[SteelTown]

Some think mayor's 'dramatic' plan goes too far

John Burman
The Hamilton Spectator
(Oct 2, 2007)

Mayor Fred Eisenberger says Hamilton needs to take a bold step forward and create a King Street East pedestrian mall on both sides of Gore Park.

But the mayor's vision of "large, dramatic steps" -- closing off both the north and south sides of King Street East between James and Catharine streets -- may be a half a street too far.

John Mokrycke, a Hamilton architect and a downtown and heritage advocate, doesn't think there's enough people or commercial activity downtown right now to make a pedestrian mall on both sides of King a success.

He's happy with the idea of closing the south leg of King and getting the buses away from Gore Park. He says it should have been done 20 years ago.

But it's too soon to think about closing the north side, he said yesterday.

Mokrycke believes it would be better to turn the south side into a pedestrian area and leave the north side of King Street for two-way traffic.

The mayor says he wants to kick-start debate on the idea but no one told the Downtown Business Improvement Area, which represents 115 property owners and 250 businesses downtown.

"It comes as something of a surprise," said Kathy Drewitt, the BIA's executive director.

Drewitt says the BIA has been lobbying to get the buses moved away from Gore Park to MacNab Street, but this is the first they've heard about a pedestrian mall on the north side of King.

Other proposals to close off the south side of King have met with strenuous objection from businesses there and on Hughson and John streets, she said.

Instead the BIA would like to see angle parking on the south side and improvements to Gore Park itself.

"We need a new plan to restructure Gore Park," Drewitt said, adding the BIA would like to see the city start planting trees to eventually replace ash trees around the park.

Both Drewitt and Mokrycke agree it might be an idea to have a pedestrian mall on King on weekends or special occasions so people get a feel for it.

Downtown Councillor Bob Bratina said the mayor's idea is "really an idea whose time not only has come, but came a long time ago."

He believes the main obstacle to more pedestrian use of the south leg of King has always been the buses.

An environmental assessment of locations for a new bus hub replacing the Gore location is nearing completion. Options include using Hunter Street East in front of the GO Centre or the parking lot between the Pigott Building and Commerce Place on James, just south of King.

"I think the time has come to get this done, not get bogged down in three, four, five years of study," said Eisenberger.