Raise the Hammer

tough break for Harry. Things looked great for that project until the TO investment firm came under scrutiny. Nontheless, I'm pleased to hear that he owns the land and not some local like the dude who owns the Regal Hotel at King and Bay and is 'waiting for an NHL team to come to Hamilton'. Lol.
Hamilton's slumlords get great press regularly from Dreschel. It's no wonder he can't figure out Stinson. The guy actually wants to build something, instead of letting downtown Hamilton rot like too many long-time building slumlords.

Let's hope he can do Stinson School. It looks like a great project.

sigh :(

I dunno Jason, at least the honest lawyer folks are going ahead with a development, right? I still think Stinson has to get a project completed in Hamilton to garner the kind of respect you afford him. Maybe we've put too much stock in this guy?

Stinson has proven to be yet another typical Hamilton developer.
FLASHY DETAILS -- NEWS CONFERENCES -- HYPE HYPE HYPE -- Nothing.

Can we run him outta town just like Toronto did?

Jason,

Your manlove for Stinson is pathetic. The guy gets alot of press, hasn't done a thing, but has your unwavering support. Maybe downtown projects aren't as easy as you think. How about pouring some of the weekly offerings into something instead of bashing those that actually invest in the core and praising those that just talk about it.

Jelly; how about if he actually gets a project STARTED!

I had tons of faith in this guy when he came to town years ago to save the Connaught.

I had faith in him in the Hamilton Grand, once he abandoned his Connaught plans.

Now, I have ZERO faith in his Stinson Lofts!

I don't know about anyone else, but THIS Hamiltonian is sick of getting f'd around (ie: NHL, Main/Caroline Federal Building, Maybe-Maybe-Not LRT, and the list just goes on...)

I will no longer support him; no longer defend him from critics; no longer advertise his projects via word-of-mouth.

You had your chance and you blew it, Harry! Hamilton doesn't need another 'What If' developer! But Thanks for the Effort...

Manlove?? haha.

Hamiltonian, I'm merely stating the fact that the investment company involved ended up in trouble. It's not like Harry pulled the run out from under them. If you can't see that, you're not paying attention.

I've been very clear on my position with Harry - all the renderings and press releases are nice, but let's see some CONSTRUCTION already. Hopefully the Stinson school project will be it.

Jelly, my reference to the King/Bay restaurant was directed at the local Hamilton dude who owns the building. Sorry for the confusion. The folks from Honest Lawyer who are building the project deserve massive kudos for their work and are actually doing some construction/renovation downtown, especially along barren empty streets like King and Bay that seriously need the help. The Honest Lawyer has done wonders for a crummy stretch of King, and this new restaurant will do the same for a crummy stretch of Bay.

What a loser.

I'm really sad to hear the project isn't going through. It's another tough break for Stinson, who is, I think we can all admit, a man with grand visions at the very least.

I still think he's better than Vrancor...

I'd much rather watch his failures instead of watching the careless slumlords sit around waiting for someone else to fix up the place while their buildings rot. Stinson will end up building something one of these times and we can be guaranteed that it won't be a suburban-box pile of junk with a massive parking lot on Main or King. His urban vision and desire for a vibrant downtown is shared by me and I hope he can pull off the Stinson school before coming back downtown.

Harry - PLEASE don't sell the Shell lot to a local speculator. They have ruined our city!!!

Of all the failures, this one is the least his fault and leaves his hands the cleanest. (compared to some Toronto projects).

Nevertheless, he's still a person who has had success elsewhere, and if he dreams too big for Hamilton, here's hoping one day the city will catch up.

I agree - one of these times, something great will get built, and I definitely don't think it's all that damaging for thousands of people to hear what could be. Some of that's gotta get a little contagious :)

yea, I don't get the naysayers who accuse us of having a 'manlove' for the guy simply because we like his vision. If nothing ever gets built, oh well. At least we're getting some cool visions and ideas from him that would make Hamilton a better place. How is that bad??

I dunno. My bet is in a year or so we'll be reading an article with the same headline, minus the words "Grand Plan". ;)

possibly. It's better than reading an article in a year about the Connaught with the words "still no plan, and still a dump".

Toronto has a residential tax rate of .855%, Hamilton's is 1.59%. Therefore, for every $25 million in new assessment that Hamilton is looking for, it charges people $397,500 in property taxes. In Toronto, for every $25 million in new assessment, they charge only $213,750 in taxes.

If two cities are fighting over the next $25 million dollar residential investment, who do you think has the best chance, the one who want 398K in taxes, or the one who only asks for 214K?

If tax rates can't be lowered on all properties overnight, why not at least charge NEW downtown residential developments what Toronto does, 0.855%. This won't hurt existing revenues, but it will put Hamilton on a level playing field with booming Toronto when it comes to new investments.

Harry Stinson looks like he wanted to make his mark in Hamilton with an inspiring redevelopement statement. He at least put his money where his mouth was and gave it all he had. Major projects like this require numerous investors and take the project out of the hands of any one person. It didn't fly. Not his fault, but it is not going to happen for now. I am sure Harry has an accurate perception of what the public thinks of him. It may be coincidence but this may have motivated him to tackle an ambitious project but one on a scale that puts him totally in control. Or he could just be fed up with the uncertainty of joint ventures and seeking something he could break ground on. Either way or most likely a bit of both I am betting the Stinson School project will be completed. I hope it proves to Hamiltonians and Harry himself that sometimes a project does not have to have massive scale to be inspiring. That is a marvellous old building that could be a centerpiece showcasing the best in redevelopement. If he sets the bar that high.

pul-leaze.

the only reason harry dreams big is because its not his money. the bigger the budget it is, the bigger a project management fee he gets. he doesnt have any of his own money into any of these projects. why do u think his only avenue of financing that grand was from a dodgy'real estate investment club'? his name is mud and no one reputable w deal with him.

do u actually think stinson didnt know what tulsiani was doing? he was the probably the one that gave him the idea. try watching some of harry's old infomercials on tv about 1 king west and his sapphire tower. he hocked a guaranteed rate of return for investors. ergo, this falls under OSC regulatiosn because of this. he was already investigated by the OSC at that time.

classic harry

www.thestar.com/article/153982

Can someone please feed this guy a proper meal. He's so sickly looking, poor sap.

279K is pretty affordable for a penthouse...that's a Hamilton crackdealer's week's worth of work.

It's unfortunate about Mr. stinson. I do hope some more of his projects come about because although a bit over the top, at least he's promoting Hamilton in a round about way.

And "Harry Yes" Why a Hamilton Crack dealer? Isn't there enough bashing of Hamilton? You pick a very small portion of an small percentage of people from the city, why?? Go live in Toronto where the "Toronto Crack Dealers" are far more abundant but they're hidden amongst the street kids, squeegee kids, homesless, beggers, etc. that walk the downtown streets of Toronto every day. Sorry Toronto, but I did live there for years and saw it every day. Hamilton is a far safer place to live, a better place to raise a family and a lot cheaper. Sorry, I'm ranting again.