Raise the Hammer

This is indicative of a City with wrong priorities.

Will this loan or grant actually benefit residents in the area? No.

Another question to consider, is there really need in Hamilton for another Big Box Centre? Is this money part of some type of development deal?

Is this proper sustainable community economic development?

(Permalink)

all great questions.

I live downtown, but have empathy for the business folks and residents in downtown Dundas and Waterdown.
Our council is literally surrounding the urban core with mega-box stores. This one will be larger than the Meadowless-lands! incredible.
There is absolutely no need for any more of these big box centres.
I only hope council ends their obsession over these things once this one is done.
Downtown and the central city are the only areas left untouched by box stores. The effects of one of these complexes in the middle of the city somewhere would be very devestating. More than any other ones we've built to date.

Finally, the safety issue of this location at Hwy 5&6 has obviously not crossed their minds....I don't drive this stretch currently, let alone once a billion crazed shoppers are trying to merge into lanes with speeding transports.

(Permalink)

I find this debate fascinating. Here we have a property with environmental contamination within our urban area (as defined by the Regional Official Plan and the Flamborough Official Plan)with numerous threats and you're critising the City for offering assistance to clean it up for the citizens of Flamborough. One project with assistance in Flamborough compared to the numerous projects in Hamilton and the millions spent in the downtown. Let's spread the wealth a little and be fair. People in Flamborough deserve safety as well, they're not evil people for not living in Downtown Hamilton!

(Permalink)

I generally don't respond to anonymous posters, but this project isn't "for the citizens of Flamborough". The citizens and business owners of Flamborough were against this project more than anyone else in the city.

(Permalink)

Wrong Jason, the citizens weren't against it. In fact they love it, no more driving to Burlington and Cambridge to the big boxes to fulfill their shopping needs. It's called retail leakage. I wonder where you get your facts from?? The vocal minority?

(Permalink)

i think it's irrelevant whether or not the citizens of waterdown what this project to go ahead or not. the ramifications of a massive big box development on LOCAL waterdown businesses will be horrendous; traffic will be a nightmarish; and the pleasure people receive from these services will be but a fleeting thing. furthermore, the city of hamilton should not be paying off the likes of walmart. if they want to build there then they ought to foot the bill themselves. if anything we should pay them to get lost.

(Permalink)

gotta love anonymous posters.
Do some reading please:

http://www.omb.gov.on.ca/e-decisions/pl041198_%...

http://www.myhamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/FC061805-D24...

http://www.westdalevillage.ca/articles/david_02110...

I see only the developers defending their position, not the majority of citizens.

(Permalink)

So the city can pay to clean up the land themselves, and NOT allow building of these boxes on top of the newly cleaned land. These boxes WILL be abandoned within our lifetimes!

(Permalink)

See "Brantford"..Donut city extra-ordinare. a Gaping hole of boarded up stores where the high street once was.

(Permalink)

Actually, Genghis, as I understand it, Wilfird Laurier University's Brantford campus has stimulated urban renewal in downtown Brantford. It's the outer areas of ribbon-fringe development (gas stations, fast food chains, and shabby strip malls) that will languish in years to come.

A real estate maxim is that everyone returns to downtown eventually (hence, gentrification). That is to say, stately character housing, decent city planning, density, diversity, close proximity to cultural amenities and financial sectors all cause people to return to urban centres.

You'll see it again in Brantford and we're already seeing it with Hamilton. The first wave of urban renewal begins with artist pioneers (New York, San Fran., and London are prime examples). Note the proliferation of art galleries on James ST. North in Hamilton for a sure sign of urban renwal pioneering.

What is there in the suburbs anyway? Box stores will be graveyards in twenty years time, or less--monuments to our cities' greed for the quick fix and instant cash.

(Permalink)

I'm not going to feel sorry for Flamborough. They wanted it, then let them get what they deserve. These comments are correct about Big Box retailing is not only at the tail end but will eventually be acres of abandoned ashphalt surrounded by buildings/boxes that have no other retro-fit use or future. This won't have any impact on Hamilton, I'll never patronize the area. I already avoid #6 because I want to live. They spend their life in their cars and it also puts them at a higher risk to be in a 5-car fatality collision. It will only get worse, when 5,000 people are speeding there and back to buy a bag of milk. Have they seen Golf Links on a Saturday afternoon? Residents in the Meadowlands have to fight traffic congestion right at the entrance of their cul de sacs.

The only redeeming area - Waterdown core - will evaporate and then there will be no character left except for a post-peak-automobile-holocaust. Let them try and sell their houses in 20 years. Which is about the time when a 35-45 year old today will need to cash in the house.

(Permalink)

Thanks, Jason for posting those links.

Pretty scary reading, when you consider the power these developers seem to have to make our city a much less desirable place to live. I liked Peter's comment that we should pay these people to get lost!

Perhaps we ought to press our councillors to declare a complete moratorium on building more power centres.

(Permalink)

"Perhaps we ought to press our councillors to declare a complete moratorium on building more power centres."

Councillor McHattie (surprise, surprise) is pushing for a moratorium on new Power Centres until the city has a chance to study their economic viability and effects on existing business districts.

(Permalink)

Oops! I don't know what happened there.

Thank you, Ryan, for that information on Brian McHattie. He's a real ally for our cause, I believe.

(Permalink)

THe waterdown core is barely redeeming. It was overrun by strip malls years and years ago. It has only a handful of historically meaningful buildings and is nothing like "old ancaster" which has at least maintained its identity by keeping the worst developments off its main streets. The entire length of Centre road through waterdown is already a fiasco.. it's virtually a power centre of its own (or at least a 70's era equivalent -- only slightly smaller in scale than today's developments)

(Permalink)