HomeDiagramsDatabaseMapsForum About
     

Go Back   SkyscraperPage Forum > Regional Sections > Canada > Ontario > Hamilton > Downtown & City of Hamilton


Reply

 
Thread Tools Display Modes
     
     
  #21  
Old Posted Jul 19, 2009, 7:22 AM
hamiltonguy hamiltonguy is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 316
Quote:
Originally Posted by jgrwatson View Post
What the hell is wrong with this city! There a bizzilion vacant parking lots ANYWHERE else in the dt. The burnt out building down the way...

Hamilton needs to give its head a shake. Originally, I thought this was the lot behind HHS, but realizing it is the CHURCH itself, this is just sad and pathetic.
As an Anglican I HAVE to back this. We can not afford to keep many of our huge churches, and its the only way we can afford to keep a space in that area of town.

BTW expect 1/2 of remaining Anglican Churches to close in the next ten years. Even when our numbers go up our revenue goes down because nobody gives anymore, they'd rather buy two nice cars, 3 big screen tvs, an xbox, a ps3 and a wii, as well as their motorcycle and million dollar mcmansion in the middle of nowhere.
__________________
My Blog:

http://forwardhamilton.blogspot.com/
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #22  
Old Posted Jul 19, 2009, 11:19 PM
realcity's Avatar
realcity realcity is offline
Bruatalism gets no respec
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Williamsville NY
Posts: 4,059
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteelTown View Post


Queen Street Condominiums
- Hamilton, Ontario

Options for Homes not-for-profit condominium project on the site of an existing church, thoughtfully incorporating the materiality of the original building, while also recreating a place of worship.
I can build a better design out of Lego®
__________________
Height restrictions and Set-backs are for Nimbys and the suburbs.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #23  
Old Posted Jul 20, 2009, 1:14 AM
crhayes crhayes is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: The Hammer, Ontario
Posts: 382
Quote:
Originally Posted by realcity View Post
I can build a better design out of Lego®
I think the design is decent... maybe the developer can't afford to make it much better than that. Besides that's just a shitty sketch, it doesn't even make it clear what materials are being used. If a nice combination of stone/brick is used it could actually be a decent looking building.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #24  
Old Posted Jul 20, 2009, 2:15 PM
flar's Avatar
flar flar is offline
..........
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Southwestern Ontario
Posts: 15,170
It looks virtually the same as the other dozens of commie blocks in that area.
__________________
RECENT PHOTOS:
TORONTOSAN FRANCISCO ROCHESTER, NYHAMILTONGODERICH, ON WHEATLEY, ONCOBOURG, ONLAS VEGASLOS ANGELES
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #25  
Old Posted Jul 20, 2009, 3:55 PM
realcity's Avatar
realcity realcity is offline
Bruatalism gets no respec
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Williamsville NY
Posts: 4,059
Good design doesn't cost more.

I don't like the exposed the mech penthouse. Here's what you can do with a headdress


I think it's siding. If its a curtain wall, then why not use glass and cladding panels to make it look post mod.
__________________
Height restrictions and Set-backs are for Nimbys and the suburbs.

Last edited by realcity; Mar 21, 2010 at 2:02 PM.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #26  
Old Posted Jul 20, 2009, 4:03 PM
realcity's Avatar
realcity realcity is offline
Bruatalism gets no respec
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Williamsville NY
Posts: 4,059
I'm not making fun of TCA. Look what they designed for Ed Square, that was beautiful.
__________________
Height restrictions and Set-backs are for Nimbys and the suburbs.

Last edited by realcity; Mar 21, 2010 at 2:02 PM.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #27  
Old Posted Jul 20, 2009, 8:57 PM
drpgq drpgq is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Hamilton/Dresden
Posts: 1,808
Here's an article from the post on Options for Homes. I actually think that the fact it isn't for the lowest incomes is a feature, not a bug for downtown Hamilton.

By Matthew Pioro, National Post

The basement room of the West Toronto Baptist Church is full with more than 40 people interested in buying condos on a Saturday morning in early March. Another such meeting will be held in the afternoon. These events continue to be packed, even now, strictly by word of mouth, amidst lower housing sales for the city. The attendees have mostly middle to low incomes and, if they decide to buy, they will probably take a second mortgage that the developer has to offer. This plan, second mortgage and all, not only has the blessing of the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC), but the city as well.

