innsertnamehere
Superstar
In front of the CoA - revised to 6 storeys:
- Thread starter innsertnamehere
- Start date
catcher_of_cats
Active Member
Thanks for posting this. I liked the original proposal but this fits the neighbourhood better. Its probably best that there is no balconies along the Main St W frontage and the brick could look sharp if executed well.
BrenWilson
Active Member
Add a cornice and this would look nice. Did the architect change? Is this aping core-urban's Lintack style?
Edit: same architect. 122 units, 29 parking spaces, 148 bike spaces (long+short), zero retail (!!!)
Yeah I hope they get some pushback on the lack of retail which is becoming a trend on Main St developments. The previous proposal had 3 retail units. It looks like they reduced the parking down and are able to meet the required parking numbers with stacking units without digging down - but this eats up space on the main floor and they cut our all the retail space in favour of a large amenity/lobby area.
Edit: same architect. 122 units, 29 parking spaces, 148 bike spaces (long+short), zero retail (!!!)
Yeah I hope they get some pushback on the lack of retail which is becoming a trend on Main St developments. The previous proposal had 3 retail units. It looks like they reduced the parking down and are able to meet the required parking numbers with stacking units without digging down - but this eats up space on the main floor and they cut our all the retail space in favour of a large amenity/lobby area.
Last edited:
onetimetoomany
New Member
I disagree about the pushback due to lack of retail space here. The quality of retail along here wouldn’t be the best. It’s also not that far of a walk from King and Locke.
BrenWilson
Active Member
Yes and commercial rents on Locke are extremely prohibitive. The reason they're dropping it is just because main is a nightmare street currently and the developer has no stake in the future.
TheHonestMaple
Active Member
Ya retail just doesn't make much sense on this street. It's practically a full on motorway. Ritsma used to push hard on here for retail everywhere (what happened to that guy?), but in some places it just doesn't make sense.
BrenWilson
Active Member
Yes the point is to plan for the future, not the present.
TheHonestMaple
Active Member
yes, but developers build developments for money. If they can't sell the space, they won't build it. Therefore it doesn't happen. The city needs to first convert Main to two way, add in some bicycle paths, generous parking etc before it becomes viable.
BrenWilson
Active Member
Which will happen in the next few years, ergo the city should be excercising planning for the future. Keep in mind this proposal previously had 3 commercial spaces, it seemingly removed them due to the city a) not pushing back on other main st developments, b) the change in the required parking allowing the developer to eliminate the need for additional parking floors - at the cost of other usable ground floor space.
KingJames
Active Member
Is there an actual retail strategy for Main Street or really any area in Hamilton. One might think that having retail nodes, say focussed at select transit stops could be more effective and have a higher chance of occupancy / success versus a pursuit of retail on all ground floor multi level residential buildings.
BrenWilson
Active Member
It's technically part of the Strathcona Secondary Plan. I wouldn't say there are nodes per se but the strip along main is designated as mixed use and the principles of the secondary plan are to promote a "diverse range of services". Specifically on Main they want to "promote flexibility and development potential along Main Street West by permitting a limited range of commerical uses, promoting adaptive reuse ... and retention of historic character". The focus is more clearly on King Street, which makes sense but I think the intention is to still promote mixed use on Main to increase pedestrian activity as the road itself transitions away from a highway.
I don't think the frontage needs to be pure commerical but there is a trend developing here where developments have zero commerical which can have long term effects on that stretch of a street.
I don't think the frontage needs to be pure commerical but there is a trend developing here where developments have zero commerical which can have long term effects on that stretch of a street.
innsertnamehere
Superstar
chasing Main St as a retail street is silly and just not practical or desirable. The Downtown needs a primary arterial of some sort to get vehicles in and out of downtown, and it's totally OK for Main to serve as that. Not every street needs to be a scenic urbanists dream street.
King St is a block to the north and should be the focus of retail. Let Main St serve as the primary access arterial for downtown, even in a 2-way configuration with some improvements to make it feel more like an urban arterial than a freeway, and focus on creating a conductive retail street on King with the LRT, etc.
The most we would ever see on a street like Main would be dentists, etc. - supportive commercial uses. High quality retail uses will always be drawn to the better retail streets in the area like Hess Village, Locke St, James, etc.
King St is a block to the north and should be the focus of retail. Let Main St serve as the primary access arterial for downtown, even in a 2-way configuration with some improvements to make it feel more like an urban arterial than a freeway, and focus on creating a conductive retail street on King with the LRT, etc.
The most we would ever see on a street like Main would be dentists, etc. - supportive commercial uses. High quality retail uses will always be drawn to the better retail streets in the area like Hess Village, Locke St, James, etc.
BrenWilson
Active Member
The chief arterial is or should be York, which has very few buildings fronting on to it after they demolished them in the... 1960s? And provides far better access into the downtown, excepting that you can't get to it from the south on the 403.