.”

Spacing — a Canadian urban landscape and lifestyle magazine — assembled a panel of 135 urban design and architecture experts to compile the list of Canada’s top 100 spaces from more than a dozen urban regions across the country. The two local parks were selected because they evoke their respective cities and are accessible year-round — two important criteria for making the cut, Blackett said.

For Blackett, it was important for the magazine to focus on the country’s best public spaces in the launch of its first national issue this summer, since they’re places where people come together collectively and build a city’s identity.

The rest....

http://www.thespec.com/news/local/ar...-public-spaces

[Hamiltowner]

Post has been deleted as the previous poster has already cited the same article.

[thistleclub]

Originally Posted by LikeHamilton

The rest....

http://www.thespec.com/news/local/ar...-public-spaces

Strange that the Spec took so long to hop on that. The issue, which is the first edition of the magazine to be national in scope, came out a month ago, and is not even the one currently on newsstands.

[markbarbera]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

Discovery debuts next summer
Discovery Centre The Hamilton Waterfront Trust hopes to revamp and reopen the Discovery Centre by May 2012

http://www.thespec.com/news/local/ar...ts-next-summer

The Hamilton Waterfront Trust is on track to revamp and reopen the Discovery Centre by next summer.

The centre — a former high-tech museum that was called “Canada’s first virtual urban national park” when it opened in 2004 — will be transformed primarily into commercial space, said executive director Werner Plessl. He’s aiming to open the facility to the public by May 2012.

“What our board prefers is restaurants in there. And there could be a banquet or meeting space associated with it,” he said.

Plessl said the Waterfront Trust is still negotiating with potential tenants who could bring more variety to the facility on the west end of Pier 8, near the foot of James Street North. A Williams Coffee Pub opened near the site about five years ago.

“We’d like to see a range of restaurants, not just one or two,” Plessl said. “We’d like to see people have choices down here.”

The Waterfront Trust, an arm’s-length development organization, took over the building and grounds under a 43-year-lease with the federal government last October. Parks Canada closed the six-year-old facility last fall after attendance started dwindling.

Oh please, no more chain restaurants in the harbourfront. Feature local restauranteurs with fresh, independantly thought-up concepts. We certainly don't need a Cara-style heat-and-serve outlet serving up sodium overdoses to unsuspecting diners.

[SteelTown]

Suppose to have new updates about the Discovery Centre on Monday.

[mattgrande]

Did anyone hear any new updates?