The past eight months have not been good for condos. Sure, cranes are still raising concrete and steel across the city, but those are projects that started two or three years ago. The units are sold and the developers have secured financing. But sales for new condos in Toronto have been down drastically: 51.6% lower this May compared to last, according to the Building Industry and Land Development Association. Meanwhile, low-rise sales were only down 25.2%. Condos, once the overachievers of the housing market, are now humbled by their low-rise and more market-adaptable siblings. Without more sales, the condo-construction industry will get hit as the current batch of projects start to wrap up in the next six to 10 months. In February, 28,000 construction jobs disappeared in Ontario and more have disappeared since. For the past five years, the city has come to depend on the yearly injection of more than 10,000 condo units built by developers and the accompanying development charges that help the city maintain its infrastructure.

Yet Michel Labbé, the man behind the church-basement meetings, has designed a plan he believes can save roughly 10,000 construction jobs in Toronto. That plan is based on the model he developed to deliver cost-effective housing in the city.

As potential buyers look at floor plans on bristol boards around the church basement, Labbé, the president and founder of Options for Homes, sets up his laptop and projector near the front of the room. Then, with the lights down for his presentation, he explains why the two buildings his non-profit organization is developing on Keele Street, just north of Dundas Street West, had units for $285 to $305 per square foot while most developers in Toronto, he says, can’t sell for less than $360 per sq. ft., even with the troubled housing market. A 610-sq.-ft. one-bedroom apartment costs $186,208; a 1,030-sq.-ft. two-bedroom runs $295,309. At $360 per sq. ft., the low-end of the condo market, those apartments would be $219,600 and $370,800 respectively.

Labbé explains his model for developing cost-effective housing. Options finds not-yet-desirable sites in Toronto — the Distillery District in the late ’90s and the Junction for the current project comprising a 19- and 24-storey tower — for development. It spends little money on marketing, but doesn’t skimp on the buildings: Its builder on Keele Street is Deltera, Tridel’s construction arm. The towers at the Junction site will have solar panels for heating water, carbon filters for air intake and there are plans for a car-sharing program for residents. Amenities such as a spa, gym or concierge are absent. Apart from the eco-features, the buildings, like the nearby grocery store, will be no frills.

Labbé then covers the second mortgage in detail — key to convincing skeptics that the plan isn’t a scam. When a purchaser buys an Options condo, she is offered a 13% mortgage, which is repaid when she sells or rents the unit. The interest is a percentage of the unit’s increase in value. Both the buyer and Options benefit from the equity that comes with homeownership. If the unit hasn’t increased in value at the time of sale, then only the principal is repaid. Options takes the repayment and puts it into Home Ownership Alternatives, a non-profit corporation that will fund future cost-effective building projects. Since Options began in 1993, $12-million worth of mortgages have been repaid and $38-million are still being held.

Labbé describes himself as a democratic capitalist: “The ultimate goal is to have one person have it all — that’s the complete fruition of capitalism today.” The slim 56-year-old is also creative when it comes to solving business challenges. When the CMHC and traditional banks wouldn’t help with the construction financing for the Junction project, Labbé brokered $97-million through a syndicate of seven credit unions, two based in Toronto and four from the western provinces.

That creativity and his tendency to think big led Labbé to formulate a plan that would not only address housing issues in the city, but also the construction slowdown.
“Options feels it’s involved in trying to solve the housing problems of the country,” Labbé says. “Therefore, when a crisis occurs, logically we see ourselves as being part of the solution.”

At the end of January, Labbé sent a memo to the Mayor and the city’s Affordable Housing Office suggesting they designate 5,000 units’ worth of municipally controlled land for a one-time program. Labbé’s organization and other non-profits that could adopt the Options model would then develop these units with sale prices geared to households with incomes less than $75,000. There wouldn’t be any proposal calls, the means by which private developers gain building opportunities; the city would assign land to various organizations. Non-profits, Labbé argues, would be more responsive than the traditional developers because maximizing profits requires careful study. Selling at cost is more straightforward and the unit prices could be lowered even further if the city deferred development charges. Traditional developers and non-profits can also co-exist peacefully because the Options homes bring a different type of buyer into the condo market.

Two months after the memo went to City Hall, it was under cautious consideration. The Mayor’s office had met with Labbé and was reviewing the plan. Sean Gadon, director of the Affordable Housing Office, said he was encouraged that Labbé was putting his mind toward how affordable housing can provide jobs. He was anxious to see housing investments help the economy, so the plan was under review.

Councillor Adam Vaughan has said he is willing to experiment with the non-profit developer’s ideas; however, he has reservations about allocating city lands.
“The amount of land that Labbé thinks the city has is not accurate,” Vaughan says. “It’s not quite as simple as he offers and handing over tracts of land to private hands at reduced rates. … You know, if we start doing that, he won’t be the only practitioner in town and the next person won’t necessarily be quite so honourable as he is. I’m not sure how you control that.”

John Sewell, former Toronto mayor and a housing activist who was involved with the development of the St. Lawrence Market area, also has critiques of Labbé’s plan. While Sewell feels the Options model is good, his concern is its limited ability to reach lower-income households.

