[DC83]

Time to make some money on heritage buildings

http://www.auchmar.info/images/Auchmar-May-25.jpg
photo by Chris Ecklund, http://www.auchmar.info/about_site.html

9/25/2008

The city is about to start getting some tax revenue out of one of its vacant heritage buildings.

It has reached an agreement with Columbia International College which will lease the coach house at Auchmar Estates for use as a student residence.

It's a five-year deal, with Columbia responsible for the cost of what are being called "significant" upgrades to the building's interior. The exterior is controlled by a heritage designation.

Councillor Terry Whitehead says it's an opportunity to generate some revenue and reduce vandalism at the west mountain property.

http://www.900chml.com/Channels/Reg/NewsLocalGeneral/story.aspx?ID=1028920

Coach House
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/225/489146782_b201c699ef.jpg?v=0
by NormF at Flickr.com, http://flickr.com/photos/normf/489146782/

[SteelTown]

Good news. I heard about this on cable 14 but again I can barely track what's happening at council. It's like they talk in a foreign language.

[Hammer Town]

I should try and get in there to take some shots before they start working. its a really cool building. Heck Im right there every day of the week anyway.

[markbarbera]

This is a great use for the site. Congrats to whoever brokered the deal. A student residence is a logical extention to its former use.

[SteelTown]

Private school eyes Auchmar for dorm

September 27, 2008
The Hamilton Spectator

Columbia International College is negotiating with the city to lease the Auchmar Estate coach house as a student dorm.

Jim Campbell, Columbia's general manager, confirmed yesterday that the private boarding school, which has students from across the globe, hopes to reach an agreement with the city by Oct. 15 to use a portion of the heritage building.

Councillor Terry Whitehead said the coach house would have to undergo upgrades to get the interior up to code. The initial estimate is $500,000 to $800,000, he said.

Who pays for that and what needs to be done still has to be worked out in the lease negotiations, Campbell said.

The city will gain from the deal since the estate, on Fennell Avenue West at West 5th Street, is a "money pit" and a target of vandalism, Whitehead said.

The dorm would house about 15 students in Grades 7 and 8.

[SteelTown]

Columbia leases Auchmar facility for student residence

By Kevin Werner
News
Oct 03, 2008

Hamilton's historic Auchmar Estate is being taken to school.

Councillors last week approved a five-year lease arrangement with Columbia International College to house 15 students in the Coach House on the estate.

Terms of the lease were not released, but the college is required to pay fair market value in rent to the city.

"This will deter the vandalism that is occurring there and (Columbia) will be paying market value rent," said Hamilton mountain councillor Terry Whitehead. "It's a win-win situation."

Tim McCabe, general manager of planning and economic development, said Columbia will construct 12 rooms on the top floor of the Coach House, while remodeling the bottom floor for dining and laundry facilities. The students, he said, are in grades seven, eight and nine.

When contacted last month about the proposed lease arrangement with the city, Colombia officials refused to comment.

Columbia International College, located on Main Street West, is the largest private boarding school in Canada. It teaches high school and pre-university prep courses.

The Coach House's exterior is historically designated, but the interior is not, said Mr. McCabe. Columbia, said Mr. McCabe, will pay the costs for upgrading the facility. The students are expected to move into the Coach House by the middle of October.

Mr. Whitehead said Columbia officials had been looking at another facility in the Chedoke area to house their students, but when it became apparent they wouldn't be able to move into their originally planned facility in time, they approached the local councillor about alternative arrangements. Mr. Whitehead, city staff and Columbia officials have been discussing the arrangement to use the Coach House for about two months.

Even though the lease is for five years, it is expected that Columbia will not use the Coach House at 88 Fennell Avenue the entire time. Mr. Whitehead expects the college to use it for about two years.

"This will create taxes, there is no imposition on the easement and it will reduce the vandalism on the property," he said.

The Ontario Heritage Trust has an easement on the Auchmar property. Any potential development on the historical landmark needs approval from the OHT.

Colombia's deal will provide enough time for city staff to finalize their plans to transform Auchmar into a conference or banquet facility.

City staff have been struggling to come up with alternative uses for Auchmar. A proposed redevelopment plan for Auchmar that would have allowed the Settlement Integration Services Organization (SISO) to purchase the property failed last year.

Councillors earlier this year agreed to issue a request for proposals to have Auchmar redeveloped, but so far there have been no serious takers.

[astroblaster]

i'm curious about the status of this place.

is the coach house deal with Columbia College still going through? I haven't seen any action on the site.

any news about the main house?

does the city own the property?

[SteelTown]

I believe Columbia College dropped out of the deal.