innsertnamehere

innsertnamehere

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G+C are becoming the kings of Hamilton Architecture work it seems.. This used to be a Lamb site back in the day.

https://pub-hamilton.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=346763

In front of the CoA with revised renderings. It appears that New Horizon has since picked this site up as well. Yet again, no new retail along Main.

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I'm partially sympathetic as Main St will remain the primary vehicle artery into (and out of, once it's two-wayed in 2025) of Downtown. I doubt it'll ever be particularly pedestrian friendly as a result.

The real crime are the new developments on King St without retail, which is where retail really should be going.

This is the previous Lamb iteration from around 5 years ago for the site. Surprisingly, this is significantly less aggressive than this previous version.

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Both streets can and should be retail-lined. Driving along main, it feels there is almost an equal amount of (admittedly decrepit) retail space along both streets. It also feels like there’s more ad-hoc retail on Main; In the West, there are plenty of homes-turned-shops/private offices.

I’ve also generally heard the sentiment (here and on SSP) that the main (pun intended) boon of both two-way conversions will be that Main is unlocked as a major street rather than thoroughfare- it may become more desirable than even King for developers. King is certainly hampered by being a one-way, but it is more vibrant than Main, which is definetely second-in-line and more barren as a result. Thus, it has significantly greater potential, and has definetely caught the eyes of developers.

With that said, I understand the hesitation to build retail in the West; Main st will still be the main 403 access point and thoroughfare in the West end. I expect little retail at least until about Locke- since that’s where you really get into downtowns influence- unless the city takes initiative on that front (they won’t). Through the core however, Main st without its shackles will be so different that developers will jump. Vrancor already has, despite his retail units sitting vacant right now.

Edit: Oh, and this project looks ok I guess. While we’re perhaps past our era of commie-block, cost efficient condos, taking up Toronto’s setback cues is a bad idea, not the least because we can’t execute them nearly as well (which isn’t that great to begin with). You copy a C+ paper and you’ll end up with a D. However, the end of truly bottom-barrel materials is welcome. Makes up for these shortcomings imo.
 
Just watched the DRP. Some points and my opinions.

  1. They were asked by the city to extend the development further east to the lot line so future development could continue the street wall.
  2. I like to hear this. Makes sense as it is likely this entire strip along Main St will be redeveloped one day. Even if not, and those houses were made commercial it would allow a constant visual street wall mostly
  3. The developer did not want to include retail space because the area is hostile to pedestrians and commercial space is difficult to lease.
  4. Not a fan of this for a few reasons. This lack of commercial space will now be crystalized into this spot for hundreds of years, no matter the need. Furthermore, as Hamilton's downtown increases in population we will likely see commercial demand outpace supply meaning a similar issue to Toronto will eventually arise where local businesses cannot afford it. Main will be shifted to a more pedestrian friendly street well prior to this projects completion. With across the street losing multiple commercial properties it's unfortunate to gain zero.
Additional point: I personally think the new design is better and far less busy.
 
RitsmaCW said:
Just watched the DRP. Some points and my opinions.

  1. They were asked by the city to extend the development further east to the lot line so future development could continue the street wall.
  2. I like to hear this. Makes sense as it is likely this entire strip along Main St will be redeveloped one day. Even if not, and those houses were made commercial it would allow a constant visual street wall mostly
  3. The developer did not want to include retail space because the area is hostile to pedestrians and commercial space is difficult to lease.
  4. Not a fan of this for a few reasons. This lack of commercial space will now be crystalized into this spot for hundreds of years, no matter the need. Furthermore, as Hamilton's downtown increases in population we will likely see commercial demand outpace supply meaning a similar issue to Toronto will eventually arise where local businesses cannot afford it. Main will be shifted to a more pedestrian friendly street well prior to this projects completion. With across the street losing multiple commercial properties it's unfortunate to gain zero.
Additional point: I personally think the new design is better and far less busy.
Click to expand...
It looks like those units at the bottom might able to be converted to commercial. The fact that they aren’t almost seems ad-hoc.
 
Sunnyside said:
It looks like those units at the bottom might able to be converted to commercial. The fact that they aren’t almost seems ad-hoc.
Click to expand...
Does that actually ever happen though? How often do condo purchasers sell their units to people who change the units into commercial?

Has that happened elsewhere? I don't think I've seen it happen in the GHA.
 
RitsmaCW said:
Does that actually ever happen though? How often do condo purchasers sell their units to people who change the units into commercial?

Has that happened elsewhere? I don't think I've seen it happen in the GHA.
Click to expand...
Probably not around here, but if we saw a floor plan we might be able to find out. In any case the rendering suggests retail was an idea at some point.
 
I think as the need arises we'll see ground level condos get converted to retail and commercial use in cities. Just look at Locke Street for instance, much of the retail and commercial there is in old houses as that stretch transitioned away from residential. Granted condo corps might be more restrictive with uses and thus present a challenge for conversion, however as the need for retail presents itself hopefully these sorts of transitions can be encouraged through policy.
 
egotrippin said:
I think as the need arises we'll see ground level condos get converted to retail and commercial use in cities. Just look at Locke Street for instance, much of the retail and commercial there is in old houses as that stretch transitioned away from residential. Granted condo corps might be more restrictive with uses and thus present a challenge for conversion, however as the need for retail presents itself hopefully these sorts of transitions can be encouraged through policy.
Click to expand...
Those also happened 50+ years ago when these things were far more lax
 
RitsmaCW said:
.
Click to expand...
RitsmaCW said:
The developer did not want to include retail space because the area is hostile to pedestrians and commercial space is difficult to lease.
Click to expand...

This is a bad look for the Ward 1 City Councillor who has been responsible for this stretch of downtown since 2018.

Maybe some more paint on the street could help make it less hostile 😂🤦🏻‍♂️

More retail/commercial space isn’t just about providing residents with snacks and somewhere to drop their dry cleaning, it’s about providing locals the opportunity to open up their own business and make a living.

If the City doesn’t want to mandate retail along arterial roads, then zoning better allow condos owners to run a business out of their street-facing units.

Contact the Ward 1 City Councillor ASAP, tell her we want more retail, more 3-bedroom residential units, and more City Housing!

..OH, and road surfaces that aren’t riddled with craters!
 
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