Airport Employment Growth District (AEGD)

[bigguy1231]

Originally Posted by coalminecanary

There are lots of different industries out there for us to attract. It doesn't have to be high acreage low job density factory and warehouse use.

That aside, there is clearly a ton of underutilized land in the north end. It's not "a couple of acres here and there". The sooner city hall makes it a priority to do a serious inventory and start using zoning bylaws to drive usage there, the better for all of us. We are squeezed between a great lake and farmland, we can't just keep spreading out forever.

The city doesn't really have much recourse when it comes to some of these brownfields. Zoning bylaws can only go so far and if the property owners stay within the bylaws the city can't do anything. The city can't expropriate unless it's for their own use so expropriating and then selling the land is not an option.
As for not being able to spread out, sure we can, thats how cities grow, out then up. There are very few farms South of this city actually doing any farming. Most are just waiting for the right price to sell out to a developer so they can retire rich.

[thistleclub]

New Year's flashback: Hamilton Civic Coalition (aka Jobs Prosperity Collaborative), Jan 23 2007.

“There is strong consensus within the business community, we have found, that more serviced employment lands are necessary in order to provide jobs for a Hamilton population that is expected to grow significantly over the next few decades. Our dearth of serviced land has resulted in many companies bypassing Hamilton in favour of neighbouring communities, such as Brantford and Halton, who have moved ahead sooner and more boldly in meeting investor needs. Unless we make it a priority to bring new serviced land on line quickly, we will continue to lose out. Our tax base will continue to fall and the City will be unable to fulfill its goals of poverty reduction, harbour remediation and downtown revival among others.”

[thistleclub]

Aeropark holds city’s future in its lands
(Hamilton Spectator, Steve Arnold, Jan 1 2014)

Hamilton is hanging its hope for future economic development on two large parcels of farmland surrounding the airport.

The city-owned Airport Employment Growth District (AEGD) and the privately held Aeropark have the potential to bring 588 hectares of desperately needed land for new factories, offices and warehouses into service after years of bitter debates.

Some development work has already started on the Aeropark land, held by auto-parts magnate David Braley, while the larger, city-owned AEGD has almost cleared the last of its major planning hurdles — an Ontario Municipal Board Hearing early next year to fix the district's final boundaries.

"Bringing this land into service is us thinking five to 10 years out, we're not doing this to solve a problem today," said Neil Everson, the city's director of industrial development.

The Aeropark parcel, the former Mount Hope Golf Course, was acquired by the city in 1992. It cost $4 million for the land and partial servicing in the hope of closing a deal with an aviation company. That never happened, the first of a long line of disappointments for the park.

Hope bloomed briefly in 1996 when TradePort International Corporation won a contract to manage Hamilton airport, partly on its promise to develop the Aeropark. The deal required TradePort to buy the site from the Region of Hamilton-Wentworth, as it was then known, within a year of taking over.

For reasons that were not made public, the region didn't act on that requirement. It sat on the land parcel until 1999 when it struck a deal to sell the park to TradePort for $50,000 an acre over five years. In December 1999, however, again for reasons not made public, the region reversed course and sold the land to Braley for about half of what TradePort was to have paid.

Initially, Braley said it was to expand his Orlick Industries, but nothing ever happened despite several extensions on the development deadline.



Read it in full here.

[Beedok]

The one thing I like about the AEGD is that it might help turn Hamilton's focus further from Toronto to help end the claims of Hamilton being a suburb of TO. (Also it might scoop up more commuters from the south)

[thistleclub]

Is aerotropolis already too small?
(Hamilton Spectator, Matthew Van Dongen, Jan 21 2014)

The largest urban boundary expansion in Hamilton's history is no longer enough.

The city is inching toward the end of a bitter five-year battle to allow hundreds of hectares of farmland around the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport to be used for factories, warehouses and offices meant to create thousands of new jobs and $50 million in new taxes by 2031.

But a new provincial directive to add another 50,000 jobs by 2041 means Hamilton is already staring down a shortage of employment land — at least on paper — before the so-called aerotropolis even gets off the ground.

