Seems to me the Centenial/Redhill site is also an opportunity to rehabilitate lands with plenty of opportunity to build commercial properties which would actually rehabilitate more acreage for less city investment than Rheem. As someone who is in the area a lot I don't think you are aware of the vast empty weed infested tracts that the city would be wise to encourage clean up whether its a stadium or not as its a goldmine of wasted neglected land that is bad for the city's reputation.
When I wrote `get in your car and go home" that was not directed to you and your post.
It was meant as a description of the gameday experience at a Woodward ave site. I was addressing the fact that there is nothing there, and all I would do as a fan would be to get in my car and go home after the game.
After rereading what I wrote, I can see how I could have, and should have worded that better. Apologies.
Viable, yes. Attractive to this poster, NO!!! Looking at Woodward or Lafarge it appears to me there is a much better opportunity to develop a commercial centre than any of the other sites and a pedestrian bridge to Confederation Park could possibly make the site attractive if not for the huge mistake of Bitumar
Confederation Park has one road going in,good luck with that on gameday.They have other plans for that anyway.They are moving the go-cart track down and closing the campground.It will be pay parking(pay and display on your dash)
I'm not talking about hating a stadium in the park, I'm talking about you hating the park itself. After all it is right at the base of the RHVP and the QEW, an area you claim to hate. Tear down Hutches and Barrangas, they are in a heelhole
The other issue with Kay Drage Park is that it is right next to a massive cemetery on York Blvd, which I think would need to be removed to make the stadium accessible enough and to offer commercial spinoff for the city.
Victoria Park is an idea, as it would certainly boost the Locke St commercial development, as well being closer to the core. The main issue though is apart from King St, it is surrounded by residential development and it offers next to no parking. I doubt the Fortinos plaza on Dundurn would be warm to this idea. It also does not have easy rail access, which really means we are pinning hopes on LRT along King St. It also lacks the Highway Billboard appeal.
Dundurn Park is a major historic and heritage site and the location of Dundurn Castle and the Hamilton Military Museum. It’s a major Hamiltonian Landmark and can’t be built over. John A. MacDonald is something I could warm up to, but sadly it’s simply not a large enough parcel of land, especially given it’s triangular configuration. Cannon St and York are both one way streets around MacDonald, so eliminating either of them at this junction will result in a traffic nightmare, and building a tunnel under a stadium isn’t going to happen.
As far as the air quality/smell in the QEW/Redhill Creek Expressway area, it’s bad enough as a Ti-Cat fan for me to not want to go to games during the summer there. I’ve had a lot of bad experiences in that part of the city, stretching to Beach Rd, Wild Waterworks, Adventure Village and crossing the lift bridge at Eastport Drive. During the summer, the septic smell is unavoidable as your cross the skyway and the smog smell is unavoidable near Burlington St. The septic smell doesn’t typically get past Burlington St/Steam technology museum. As far as the smog, it usually isn’t too noticeable once you hit the Red Hill/QEW ramp but depending on the wind, it can make it as far as Barton St. The other issue is traffic around Centennial Parkway is nightmarish on a normal day, nevermind a game day, although is usually at it’s worst around Eastgate Square.
One other site, which I don’t think would happen either, but I’ll throw out there. What about the parkland opposite the LINC from Limeridge Mall? It’s close to major commercial development, on a major highway, has ample ample parking, at the Limeridge Bus Terminal, close to a Legion Hall for pre-game events. It’s downfall though is it is sadly surrounded by high value residential housing, (holy crap, look at all those pools) whose owners I know would vehemently object to it. That and it’s not exactly an area in need of renewal, or is very picturesque.
Can one poster please explain to me how in the world 10 games a year with 20k of fans is going to rejuvenate downtown?? I am all ears on this, but this stadium will do nothing to rejuvenate downtown many many other things and money spent will do a much better job at rejuvenating downtown. I hate to burst the rejuvenation bubble here but a CFL stadium much like the AHL Bulldogs will do little to nothing in aiding or starting up a new downtown core. No business is interested in downtown with or without the stadium which is the biggest single factor in rejuvenation. What this city needs downtown to begin rejuvenation is investors willing to scoop up the run down areas and store fronts and build condo and housing projects. Luring young professionals with good incomes will build downtown. Currently and even with a stadium the income level of the downtown core hardly makes it worth investing your business in.
The stadium itself wil not do that. I don’t think you’ll find anyone who has said that. You are right that 10 events alone is not enough to do that.
The stadium would be only a part of future harbour front/downtown development. Those 10 dates will bring tens of thousands downtown, many of which do not come downtown now, and expose them to the beautiful harbour fornt and hopefully introduce them to some great restauramts and bars, see the Hamilton Place marquee and Copps marquess, things of that nature.
if the LRT comes, it will promote it’s use.
The downtown is slowly improving, with the burgeoning arts community gentrifying James st N and condos slowly being built and sold that will populate the downtown with people who have disposable income.
