KingJames
Active Member
Hard to believe this happened. Hope it is truly iconic.
- Thread starter DavidCapizzano
- Start date
Msleylar
Active Member
Closer, but todays vote was Planning Committee and it still requires Council approval.
Chris R.
Senior Member
In Hamilton the committees are largely made of council. It's incredibly rare for items to pass at committee and fail at council.
Msleylar
Active Member
Ah interesting
Sunnyside
Active Member
I have given my thoughts on SSP, but to be brief with it… after two public meetings I’m still not sure why they are doing this. And I don’t mean that in a ‘nimby can’t understand’ way, I mean I, one with a planning background, cannot understand the rationale behind this proposal. Watching planners justify it was the moment I realized something was missing.
And that’s not a knock on the tower. Honestly, if you wanted to put a 45-storey tower in a low rise neighbourhood, this is how you’d do it design-wise. Ground level could use some work but I digress. The question is why they are doing that when they aren’t getting any benefit from it except vanity.
This is still somewhat an open question, because the supposed improvements to the “transition to the neighbourhood” are moot. I really cannot buy that shortening the small buildings on the outside and putting a skyscraper down is any better for the neighbours. They certainly thought as much.
As I said prior, if they wanted to add the tower, just keep the original design and increase the density. Just rearranging it is a silly justification.
And that’s not a knock on the tower. Honestly, if you wanted to put a 45-storey tower in a low rise neighbourhood, this is how you’d do it design-wise. Ground level could use some work but I digress. The question is why they are doing that when they aren’t getting any benefit from it except vanity.
This is still somewhat an open question, because the supposed improvements to the “transition to the neighbourhood” are moot. I really cannot buy that shortening the small buildings on the outside and putting a skyscraper down is any better for the neighbours. They certainly thought as much.
As I said prior, if they wanted to add the tower, just keep the original design and increase the density. Just rearranging it is a silly justification.
KingJames
Active Member
Doesn't this stem out of that very opaque North End Rate Payers settlement process? I must also echo the lack of good planning rationale here.. The outcome on increased population is the same , driving it to one parcel versus spreading it out over eight adjacent lots of so makes little to no difference on the impact to the surrounding neighbourhood. Perhaps ther was some pressure from the chosen developer here as the city has wasted a good two years of time after the award, with Cityzen basically missing out on a raging bull market for condo sales in Hamilton (now very quiet).
KingJames
Active Member
TheHonestMaple
Active Member
Again, I find the application process in Hamilton so confusing. Why does this building go before council, but others don't? Now that it is approved by council, what is the procedure moving forward? When will this start construction?
A side note: I'll probably be moving full time to UrbanToronto. The experience here is just better. My drone pics will probably be posted exclusively here.
Hawrylyshyn
New Member
Ya, this forum is definitely more user friendly and the community seems to be significantly less toxic (WAY less political discussion). Only feature the other one has in hand is the diagrams which I am admittedly a huge fan of. I kind of prefer their map feature as well.
Welcome! We love to see Hamiltonians, former-Skyscraperpagaerians and new users in general around here!
What features do you prefer about their map? Feel free to DM me or post in the UrbanToronto Redesign thread so as to not sidetrack this one.
TheHonestMaple
Active Member
Tower approval 'last piece of puzzle' for Hamilton waterfront project
November 24, 2023 | Hamilton Spectator
Author: Teviah Moro
Now that council has approved a 45-storey tower at Hamilton's west harbour, developers say they're eager to start construction on other buildings in the future waterfront community.
"This was the last piece of the puzzle that is now going to start the real process of us getting shovels in the ground," Joe Valela, principal of Tercot Communities, told The Spectator.
"I think Hamilton is on its way to becoming a world-class waterfront city. I think it deserves to be that."
But he said work will first focus on lower-rise buildings situated on two easterly blocks on the harbour site the city has prepped for the overall development of townhouses and condo apartments.
"We're in the midst of getting our site-plan application started," said Valela, whose firm is a partner in the Waterfront Shores consortium the city selected for the west harbour project.
With a plan to move from east to west in phases over at least a decade until full build-out, it's not certain when construction of the centrepiece tower will start, but shovels should be in the ground at the eastern part of the site next year, he said.
But at the outset, certainty about the 45-storey plan was important because changes to the tower could influence the distribution of 1,645 units throughout other shorter buildings in the overall development. The rest of the site is zoned for up to eight storeys.
"Think of it as Legos," Valela suggested. "Where are you moving those Legos to?"
The 45-storey tower is the result of a provincial tribunal settlement of appeals by North End residents that required council to "consider" a taller building, which allowed for less density throughout the rest of the site and more family units.
No matter the tower's storey count, the cap of 1,645 units at Pier 8 is to remain static under the settlement.
The skyscraper will allow for a "gentler" transition of lower-density buildings toward existing homes along Guise Street, Valela said.
