Pro and Con: Trinity Proposal on MIP Employment Lands

This is a very important issue to which everyone within Southwest, Westdale, and even Dundas should pay attention.

By Betsy Agar
Published January 18, 2008

Commentary

I went to the meeting at St. Joeseph's Church on January 10 about the proposal to develop a retail centre on old CP lands next to the new McMaster Innovation Park (MIP).

This proposal is being actively opposed by the City of Hamilton, which has temporarily zoned the lands under the West Hamilton Innovation District (WHID) by-law. Previously, the land had been zoned for anything but residential.

Trinity, Canada's second largest retail developer, wants to put what they call an urban version of a big box store. MIP is considered the model WHID development.

This is a very important issue to which everyone within Southwest, Westdale, and even Dundas should pay attention.

Arguments For Trinity's Retail Development

Support for employees of MIP
Avoid "Ghost Town" outside regular business hours
Retail tax revenues for the City
- MIP is permitted only limited education allocation
- Private sector tenants pay taxes
Conforms with original "K" zoning (anything except residential)
Meets Hamilton's "proposed" West Hamilton Innovative District (WHID) zoning in part:
- meets the intent (to provide employment predominantly by non-retail?)
- Does not necessarily meet the size as defined by WHID
Aesthetics to reflect a village feel:
- two-lane streets
- on-street parking
- varied elevations and textures/materials
- landscaped boulevards
- no specific mention of the 1,300 parking spots hidden behind the facades
Trinity pays for clean up Brownfields to standards acceptable for retail/commercial use, but not for residential occupancy
Development charges in Hamilton's pockets (specifically promoted the contribution to the Woodward water treatment upgrades)
Prevents lands remaining dormant potentially long term
- too much innovation land could delay potential use
- dormant lands mean no jobs and no development income or taxes
Trinity pays for Frid Street extension and services to likely residential development along Frid
Hundreds of jobs to the area
Trinity's design is considered an urban variation on the suburban Meadowlands

Arguments Against Trinity's Retail Development

Traffic is already congested in the area
Caters to driving culture in an area thriving on walkability and public transit
One of Trinity's buildings is slated to sit on top of the presently submerged Chedoke Creek
WHID permits allocation of 5,000 sq.ft. maximum for a single use
- Trinity is proposing a retail development "anchor" of either a single 150,000 sq. ft. or two 40,000 sq. ft.
K zoning was outdated, which is why WHID was developed. It's inappropriate to lean on antiquated K zoning
Other locations in the city centre are more appropriate and available
Create "Ghost Towns" in Dundas, Westdale and Locke Street South
- If MIP is walking/cycling friendly, campus-like, and provides a significant improvement in accessibility between Westdale and South Hamilton, then the Ghost Town will be avoided
- If MIP provides some restaurant space, etc., then people will still go outside of business hours
Clean up will be required regardless of occupancy, Trinity isn't the only solution to that problem
Development and tax income is expected from MIP as well
MIP expects jobs in the thousands, not just the hundreds
Environmental implications
- more traffic
- more run-off
Aesthetics are superficial and change with time
- extensive parking
- 2-lane boulevards and on-street parking could quickly change with increased traffic and parking demands
Local BIAs will surely suffer
- Trinity hasn't contacted the local BIAs
- Claim to have support of both residents and businesses, yet WHID is Hamilton's vision of the future (though there were a handful of supporters at the meeting)
Major tenants who have expressed interest in direct competition with local Mom and Pop shops in Locke Street area alone:
- Grocery: competes with Goodness Me, Asian Market, local deli and bakery, Zarky's
- Auto: 2 Locke Street mechanics, 1 on Aberdeen
- Home Improvement: Rona in Dundas, Canadian Tire downtown and in Dundas
36,000 acres of R&D lands are not too much (compare Waterloo's 129,000 acres!)
Long-term plan for long-term jobs/careers, not just quick way to transient retail jobs
Not what the public agreed to, hence WHID
Hamilton's mandate from the province is to improve services such as Trinity's in the downtown core (several alternative sites have been suggested but Trinity rejected them)
Hamilton is investigating the possibility of "daylighting" Chedoke Creek between Glenside and Aberdeen
- residents adjacent to the creek have already improved segments they back onto
- Trinity's plan is for a building on top of the submerged creek
- Original WHID vision was to daylight the creek through R&D lands
Hamilton is looking into the possibility of a new HSR hub on the MIP lands
- this leads to increased transit use in and out of MIP
- adding retail of the type that promote car use counters this type of improvement
- This does not save a car trip (excused because already at work), it increases "just in case" car trips!

Groups Opposed to Plan

KNA
Westdale Residents' Association
BIAs
City of Hamilton

Groups In Favour

Trinity
Samee Metals
Organized residential groups?

Groups Abstaining

MIP
Probably McMaster University

Betsy Agar, B.Eng., M.A.Sc., P.Eng. is a research engineer and sessional lecturer at McMaster University who has a passion for the environment and concern for socioeconomic inequalities.

18 Comments

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By Jon (anonymous)
Posted January 18, 2008 14:31:48

I would be very, very skeptical of any claims on Trinity's part of an urban or pedestrian friendly slant to this project. Where are there any newly built retail centres of any such quality in Ontario?

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