Improved GO access to TWO locations downtown will attract more people to visit AND live downtown.
This is city buildiong. Planning for a better fuutre. Every little bit is necesaary and every little bit helps.
The problem is that many don’t believe the stadium will achieve any of that. People will simply go to the game and go home not giving the area a second thought on any other night. I am in this camp. The LRT won’t even serve the stadium so that argument is actually a red herring. I’ll give you the Go station but that too will do precious little to encourage Ticat fans to revisit the area IMO. Again it will be, go to the game and go home. You and I disagree on this and there is no chance either of us will be swayed at this point. We’ve both heard the arguments a hundred times or more and have taken them into consideration before coming to our differing conclusions
I just dont see people hopping on an LTR to go to the dollar store or other junk store that is downtown. Currently outside of pier 4 there is nothing downtown that is remotely worth going to. The downtown core's rep is so badly damaged that we are at least 20+ years away from a rejuvenation of anything to note. Ya we have a few condos going in here and there, but quite honestly I'd be surprised if there is many families downtown that wouldn't be considered in the low income or poverty bracket. Downtown does not excite people from other communities to visit and nor can the beauty of the harbour front excite them to want to park their cars and bring their families down. Downtown Hamilton in the surrounding areas is viewed as a crack infested and crime riddled area and very undesireable. The LTR will be another disaster I can picture it now people jamming them full to visit our empty stadium, visit the happening downtown of discount junk stores and during the winter months they will ram it full for our Bulldogs fans that never show up. What the Mayor has to realize and I think Bob does realize this stadium is just not going to serve the Hamilton community and will be serving Mississauga, Oakville, Burlington, Milton and Ancaster. There is a lot of negative views from those surrounding areas about our downtown core and those won't change with the addition of a new stadium. LTR's and Stadiums are years and years away to being useful and profitable in the downtown core. There should be no talk of an LTR until downtown is a happening place again because currently there is no demand and our bus system works just fine to get people down to the core. It is not even worth the headaches and the sure negativitey and hassles that will follow the LTR. Streets being torn up, blocked roads, and to make downtown accessible turning our ease of getting in and out of the city one way roads into 2.
The point is those dollar stores will beging to make way for "better" stores.;
Just as his happening on locke st right now. All the antique shops can no l;onger afford to operate there and are now migrating to Ottawa st, and are now improving that area.
Having read up on the LRT, and its affect on other communitites, I'm convinced Hamilton and it's core's urban nature is perfectly suited for it.
Let’s say it’s split 50/50 as is the opinion on this. Tjhat’s still a aiwn fior the downtown.
The idea is to have people walk from the LRT, public transit and parking lots, through downtown, thus having the foot traffic needed for any downtown. This is a start, a portion of the greater solution. I, for one, greatly look forward to this kind of urban living and lifestyle.
I know what the idea is Kirk, I just don't think it does a thing for downtown. The LRT stop at King is far too remote to be attractive to most. The parking is far too remote to be attractive to most. Its going to be a case of lets get there and back as quickly as possible for most. Simply put, the stadium cannot ever be an attraction on its own and its not close to anything else that might be an attraction. Its a bad location. Moving it up the street to York BLVD or even better between King and Main would solve that issue and actually might spur some redevelopment. The best use for Rheem is as an extension of the West Harbour Parklands System complete with pedestrian crossing over the rail lands and development of a bicycle trail along the rail yard along the ridge and over to Dundurn Park. And yes the bus system and one way streets are the best option for years to come. The LRT is simply not needed in this city.
Yes. There needs to be more reasons to go downtown. the Tiger-Cats are great reason. This is the whole point of the west harbour location.
The downtown core's rep is so badly damaged that we are at least 20+ years away from a rejuvenation of anything to note.
How do you arrive at 20 years? What does that number of 20 years have to do with anything? Let's start fixing it right now! Let's start giving reasons to go downtown right now!
Downtown does not excite people from other communities to visit and nor can the beauty of the harbour front excite them to want to park their cars and bring their families down.
Not sure where they're form, but many times I'm down there, there are plenty of families down there. Almost every time I'm at Williams' Coffee Pub, I'm waiting in line. (That's part of it's charm I think. There's a neat vibe from the people goinmg there)
Downtown Hamilton in the surrounding areas is viewed as a crack infested and crime riddled area and very undesireable.
Rreally? By whom. Cetainly not by me who goes down there failry regulalry. But if some people, like you prhaps, who view it a such, then don't you think that something should be done to correct that? caretaker himself invested over $1m in a buildong dpown at Jarvis st.
The LTR will be another disaster
I'll defer to the experts on that one.
There should be no talk of an LTR until downtown is a happening place again because currently there is no demand and our bus system works just fine to get people down to the core.
That's backwards thinking. Also, there are other reasons for LRT. It's primarily for moving people and reducing reliance on automobiles. Again, that's planning for the futurre and inevitable gridlock that is happening right before our eyes right now.