"Ironically, this process has taken so long we're already falling behind again on our (employment land) targets," said Guy Paparella, the city's director of growth management, pointing to the province's latest population and employment growth targets for Hamilton.

During a years-long Ontario Municipal Board battle, Hamilton cited the provincial job targets for 2031 as evidence of the need to turn farms into factories around the airport.

But the latest update shows the province now expects Hamilton to add 50,000 new jobs by 2041 — and aerotropolis is only expected to account for about 20,000.

Hamilton's official plan must comply with provincial growth targets, Paparella said, and it's "doubtful" the math will work without again expanding the urban boundary. "We may have to do this all over again in the very near future."

Legal wrangling over the current expansion isn't done yet. Council will debate new aerotropolis boundaries in February before a final OMB hearing; opponents will put their heads together Jan. 30 at the Volunteer Hamilton building at 267 King St. E.


Read it in full here.

[Beedok]

Offices have higher density of jobs than factories. I'm sure that some of those will eventually be Hamiton bound.

[thistleclub]

Via @JoeyColeman:

Planning Cmte back in open session. Made a decision on AEGD boundaries in closed session. Not public what decided.

[thistleclub]

Council wants bigger aerotropolis
(CATCH, Mar 19 2014)

The majority of city council has again over-ruled its staff and enlarged the aerotropolis, and this time is also thumbing its nose at the Ontario Municipal Board. A decision debated in secret council session endorses option 1A as the city’s boundary configuration position but also orders the addition of a disconnected 9 hectare property owned by the Ancaster Christian Reformed Church.

It’s the second time council has arbitrarily added the church land at Garner and Fiddler’s Green to the airport employment growth district (AEGD). The first came in October 2010 as a last minute addition to the plan developed by staff over several years and against their recommendation.

That enlargement of the AEGD was not defended by city consultants and lawyers at the subsequent OMB hearings. The initial position they put forward was for the same 662 net hectares originally proposed by staff, and by the time the hearings were completed they had reduced that to 555 net hectares.

The next phase of the OMB hearings, scheduled for November, will determine which 555 hectares will be included in the urban boundary expansion. In preparation, staff presented a consultant review and recommendations that in its executive summary specifically identifies the “disconnected area identified by council at the intersection of Garner and Fiddler’s Green Road” as inappropriate.

The report goes on to explain that “being located west of Highway 6, it creates a disjointed land use pattern” and that it was “not addressed in the 2010 Secondary Plan or supporting materials.” It also points out the land are “not readily accessible from Highway 6 and servicing will likely require significant upgrades to current systems.”

Exactly how council dismissed those objections is unknown because they chose to debate the boundary configuration in camera – first of all at the February 18 planning committee meeting, and then again at the subsequent full council gathering that approved the addition with councillors Johnson, McHattie and Clark opposed. The wording of the resulting resolution is identical to the one approved in 2010.


Read it in full here.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Originally Posted by thistleclub

Council wants bigger aerotropolis
(CATCH, Mar 19 2014)

The majority of city council has again over-ruled its staff and enlarged the aerotropolis, and this time is also thumbing its nose at the Ontario Municipal Board. A decision debated in secret council session endorses option 1A as the city’s boundary configuration position but also orders the addition of a disconnected 9 hectare property owned by the Ancaster Christian Reformed Church.

It’s the second time council has arbitrarily added the church land at Garner and Fiddler’s Green to the airport employment growth district (AEGD). The first came in October 2010 as a last minute addition to the plan developed by staff over several years and against their recommendation.

That enlargement of the AEGD was not defended by city consultants and lawyers at the subsequent OMB hearings. The initial position they put forward was for the same 662 net hectares originally proposed by staff, and by the time the hearings were completed they had reduced that to 555 net hectares.

The next phase of the OMB hearings, scheduled for November, will determine which 555 hectares will be included in the urban boundary expansion. In preparation, staff presented a consultant review and recommendations that in its executive summary specifically identifies the “disconnected area identified by council at the intersection of Garner and Fiddler’s Green Road” as inappropriate.