Last week, Bruce Kuwabara, the tower's world-renowned architect, said the building next to Williams Fresh Cafe and the Discovery Centre would be a "flagship" for all of Hamilton that's visible from across the bay.
On Wednesday, council took a final stab at debating the merits of the proposal, with Coun. Tom Jackson labelling it "this monstrosity" and symbol of vertical intensification "run amok" on the waterfront.
"This, for me overall, is not an inclusive design," said Coun. Cameron Kroetsch, who said many North Enders "don't see themselves" fitting into the billed luxury waterfront living.
Much of the council debate focused on sorting out confusion over wording in a motion meant to hold developers to a higher environmental standard than they'd pitched.
In sum, a majority backed a motion that stipulated the builders "will use" a particular zero-carbon design certification, rather than the more flexible make "best efforts to target" it, despite some councillors' concerns over ramped-up costs.
They will be "slightly more" to build to the more rigorous net-zero carbon design, but in the long run, the life-cycle expenses of the tower will be lower, Coun. John-Paul Danko said.
Amid the climate emergency, the city has an "opportunity to set a standard" for developers, Coun. Craig Cassar added. "It's so, so important that we take bold action here."
That won't be an issue, Valela told The Spectator, hailing council's green light as a "historic day" for Hamilton.
"We will accept that and move forward to the best of our ability to create the kind of building that city council wants."
He also emphasized that the tower will include additional family-sized units and a terrace that the public can access to take in waterfront vistas.
November 24, 2023 | Hamilton Spectator
Author: Teviah Moro
Now that council has approved a 45-storey tower at Hamilton's west harbour, developers say they're eager to start construction on other buildings in the future waterfront community.
"This was the last piece of the puzzle that is now going to start the real process of us getting shovels in the ground," Joe Valela, principal of Tercot Communities, told The Spectator.
"I think Hamilton is on its way to becoming a world-class waterfront city. I think it deserves to be that."
But he said work will first focus on lower-rise buildings situated on two easterly blocks on the harbour site the city has prepped for the overall development of townhouses and condo apartments.
"We're in the midst of getting our site-plan application started," said Valela, whose firm is a partner in the Waterfront Shores consortium the city selected for the west harbour project.
With a plan to move from east to west in phases over at least a decade until full build-out, it's not certain when construction of the centrepiece tower will start, but shovels should be in the ground at the eastern part of the site next year, he said.
But at the outset, certainty about the 45-storey plan was important because changes to the tower could influence the distribution of 1,645 units throughout other shorter buildings in the overall development. The rest of the site is zoned for up to eight storeys.
"Think of it as Legos," Valela suggested. "Where are you moving those Legos to?"
The 45-storey tower is the result of a provincial tribunal settlement of appeals by North End residents that required council to "consider" a taller building, which allowed for less density throughout the rest of the site and more family units.
No matter the tower's storey count, the cap of 1,645 units at Pier 8 is to remain static under the settlement.
The skyscraper will allow for a "gentler" transition of lower-density buildings toward existing homes along Guise Street, Valela said.
Last week, Bruce Kuwabara, the tower's world-renowned architect, said the building next to Williams Fresh Cafe and the Discovery Centre would be a "flagship" for all of Hamilton that's visible from across the bay.
On Wednesday, council took a final stab at debating the merits of the proposal, with Coun. Tom Jackson labelling it "this monstrosity" and symbol of vertical intensification "run amok" on the waterfront.
"This, for me overall, is not an inclusive design," said Coun. Cameron Kroetsch, who said many North Enders "don't see themselves" fitting into the billed luxury waterfront living.
Much of the council debate focused on sorting out confusion over wording in a motion meant to hold developers to a higher environmental standard than they'd pitched.
In sum, a majority backed a motion that stipulated the builders "will use" a particular zero-carbon design certification, rather than the more flexible make "best efforts to target" it, despite some councillors' concerns over ramped-up costs.
They will be "slightly more" to build to the more rigorous net-zero carbon design, but in the long run, the life-cycle expenses of the tower will be lower, Coun. John-Paul Danko said.
Amid the climate emergency, the city has an "opportunity to set a standard" for developers, Coun. Craig Cassar added. "It's so, so important that we take bold action here."
That won't be an issue, Valela told The Spectator, hailing council's green light as a "historic day" for Hamilton.
"We will accept that and move forward to the best of our ability to create the kind of building that city council wants."
He also emphasized that the tower will include additional family-sized units and a terrace that the public can access to take in waterfront vistas.
innsertnamehere
Superstar
Interesting to see they are starting on the east end first - that article seems to imply that the tower will actually be the last phase, more or less. I thought it would be the first.
jake_ham
New Member
Yeah I believe they said at one of their open houses that this block was the first to go up.
Chris R.
Senior Member
I've literally never seen this, were there any other posted documents like this? I don't believe they've been posted here or on SSP.
Wigs
Active Member
Hamilton City council from time to time says: hold our Laker beer
