Hamilton 77 James Street North | 93.1m | 30s | IN8 Developments | AAA

They aren't changing any heights or design here - they would appealing a technical issue in their site plan approval conditions.

I've heard that the city is being resistant to applications which want to phase construction for whatever reason, I suspect it's something to do with that.
 
Chronamut said:
Imo whatever goes here needs to be taller.. MUCH taller, and not just some generic condo area - this region deserves something more grandiose and multi-functional.
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Hopefully 117 Jackson OLT battle will break the glass ceiling and put an end to this silly city obsession with height restrictions limited to the escarpment ridgeline.
 
innsertnamehere said:
They aren't changing any heights or design here - they would appealing a technical issue in their site plan approval conditions.

I've heard that the city is being resistant to applications which want to phase construction for whatever reason, I suspect it's something to do with that.
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I’d love to hear the reasoning on that. The new PPS actually favours development phasing. Even notwithstanding that very important piece, they seriously expect them to build 5 towers simultaneously? Okay.
 
Sunnyside said:
I’d love to hear the reasoning on that. The new PPS actually favours development phasing. Even notwithstanding that very important piece, they seriously expect them to build 5 towers simultaneously? Okay.
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Yea, trying to do this development in a single stage would be insane. That being said, the Well was kind of done that way, but in Hamilton they would have to sell units on a per phase basis to get financing lined up. The fact that Emblem was able to get financing set up is kind of incredibly considering how huge the Design District is.
 
There are some changes to the City Centre Redevelopment Plan
- Fourth Tower increase from 24 to 26-Storeys
- Units increased from 2068 to 2181
- Parking spaces decreased from 843 to 592
- Going to OLT for a two day hearing on January 30-31

Updated renderings
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Read more on TPR
https://www.thepublicrecord.ca/2024/12/olt-to-decide-hamilton-city-centre-plan-on-jan-30-31/
 
Sunnyside said:
I’d love to hear the reasoning on that. The new PPS actually favours development phasing. Even notwithstanding that very important piece, they seriously expect them to build 5 towers simultaneously? Okay.
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My suspicions were correct:

Phasing Timeline is the Main Issue​

IN8 will develop the project in four phases.

City of Hamilton approval policies state that site plan approvals lapse after 15 months.

“That in the event all required building permits for the Conditionally Approved plans and drawings have not been issued within 15 months from the date of Conditional site plan approval, the approval shall lapse and no further extensions shall be granted, in accordance with Council direction dated May 27, 2020,” states the City’s 2022 conditional approval for the project.

IN8’s lawyer, Rodney Gill, writes that the 15-month condition, which stipulates that all required building permits for the project must be issued within 15 months from the date of conditional site plan approval, is a significant impediment to the project.

“The 15 Month Condition, and several other provisions in the Conditional Approval are impediments to realizing this important project and … does not provide for phasing of the Proposed Development as would be appropriate given its scale,” Gill wrote in the appeal letter to the Ontario Land Tribunal.
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My understanding is that the City doesn't want phased development on one site plan approval application as that freezes DCs for the entire development effective the date of the original SPA submission. They miss out on the increased fees over if each phase submits a fresh site plan every time.
 
Branden Simon said:
There are some changes to the City Centre Redevelopment Plan
- Fourth Tower increase from 24 to 26-Storeys
- Units increased from 2068 to 2181
- Parking spaces decreased from 843 to 592
- Going to OLT for a two day hearing on January 30-31

Updated renderings
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View attachment 618416View attachment 618417View attachment 618418View attachment 618419
Read more on TPR
https://www.thepublicrecord.ca/2024/12/olt-to-decide-hamilton-city-centre-plan-on-jan-30-31/
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Looks like a disgusting dog's breakfast to me. This is absolutely atrocious.
 
Good god this is an abomination! This needs to somehow be scrapped and handed over to someone who knows how to design and build a proper huge development in the very heart of a major downtown. Who did the Well in Toronto? Can we not get them or someone like them? Fingers crossed this never see's shovels as is ughhh 🤢🤮🤬
 
Jesus Christ on a crutch they somehow made it look WORSE than not only what was originally proposed, but also what is originally THERE..

This will NOT do - not HERE.

This is one of the few times I've wanted a development to fail just to spare it the atrocious design..

Also no way that clock tower will get approved - its purely aesthetic - nothing functional about it - and no stairs to get up to it - they will want it ACTUALLY functional, as it is the original clock from the original city hall and was like one of the first things to be built.. ever..


..and yes, before anyone points it out, I know, there are a ton of cornices on the clock tower, but NOT GOOD ENOUGH! Lolol..

..but yes the design is atrocious, and the balconies look like an earthquake happened to a game of jenga.. the podiums look like some low quality affordable housing exterior finishing.. this area deserves better. How could they go from what they originally had to.. this? Is this cost cutting? It def. FEELS like cost cutting.. You can't cheap out on this plot of land - it's too significant a plot in the city.. Who needs design elements when you can just slap ugly vinyl panels on EVERYTHING..? Do what you want on the towers, we don't care, but leave the podiums looking classy - class over glass - this is james st! You can't get away with crappy design along THIS stretch!

Also unless they are gonna have security posted 24/7 in that courtyard its gonna be full of encampments homeless and druggies.. just tucked enough away for people to skulk in the shadows..
 
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For all of your hopes about IN8 abandoning this it's NOT going to happen they have surprisingly deep pockets and good luck on it getting a different design, sure it could have but its slim to none knowing IN8.

It will either turn out like the render or become worse (yes its possible). For some context IN8 started off building student housing in Waterloo when the Northdale building boom happened around UW and Laurier, they built all of the Sage buildings (II, III, V, VI, X, Platinum I and Platinum II) which started off okay but when IN8 switched to using spandrel over mostly brick it started to fall apart. The saving grace is they are still some of the better looking Northdale buildings so you don't notice how bad they are when you're around them but you wouldn't want 4 towers of it.

IN8 eventually decided to focus on condos which is where the designs went off the rails, the first building they did was Duke Tower in Kitchener which for those of you who haven't looked at it has the podium of nightmares and the tower isn't much better (spandrel and precast concrete). It makes Kirkor's Station Park A and B (Union Towers) look amazing which most people on here wouldn't necessarily agree with. Now they're doing TEK Tower which seems to be turning out good but there's still time for IN8 to make it worse.

The renders for this are awfully similar to the very early stage Duke Tower renders so do not be surprised if this becomes a spandrel mess.
 
This is pretty much the city's focal point. Hamilton needs some kind of miracle money to create a centrepiece attraction here. Some kind of retail or service or tourist thing or something. Not a bunch of horrible condos.

The good/bad news is that it is super unlikely that the crappy condos will be started any time soon.
 
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