The report goes on to explain that “being located west of Highway 6, it creates a disjointed land use pattern” and that it was “not addressed in the 2010 Secondary Plan or supporting materials.” It also points out the land are “not readily accessible from Highway 6 and servicing will likely require significant upgrades to current systems.”

Exactly how council dismissed those objections is unknown because they chose to debate the boundary configuration in camera – first of all at the February 18 planning committee meeting, and then again at the subsequent full council gathering that approved the addition with councillors Johnson, McHattie and Clark opposed. The wording of the resulting resolution is identical to the one approved in 2010.


Read it in full here.

Much obliged for this.

[flar]

Why does Hamilton even have staff? Apparently council has everything under control, they don't need recommendations from experts. No need for lengthy reports, months of study, or any long term planning. A few people can just eyeball it and figure out the best course of action for the city with a few minutes of discussion behind closed doors. Lowly residents probably wouldn't understand their logic anyways.

[thistleclub]

Aerotropolis fights continue
(CATCH, Oct 27 2014)

The battle lines are being drawn for phase three of the aerotropolis hearings before the Ontario Municipal Board and the outcome could result in a much larger loss of agricultural land than the 555 net hectares (695 gross hectares) approved for industrial development last year. While the efforts of citizen groups to limit the expansion of the urban boundary dominated phase two in January 2013, this round pits multiple land developers against the city to determine the exact boundaries and whether or not some lands will be earmarked for future residential use.

The OMB has ordered the city to improve transparency by making witness and participant statements, visual evidence and Board orders available on the city’s website. Initial statements are now posted and reveal the essential arguments being marshaled by the various camps.

The city has budgeted $700,000 for this phase, and will call eight witnesses to support its case. The hearings will begin on February 2 and are scheduled to last four weeks.

Major developers are set to argue for changes to the city-proposed boundary for the Airport Employment Growth District (AEGD). These include both additions and subtractions of properties, with the latter being earmarked for future residential and/or commercial development. While the OMB has already ruled no new residential can occur in the AEGD, it has also allowed landowners to argue for their properties to be excluded if they can be shown to be “better suited” for non-industrial uses.

Such changes, if accepted by the Board, would still result in approximately the same size AEGD but could also mean hundreds of additional hectares of agricultural land being designated for the residential development that most city councillors say they fiercely oppose.


Read it in full here.

[Beedok]

If it works Haldimand County will be Hamilton's for the taking. IF it works...

[Dr Awesomesauce]

And so it begins...

Honestly, I find the whole thing extraordinarily tedious. Wake me when the billboards start going up advertising homes under $259,999.

[SteelTown]

Battle over Hamilton’s aerotropolis is over

http://www.thespec.com/news-story/52...polis-is-over/

The battle over the largest urban boundary expansion in Hamilton's history is finally over.

Councillors approved a proposed Ontario Municipal Board settlement agreement at a special council meeting Wednesday designed to end a decade of disagreement over the contentious Airport Employment Growth District.

"It's nice to finally have a settlement," said Mayor Fred Eisenberger, who presided over the original council debate on the so-called aerotropolis during his first spin as head of council from 2006-10.

"This (settlement) prevents any kind of residential incursion in the employment lands, which I think is the bottom line for many people."

The city finally won OMB permission in 2013 to allow hundreds of hectares of farmland around the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport to be used as factories, warehouses and offices meant to create thousands of jobs and $50 million in new taxes over time.

But various property owners in the area appealed the boundaries of the 555-hectare urban boundary expansion, setting up an expected six week, $250,000 OMB hearing in February.

"Now it's finally done after 11 years," said Ancaster Councillor Lloyd Ferguson, whose ward encompasses some of the soon-to-be employment lands.

The final agreement involved "quite a lot of land swapping," he said, although not all of the details will be public until after the settlement is approved next month.

Public changes approved last night include including two farm properties on Southcote Road. Deals with Silvestri Investments and Twenty Road West Group were not made public.

