Billion-dollar west Hamilton harbour development moves forward

Hamilton's redeveloped west harbour is still years away from completion but promises to spur millions in new tax revenue when it's all done.

This land has never generated a dime of municipal taxes in its entire history," Chris Phillips, the city's point person on the waterfront project, told councillors during a recent project overview.

But the finished product - 1,645 condo apartments and townhouses and 70,000 square feet of commercial space - is expected to generate $8 to 9 million in tax revenue a year, Phillips said.

Keep in mind, however, that the private consortium's sizeable harbourside community is expected to be built in phases over 15 to 20 years.

It just takes time to construct, to finance. It's a billion-dollar project when it's all said and done," Phillips told The Spectator.

As the project moves forward, the nine city-owned development blocks - now outlined with a network of local roads - are to be sold to Waterfront Shores at fair market value."

The consortium plans to start with two blocks at the far eastern side of Pier 8, with sales expected to start this year, Phillips noted.

The proposed 45-storey, 429-unit tower, however, still awaits a staff report with recommendations to council in the fall.

But in mid-June, the city plans to host a public session on the highrise pitch, an arrangement that sprung from a settlement of a neighbourhoods group's provincial tribunal appeal over the development plan.

The blueprint for private development takes shape as the city continues to revamp the public realm, realizing a decades-long ambition to transform the industrial waterfront.

So far, the $140-million capital plan for Piers 6, 7 and 8 has included shoreline rehabilitation, a breakwater, stretches of boardwalk in a renewed marina, the Copps Pier Park waterside promenade, a mini-beach and playground.

Here are some other key elements of the overall project.

• The city has inked a five-year lease with the consortium to use a part of the Discovery Centre as a temporary development showroom. Staff plan to report back to council on a potential longer-term use of the public building.

• A retractable bridge designed to connect pedestrians between spans of boardwalk and allow the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club sailing school passage through a roughly 10-metre wide channel at Pier 7 is planned.

• Public consultation and a design competition - akin to the process that selected the Copps Pier Park concept - is to lead to two new public buildings at Piers 6 and 7. Construction is expected in 2025. Staff plan to report back on project details in May.

• Plans for a triangular Pier 8 gateway park" is going through tendering with the goal of welcoming visitors by the end of the year.

• Work on a public plaza at the foot of James Street North with a viewing platform at Guise Street is underway.

• An east-west greenway" that spans the Pier 8 development is to serve as a stormwater-management tool and a public pedestrian thoroughfare. The developer is to build the city-funded right-of-way in phases that match the community's construction. Public consultation on the initiative is to start in coming weeks and months.

• Meanwhile, a plan for long-term parking is also in the mix, with spots at Pier 6 and 7 giving way to the reworked public spaces.

• As the construction rolls out, the city aims to continue drawing visitors to the waterfront through a series of initiatives, including public art, food trucks and special events.

Teviah Moro is a reporter at The Spectator. tmoro@thespec.com