Pitch for tech hub behind Hamilton City Hall back before councillors

A local entrepreneur hasn't let go of his vision to transform the back parking area of Hamilton City Hall into a technology and medical innovation hub.

Paven Bratch's pitch for two towers of 20 and 24 storeys with a combined 572,000 square feet of office space - as well as a retail plaza with a grocery store - is back before councillors Monday.

Bratch presented his plan in February 2020 but then the COVID-19 pandemic derailed a staff report to explore the tech hub concept.

The office market crashed after the pandemic struck, but with the rollout of vaccines, major corporations are returning to buildings, he said Friday.

And there's a trend toward smaller cities that offer a better life-work balance" as secondary headquarters" for large centres, he said.

We think that it has actually played very well for Hamilton," said Bratch, whose Metro Partners Inc. is working with other firms and investors in the estimated $250-million proposed project.

So why a technology and medical hub? And why the city hall parking lot?

These are the employers of the future. It plays to the strength of Hamilton," Bratch said, pointing to McMaster Innovation Park, a research and business centre with an emphasis on collaboration, as an example.

And downtown lacks Class A" office space, a shortcoming when it comes to retaining the city's young brain trust, suggests the original owner of Radius, an eatery and bar on James Street South.

We think there's a huge number of tech workers already in Hamilton ... who are commuting to Toronto," said Bratch, who has experience working in the technology and marketing sectors.

Metro Partners made some pretty strenuous efforts" to find properties downtown but most weren't up for sale, he adds.

And so that led us back to that site," Bratch said, referring to the 2.3-acre city hall property.

The hub would turn the asphalt expanse behind city hall into parkland and walking paths the public could access by placing spaces underground.

A top-floor auditorium, family-friendly climbing zone" and wellness centre are in the mix.

As well, the proposal offers an option for a separate 12-storey city expansion building with 120,000 square feet of office space.

Bratch hopes to purchase the southerly part of the city hall property at fair market value" but says he's open to a long-term lease should councillors not want to sell the land.

The city would retain ownership of the existing 1960s-era municipal building on Main Street West.

Coun. Jason Farr, who represents downtown, says he supports the pitch whether the land is sold or leased. It's always been anticipated that we would do something there."

With no shortage of residential and mixed-use development underway in the core, it makes sense to pursue modern office space, Farr said.

In 2016, Bratch's team responded to the city's request for information to open up ideas for the back end of the municipal property.

And it's under those auspices that we have continued to pursue this."

In February 2020, councillors asked staff to study the feasibility of creating a tech hub on the land and report back in six months before committing to anything.

We have processes in this city and we need to follow them," Coun. Judi Partridge said, noting there had been four other unnamed respondents to staff's 2016 market consultation.

That delayed staff report, up for discussion at Monday's general issues committee, states a tech hub appears to be conceptually feasible."

A new Class A office building downtown, the type of corporate occupants that would occupy a hub and its employee base would all add value both financially, as well as qualitatively to the City of Hamilton."

The report also notes a variety of options to select proposals and make the land available, ranging from a request for proposals to direct talks with a proponent.

But staff say additional studies and analysis" are necessary, including $100,000 for consulting expertise. A report back in early 2022 is recommended.

Farr said that work is sort of an extension" of what council had already requested, adding some expected a report that takes the next step."

Teviah Moro is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: tmoro@thespec.com