[SteelTown]

Development firm spends $27M on Hamilton airport land eyed for big warehouse
Builder’s clients include Canadian Tire, Coca-Cola, BMW, Suncor, Carlton Cards and Loblaw.

https://www.thespec.com/news-story/9...big-warehouse/

A large industrial warehouse developer has become the first major investor in Hamilton's airport employment lands.

Panattoni Development Company has bought 82 acres on the southwest corner of Upper James Street and Dickinson Road for about $27 million.

The firm plans to construct a million-square-foot building and six smaller ones on the site it bought from former senator David Braley.

"In the case of Hamilton, we're confident in the market," Adam Lambros, development manager, said Monday.

The project also represents a major windfall for the city, which would generate about $6 million in development charges with just a 500,000-square-foot build.

"To put that in context, that is significantly larger than the existing Maple Leaf processing plan in Binbrook," said Glen Norton, the city's economic development director.

One of the advantages of the serviced site is proximity to John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport, Lambros said.

These days, industrial warehouses are top of mind for online retailers like Amazon and Wayfair that rely on quick delivery, he said.

"Those are the types of companies we try to build for."

Panattoni bills itself as "one of the largest privately held, full-service developers in North America" with more than 24 regional offices in the United States, Canada and Europe.

Some of its clients include Canadian Tire, Coca-Cola, BMW, Suncor, Carlton Cards and Loblaw.

Panattoni is building a million-square-foot manufacturing facility for Adidas Canada in Brant County. It has constructed a 145,000-square-foot "spec flex office" complex in Mississauga that has eight tenants.

Panattoni doesn't yet have tenants for the Hamilton land but is confident it will line some up.

Lambros said the Hamilton area offers a large population within a quick drive, access to highways and a strong labour pool.

"When you check all of those boxes, we thought, 'Why not?'"

Norton said the site plan is expected to be submitted to the city's planning department by the end of November.

The airport employment lands, also known as "aerotropolis," were the subject of an Ontario Municipal Board dispute that ended in February 2015.

The OMB approval green-lighted the 1,360-acre boundary push, which is the largest expansion in Hamilton's history.

The employment district includes city-owned and private parcels within Garner Road, Twenty Road, Upper James Street and Highway 6.

Norton said the remainder of the area's servicing — sewer and water pipes, for instance — is expected to be in place within four years.

"We're tying to accelerate that based on what we think is going to be quite a big demand."

He expects the Panattoni purchase to spark more interest in the area with industrial space in the fast-growing GTA at a premium.

One handicap for Hamilton has been a lack of ready-to-use industrial space. The vacancy rate is less than two per cent, Norton said.

"We've actually missed out on potential new businesses moving to this city because there wasn't space to move into."

Lambros said he hopes to start construction in spring and anticipates the project to take about 15 months.

[LRTfan]

fantastic news! Would be nice to finally see development of this area.

[king10]

City’s per square ft charge for industrial DCs is actually $20.54 but a good chunk is exempted so they only charge $12.54. Thing is if they want to continue to pay for development servicing as per plans in the DC background study, they have to have revenue amounting to the full $20.54. So City is forced to self fund the exemption portion which would otherwise be going to infrastructure. Its a delicate balance between fostering growth and not overburdening the tax payer with funding those exemptions.

Good development none the less. Hopefully we see more of this.

See below for current DC rates.

https://www.hamilton.ca/budget-finan...nd-information

[thistleclub]

33 hectares down, 1,171 hectares to go!

Also: The Braley-owned lands had been in the development pipeline since 1999.

[SteelTown]

Pleased to break ground with Panattoni Canada at its new logistics facility near @flyyhm. Panattoni is investing in #HamOnt as it believes in our community, airport, & Airport Employment Growth District. This means 200 high value, high-paying jobs & increased prosperity for all.




Fred Eisenberger
https://twitter.com/HamiltonsMayor

[LikeHamilton]

Aeropark

http://www.panattonicanada.com/wp-co...Res_spread.pdf