“The land cost is maybe 5% of the total cost of the development,” Sewell says. “You need a greater subsidy if you are going to reach people with low incomes.”
Five months after Labbé pitch­ed his idea, it still rests with the city as a viable option, but a little past its due date.

“ ‘Best before’ is a good term be­cause it’s best before, but not poison after,” Labbé says. “So if the city initiated the plan now, they would still save jobs, but they would save them later. They’d still have a lull and layoffs through the winter, but by the time we hit next spring, things would be picking up faster than they otherwise would.”

If City Hall doesn’t choose to pursue Labbé’s idea, his housing model will still be at work in Toronto. He’s hoping to start marketing Option’s next project, a 350- to 400-suite building near Bathurst and Lawrence, in the fall. On his recent family vacation to Peru, he made time to speak with economist, Nobel Prize finalist and promoter of property rights Hernando de Soto, as well as people involved with housing in Lima, to discuss his model. These connections add to the links he has forged in India and Romania. More meetings, such as the ones in the basement of West Toronto Baptist, are on the way, in this city and others.

[Options president Michel Labbé. Photo by Brett Gundlock / National Post.]
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #28  
Old Posted Jul 20, 2009, 9:59 PM
emge's Avatar
emge emge is offline
Needs more coffee...
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Hamilton
Posts: 837
When I was considering a job in Etobicoke, I had actually looked at a similar program with condos in the area for those making a similar amount (to qualify but not exceed their required income).

It would have been a great option had I got the job there. Of course, I didn't.. and ended up moving here, but I think programs like that, done well, do add a lot of value because of the people they bring to an area and the property taxes -- you get taxpaying working people, skilled or professional (enough of a salary to qualify), generally who value proximity to transit or downtown, with a certain work ethic and value on home ownership - while limiting those looking to rent out or flip.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #29  
Old Posted Sep 8, 2009, 11:22 AM
SteelTown's Avatar
SteelTown SteelTown is offline
It's Hammer Time
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Hamilton
Posts: 19,872
How to give aging churches new life
Councillor wants city to hire a consultant to study upgrades for iconic buildings

September 08, 2009
Dana Brown
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/630411

They're stunning, iconic buildings that speak to a time of religious grace and opulence.

They're also aging, some without the means or devotees to return them to their former glory.

The task of finding new uses for Hamilton's historic churches was recently raised among city councillors due to a development at All Saints Anglican Church, at Queen and King streets.

And at least one councillor would like the city to look into options for adaptive reuses for churches, which would allow them to keep their heritage value.

Councillor Brian McHattie is set to introduce a motion at committee today, calling on the city to approve hiring a consultant to look at the issue.

The cost would be no more than $5,000.

"(The All Saints situation) got me thinking that there's no doubt many other churches that are perhaps in that situation," said McHattie.

All Saints was built in the early 1870s. Partnered with a company called Options for Homes, the church plans to knock down its structurally-faltering building, along with the parish hall.

A nonprofit condo tower would replace them with a ministry maintained on the ground floor.

But after the project was recognized at the municipal heritage committee, it was recommended the building be looked at for a heritage designation, freezing the project.

Council first agreed to, then reversed, its decision to move ahead with the heritage analysis.

"In the future, what would be an ideal from our point of view would be to have a way of working with the heritage folks and the city so we could both preserve churches and develop the land around them, perhaps," said Rick Jones, archdeacon with the Diocese of Niagara.

"So that we would have a revenue stream so that we could actually afford to keep the buildings in the condition that they need to be kept in."

McHattie suggests one solution is for the city to provide a Community Improvement Plan, like the downtown renewal or facade program, which offers financial incentives.

But downtown councillor Bob Bratina, whose ward encompasses many heritage properties, isn't convinced a $5,000 consultant is the way to go.

Bratina said the city's development process needs to be perfected so heritage concerns get flagged right away.

There also needs to be a list of priority heritage buildings in the city, something council has approved compiling, the councillor said.

"The only thing I want to emphasize is that we don't have enough ability, as a municipality, to deal, especially an old city like ours, with all the heritage issues that come up," he said.

"And if we have to spend the kind of money we're spending on city hall and the Lister Block, we're in big trouble.

"Because that's 50 million bucks (extra) on two buildings (because of heritage concerns)."

Bratina said if the city wants to keep up old buildings, there needs to be more financial help from the provincial and federal governments.

In 1994, the city purchased St. Mark's Anglican church at Bay and Hunter streets, and it was designated a heritage site the next year. The church has since been sitting without revitalization, because of a lack of funds.

