Gore Park

[coalminecanary]

THis is a tough one - short term pain for long term gain. Having a pedestrian piazza there without curbs is going to be a huge benefit. Perhaps the city can offer him a bigger patio encroachment for free after completion?

it does seem ludicrous that they would do this at the height of patio season.... why didn't they start it last fall? ANd knowing the city it will take 3 times as long to complete...

[LikeHamilton]

The city has a bad habit of not starting a project until the budget is approved. They could have/should have this project started April 1 and as this is a 3 month project it would be finished at the end of June. Not much out of the patio season and the peak part in tacked.

[davidcappi]

On the bright side: YAY, that side of the gore is pretty dead, and they might as well just make the park seem to go all the way to the storefronts.

On the downside: Damn, that sucks for the businesses with the timing, and it's doubtful the city would rush this project. It also sucks that all of this work will be done to the gore, and its likely that those buildings will remain boarded up well after completion.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

^I'm quite sure there's a better way to do this but this is the City after all.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Originally Posted by coalminecanary

THis is a tough one - short term pain for long term gain. Having a pedestrian piazza there without curbs is going to be a huge benefit. Perhaps the city can offer him a bigger patio encroachment for free after completion?

it does seem ludicrous that they would do this at the height of patio season.... why didn't they start it last fall? ANd knowing the city it will take 3 times as long to complete...

Oh, they'll milk it, man. Gots to have that sweet OT!

[ScreamingViking]

I agree the city could have started this work sooner to avoid cutting into the entire summer "patio" season, though weather wasn't exactly cooperative this year. But cue more blather about wasting money downtown.

It would be really sad if Chester's closed over this. It's gotta be one of the longest lived bars/restaurants downtown.

[HillStreetBlues]

The municipal government blew it a bit, but what else is new. I agree with coalminecanary’s sentiment that the project is going to be great, but Chester’s should be offered something to compensate, and to recognize them as a great asset there.

How about an SSP meet-up for some beers at Chester’s to support them while their patio is closed?

[drpgq]

"lost business to food trucks"

Is Chester's really losing business to food trucks? When I'm thinking of going to Chester's, food trucks are the last thing I'm considering. I'll admit I'm not going there for lunch though.

[thistleclub]

Originally Posted by drpgq

"lost business to food trucks"

Is Chester's really losing business to food trucks? When I'm thinking of going to Chester's, food trucks are the last thing I'm considering. I'll admit I'm not going there for lunch though.

Compared to its beer menu, Chesters has a pretty thin kitchen menu, but it overlaps with Promenade trucks like Gorilla Cheese, Southern Smoke, Dobro Jesti and Tony's Corner Streatery as well as the Reardon's cart. The same conflict would probably not be experienced by other south-side eateries (which is basically down to Burrito Boyz, since Mahal is gone). If a burrito truck parked down the block from BB three days a week, I'm guessing you'd hear about it.

[King&James]

Competition should be welcomed, and agree the experience of sitting down for a beer and pub grub, will be envied by some who are grabbing their food on wheels, with limited options for table seating, and other benefits a restaurant can offer.

[oldcoote]

^ this is true. There is a difference between take out and eat-in dining, although some place like Burrito Boyz does a lot of take-out so they could have a 'beef' against food trucks.

[king10]

Originally Posted by oldcoote

^ this is true. There is a difference between take out and eat-in dining, although some place like Burrito Boyz does a lot of take-out so they could have a 'beef' against food trucks.

burrito boyz is in a league of its own, no hamilton food truck currently compares IMO

[thistleclub]

Originally Posted by King&James

Competition should be welcomed, and agree the experience of sitting down for a beer and pub grub, will be envied by some who are grabbing their food on wheels, with limited options for table seating, and other benefits a restaurant can offer.

I tend to agree. Although the owners' concern is arguably overstated, the presence can't help (especially in light of the fact that the downtown population essentially triples during office hours, presumably making that the most lucrative time for the service industry).

Concerns such as these are why the 20 meter detail appears in Hamilton's food truck bylaw. Perhaps one day it will be next to impossible to site a food truck in the core. That the Downtown BIA is currently able to manage this so easily is a symptom of a notable void.

Speaking of BB, I noticed that they have belatedly bowed to bylaw on their street-level facade. Shame they went through the trouble and expense of removing the original sidewalk-to-ceiling glass in favour of that Mimico strip mall look. The new treatment looks pretty much like you would expect grudging compliance to look. (Luckily, they're not taking it out on the burritos.)

[HillStreetBlues]

It’s not simple. Mobile vendors have much lower fixed costs than restaurants, and have a lot of advantages over them. Restaurants have to make long-term commitments to a location that mobile vendors obviously do not. They have to provide amenities (washrooms, parking, and so on). They pay property taxes. They have to serve a community seven days of the week, and in this way serve to create traffic and commerce in a community, instead of just coming it at times known to be peak, and moving to other areas that are lucrative at other times.

Mobile vendors absolutely have their place, but restaurants (rightly) have a tonne of regulation and add a lot of value. Food trucks, on the other hand, use public resources, and have the advantage of lower costs. For this reason, the municipal government has the responsibility to regulate them properly. If a restaurant owner doesn’t feel that proper regulation is in place, or it seems to him that the municipal government is letting food trucks hijack his business, it’s not him being a curmudgeon or anti-competitive.

[thistleclub]

Originally Posted by HillStreetBlues

It’s not simple. Mobile vendors have much lower fixed costs than restaurants, and have a lot of advantages over them. Restaurants have to make long-term commitments to a location that mobile vendors obviously do not. They have to provide amenities (washrooms, parking, and so on). They pay property taxes. They have to serve a community seven days of the week, and in this way serve to create traffic and commerce in a community, instead of just coming it at times known to be peak, and moving to other areas that are lucrative at other times.

