Raise the Hammer

The following quote from an article by Emma Reilly in the Hamilton Spectator on Feb 10/12 provides a glimpse of the parameters of potential commercial development on the west harbour lands:

“The commercial zoning along Stuart allows for a “full spectrum” of uses, said Michelle Sergi, the city’s manager of community planning and design. It could wind up as office space, private recreation businesses (such as gyms), services (restaurants or banks), and retail.

“We’re looking for more of a mix,” Sergi said.

What it won’t include are big box stores. The maximum size for commercial buildings in that area will be 6,000 square metres, or about the size of a Shoppers Drug Mart or a small grocery store.”

Ms. Reilly’s article significantly underestimates the magnitude of a 6,000 square metre commercial building. http://www.thespec.com/news/local/articl...

6,000 square metres converts to approximately 64,583 square feet.

To put this figure into perspective, the Metro Supermarket building at the Centre on Barton shopping centre, which is not a "small grocery store", has a size of 48,491.89 square feet (as shown on the site plan on page 4 of the link below): http://www.redcliffrealty.com/leasing/re...

The maximum sized commercial building allowable on the west harbour lands is therefore about 133% larger than the Metro Supermarket at the Centre on Barton. Even though it would be far smaller than the latest generation of big box supercentres, it would have the visual appearance of a big box store on west harbour commercial lands totalling less than 20 acres.

It is interesting to note that Walmart is currently proposing to build a 60,000 square foot grocery store in Oregon City, Oregon. http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-city/in...

Given that a 60,000 square foot Walmart grocery store would fit within the maximum commercial building size allowable at the west harbour, might we see s similar proposal in this locale?

Granted, it is still early days on any commercial development plan for the west harbour lands. Formal OMB approval of the amended Setting Sail settlement proposal, followed by an urban design study done by the City of Hamilton, followed by land remediation and eventual construction. But, as the city moves forward in this process, it is important to be cognizant of what a 6,000 square metre commercial building would allow.

Comment edited by RenaissanceWatcher on 2012-02-20 09:58:57