In addition to All Saints, there are three other churches the Diocese of Niagara is currently looking to redevelop.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #30  
Old Posted Oct 18, 2009, 5:28 PM
SteelTown's Avatar
SteelTown SteelTown is offline
It's Hammer Time
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Hamilton
Posts: 19,872
Re-use of Church buildings

Whereas, given the dual dynamic of church congregations shrinking, and churches aging, many churches in Hamilton will become available for re-use and;

Whereas, many of these churches represent significant cultural heritage resources in Hamilton, and;

Whereas, recently in Hamilton several churches have been negatively affected in terms of their heritage value, and;

Whereas, adaptive reuse of churches is occurring in other municipalities

Therefore:

That the item be added to the staff work program for 2010, and that a consultant be hired, at an upset cost not to exceed $5,000, to investigate applicable options to achieve adaptive reuse of churches in order to maintain their cultural heritage value.

The Motion LOST on the following standing recorded vote:
Yeas: Clark, McHattie, Mitchell Total: 3
Nays: Pearson, Bratina, Duvall, Ferguson, Pasuta, Whitehead Total: 6
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #31  
Old Posted Oct 18, 2009, 5:28 PM
SteelTown's Avatar
SteelTown SteelTown is offline
It's Hammer Time
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Hamilton
Posts: 19,872
So it looks like the Church will be demolished.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #32  
Old Posted Dec 1, 2009, 3:51 PM
SteelTown's Avatar
SteelTown SteelTown is offline
It's Hammer Time
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Hamilton
Posts: 19,872
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #33  
Old Posted Dec 1, 2009, 4:20 PM
urban_planner urban_planner is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 794
Nice looking building.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #34  
Old Posted Dec 1, 2009, 6:14 PM
matt602's Avatar
matt602 matt602 is offline
Hammer'd
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Hamilton, ON
Posts: 4,751
Wow, MUCH better looking than the last rendering. Very nice.
__________________
"Above all, Hamilton must learn to think like a city, not a suburban hybrid where residents drive everywhere. What makes Hamilton interesting is the fact it's a city. The sprawl that surrounds it, which can be found all over North America, is running out of time."
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #35  
Old Posted Feb 26, 2010, 4:43 PM
realcity's Avatar
realcity realcity is offline
Bruatalism gets no respec
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Williamsville NY
Posts: 4,059
Is this church getting torn down yet? So this condo can start construction
__________________
Height restrictions and Set-backs are for Nimbys and the suburbs.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #36  
Old Posted Feb 26, 2010, 5:08 PM
realcity's Avatar
realcity realcity is offline
Bruatalism gets no respec
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Williamsville NY
Posts: 4,059
Did McHattie get the consultant thing?
__________________
Height restrictions and Set-backs are for Nimbys and the suburbs.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #37  
Old Posted Mar 3, 2010, 9:47 PM
thistleclub thistleclub is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 3,728
All Saints/Options For Homes Condo | 38m | 12 fl | Proposed

Rendering downloadable in PDF form on Brian McHattie's site. He writes:

Quote:
Options for Homes is proposing to build a 12 storey condominium on the site of the former All Saints Church property, located at 15 Queen Street South at the corner of King Street West and Queen Street South. The proposal is for 120 residential units with commercial units on the ground floor.

Options for Homes focusses on affordable ownership.

The proponents are required to apply to the Committee of Adjustment to get permission to build to a height of 38.3 metres instead of 30.0 metres and to be allowed to provide 69 parking spaces instead of 87 spaces.

The proponent held a public meeting on January 26. The Committee of Adjustment application will be heard on Thursday, March 4 at 2:55 p.m. in Room 207 of the Hamilton Convention Centre.
__________________
"Where architectural imagination is absent, the case is hopeless." - Louis Sullivan
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #38  
Old Posted Mar 3, 2010, 10:55 PM
SteelTown's Avatar
SteelTown SteelTown is offline
It's Hammer Time
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Hamilton
Posts: 19,872
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #39  
Old Posted Mar 4, 2010, 1:17 AM
urban_planner urban_planner is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 794
Wow thats even better but its no good to me on paper or in this case computer screen.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #40  
Old Posted Mar 18, 2010, 11:36 PM
SteelTown's Avatar
SteelTown SteelTown is offline
It's Hammer Time
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Hamilton
Posts: 19,872
Committee of Adjustment approved this submission.

69 parking space instead of 87
Height of 38m permitted

I'll update this from Planning to Approved.
Reply With Quote
     
     
This discussion thread continues

Use the page links to the lower-right to go to the next page for additional posts
 
 
Reply

Go Back   SkyscraperPage Forum > Regional Sections > Canada > Ontario > Hamilton > Downtown & City of Hamilton
Forum Jump


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 9:59 AM.

     
SkyscraperPage.com - Archive - Privacy Statement - Top

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.