Mobile vendors absolutely have their place, but restaurants (rightly) have a tonne of regulation and add a lot of value. Food trucks, on the other hand, use public resources, and have the advantage of lower costs. For this reason, the municipal government has the responsibility to regulate them properly. If a restaurant owner doesn’t feel that proper regulation is in place, or it seems to him that the municipal government is letting food trucks hijack his business, it’s not him being a curmudgeon or anti-competitive.

That's kind of what I was hoping to get at. There's inevitably a certain tension. Even so, rather than showcase downtown amenities, sustain long-time businesses and nourish upstarts, the Downtown BIA's SUmmer Promenade initiative imports businesses and attractions that vanish once the sun goes down. These divert revenue from downtown workers that might have gone to support brick-and-mortar establishments, and reinforce the most abundantly served category in the core. Almost every eatery along King from James to Catherine is a quick-serve entry. Chesters seems to be the lone exception. Hamilton's CBD definitely has room to grow.

[HillStreetBlues]

Originally Posted by thistleclub

That's kind of what I was hoping to get at.

I think you got at it very well! I had the reply window open for a while without writing it, and didn’t see your comment before you posted mine. Sorry about that! The way you put it seems very reasonable.

One thing that I think should be understood is that, as you suggest, one day food trucks should be impossible and unnecessary in the core. You’re right that they reinforce a 9-5 downtown, which is not what anyone wants.

I note you changed your post from 100 meters to 20 meters. That’s correct, and 20 meters is nothing. In my personal opinion, the bylaw should promote restaurants by allowing food trucks no closer than 100 (or even more) meters, establishing time limits, allowing no more than a certain number in a certain area, and ensuring they do not come to certain locations with too much frequency (maybe disallowing them from coming to the Gore at lunch time, for instance, any more often than once a week).

[Gore Priest]

One thing I cant stand is how it is perfectly acceptable for all of the food trucks to sit with gas powered generators running constantly. Especially on those hot summer days, I dont see how this is a sustainable business model. IMO, get rid of the food trucks all together.

[thistleclub]

First Gore Park ash trees fall for makeover
(Hamilton Spectator, Matthew Van Dongen, July 7 2014)

The ash trees now falling in Gore Park are the first of more than 60 facing the axe over the next decade — but the city hopes to delay the inevitable as long as possible.

The sound of chainsaws in the park these days is mostly due to the first, $2.3-million phase of a Gore Park makeover that will reorient and refurbish the Cenotaph, salvage damaged underground utilities and make the John-to-Hughson block pedestrian-friendly.

That phase requires six ash and five other trees to come down now, either to accommodate the new memorial and changing pedestrian landscape or because they're planted too close to aging utilities that will be relocated, said project head Le' Ann Seely. On the upside, 14 new young trees such as lindens and lilacs will replace them.

Another six ash will be replaced in 2016 around the storied Gore fountain and 21 are expected to come down near the Connaught after 2018 — although that plan is subject to change depending on evolving development requirements.

The aim of the project is to replace almost every tree cut in the park, even if they're not in their original spots, said Seely. "The end result will be a more diverse canopy that is not as prone to disease."


Read it in full here.

[SteelTown]

Provide feedback on the design of a memorial wall and features for Veterans’ Place in Gore Park

http://www.hamilton.ca/NewsandPublic...k+Feedback.htm

HAMILTON, ON – July 28, 2014 – The Hamilton community is invited to provide feedback about proposed final designs for a memorial wall and other features for Veterans’ Place in Gore Park. This public consultation process is part of the ongoing first phase of the Gore Pedestrianization Initiative which began in early July between Hughson and John Streets.

A component of the Gore Master Plan is commemoration of military service to country and community within the Veterans’ Place block of Gore Park. This need grew from the desire to recognize military service that has continued since unveiling of the Cenotaph.

The work of a Veterans’ Place Focus Group has resulted in the content to address the noted desire to commemorate service to country and community in an inclusive and enduring way that is meaningful to Veterans, actively serving military, and civilians alike. The focus group is made up of veterans, military representatives, and historians. The result is a memorial wall and a series of 18 memorial features referred to as memorial enclaves. The visual design reflects and commemorates local and national military service to our country and community in the past, present, and future.

The focus group strived to have the design represent the diversity of our community and all three branches of the military; air force, army, and navy, displayed meaningfully and effectively in the setting of Veterans’ Place at Gore Park.

The final-draft versions of the memorial wall and enclave panel images and text have been posted at www.hamilton.ca/gore for public comment and there is also a display in the lobby of City Hall. The public consultation is focused solely on the images and text in each panel; the structural design has already been approved. Feedback is requested by August 10th, 2014. The feedback will be used to refine the final content of the panels. The final design is scheduled for installation by the end of 2014.

Key components of the overall plan for Veterans’ Place include the pedestrianization of the south leg of King Street, restoration work on the Gore Park Cenotaph and erection of a Memorial Wall and small enclaves to commemorate Service to Country and Community. The south leg of King Street East will be a pedestrian-focused space, referred to as the Pedestrian Promenade, where the road elevation will be raised to be flush with the park and adjacent storefront sidewalk. The road surface will also be upgraded to textured concrete. Once construction is complete, the Pedestrian Promenade will be accessible to emergency and delivery vehicles only, including taxis. This work will be completed before the Pan Am Games in July 2015.

[CaptainKirk]