Naught for Connaught

It's official: the Royal Connaught isn't going to be turned into affordable housing anytime soon.

Council and senior staff got the bad news yesterday, just in time for Christmas.

Word on the street is that the Pan-Am Games win may have influenced the decision. Apparently, the  Games got people thinking about the hotel space that will be needed downtown in 2015.  Some say this rejection isn't bad news for downtown at all.

What's your reaction to the news?

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UPDATE: Just wanted you to know that I'm heading off for Christmas - so your comments may not be posted as quickly as usual. I do promise, however, to check in over the weekend.

If you're looking for a little Christmas reading, check out this story. I asked all the city councillors to name their top three holiday wishes for the city - and their responses really reveal the varied personalities around the council table!

I hope all you City Hall watchers out there have a fantastic holiday!

Comments

[Mike Russell]

Fantastic news.

It was a bad decision to begin with. What we need downtown is more hotel rooms, not low income residences. I know there is a need for low income housing, but we have to start spreading it around the city a little more.

If we are going to revive the downtown we need people with disposable income that will support higher end taxpaying businesses.

[Markalanwhittle]

What do Hamiltonians expect when you have special interests running city hall instead of the elected representatives?

And whatever hasppened to Hamilton's request to the Provincial government for $16.5 million for our "social services" deficit which by my calculation is about $26 million in the hole due to fraud and over-payments. Not a penny has been recovered or any files sent for collection.

Why does Hamilton council always expect other levels of government to bail them out, year, after year, after year?

No wonder projects are denied, Hamilton can't be trusted when their plans seems to be drawn on the back of a napkin, at the last minute to appease special interests, like unions and the development industry trying to turn a sows ear into a silk purse, like the Connaught proposal?

One thing for sure, residents finally have a reason to vote, it's a matter of survival now for most of us, property taxes are our highest expenditure and need to be lowered.

If services are as bad as they seem, why on earth do we need 9,000 city employees to deliver them?

[DC]

Agree totally with the previous poster. This would have been a disaster. The down town is already so depressed so let's add to the problem. What are they thinking?

[WRCU2]

Thanks for opening a new discussion Emma. This has already been explored at length in up2date city blogs. For example; $141M/1200=$117,500 per unit and adds a new dimension to this subject:

http://raisethehammer.org/article/991/rosewood_suites:_east_hamilton_rental_apartment_building_goes_condo

Trey: "Someone mentioned to me, for what the province is paying for the Connaught per unit to be turned into 'affordable housing'. Why don't they buy about 200 houses in this area put the same amount of money into them and make them affordable housing. It would cost less and give them full houses. It would save Connaught for a hotel use and not ghettoize everyone in one building. They would be spread over several streets."

FenceSitter: "I was waiting for someone to mention the Connaught. You say buy 200 homes - why not buy a building like the one in this article. Seem like much better value. 100 suits purchased outright (similar to 100 low-rent suites in the Connaught) for a lot less money. The market rent for a two-bedroom at the Rosewood is listed as $725. At full rent it is only a little more than the rent assisted $650 at the Connaught."

For all six projects to be turned down, shows a complete lack of vision amongst our city's decision making bodies. They could learn a thing or two from men like Mr. Harry Stinson and the concerned citizens who contribute to these city blogs.

[Robbie]

I applaud this decision. The problem going forward is the current ownership group. They don't appear to be able to complete the project as originally planned as a hotel due to lack of funds. Or they are simply playing the "Lister Game" and waiting for tax dollars to bail them out. How does the "Royal Juravinski" sound?

[Ed]

Do people down there realize just how sick to death we are up here on the mountain hearing about the downtown. please stop! make it go away!

[Rick]

Great News!! Let's get a top-notch Hotel operator in there and finally get something going with the building - mixed use was NOT the answer for this building.

Thank God for the Pan-Am Games!!!

[Michelle Hruschka]

What is needed in this city is more affordable housing, that is a fact. Many struggle, just to keep house and home.

I never saw the Connaught project as being one that would truly help those who need housing but more of a bailout for the "developers".

People talk about a welfare state, but it is those, the corporate entities that have their hands out most of the time, meanwhile those that struggle get crumbs.

The Pan Am games are not going to save this city, it will cost the taxpayers more money in the end and I fear that those who do struggle, will be herded out, just like in Vancouver. They, the powers to be, must hide our horrible poverty issue, yet do little to actually solve it.

What will be the security costs? Millions? Get your cheques out people!

A big party for the elite, those that step on the poor!

[Tom Robertson]

It's too bad. I was going to apply for a rental unit there. Now we will have a large vacant vacant building in the core for another 10 years.
I hate to burst everyones bubble but Hamilton is not the centre of the universe for the Pan AM games. There will just be a few events here. I don't think the capacity of the Hamilton venues exceeds 40,000 seats. If half the tickets are bought by local residents that will leave 20,000 visitors per day with many shuttling in from Toronto. Visitors going from Toronto to events in Niagara will see Hamilton from the Skyway Bridge. Security costs if events are held simultaneously will not be much more than a sold out Ticat game per day.

[anonymous]

I agree with this quashing this horrible idea. As previously mentioned by other posters this drive business out of Hamilton as well as the possibility of bringing people with money to spend on the businesses in Hamilton.

I've seen the assisted housing that is available first hand and it is usually full of bed bugs and the like. As it is already in the city why even think about bringing this closer to the general public.

What most ppl have to remember that the mayors of the different districts don't really have a personal stake in their areas as they are for the most part well off and live in areas where they don't interact with the general public as the general public might.

This may be a blog but i support supplying funding to proper higher quality of hotels and building proper a proper business sector and office space to attract businesses to Hamilton. This would in turn flood the down town with a greater quantity of people that can shop at the stores downtown and eat at the restaurants in turn producing further income and bringing new life into downtown.

I apologize for grammar but this is just typed up as i thought it with no editing.

[Mandy]

More importantly, why did the "Our fallen soldiers" slideshow on the Spec homepage turn into "Christmas diorama"? ..Seriously?

[Rick Hunter-Wolff]

Turn the building into high end condos.....everyone compares Hamilton to Pittsburgh. One major diferrence: Major federal infrastructure funding!

[tryan]

Pan AM games will save the connaught as a hotel?? The event is two weeks long! What sustainable need for a hotel will there be following the event? Answer: Absolutely nothing. Please do not insult the intelligence of the residents of this city by suggesting such mental midget theories or spins.

[Markalanwhittle]

Foreclosure, bulldozer, shovel-ready brownfield development, for sale sign, new construction.

Repeat as needed downtown.

[WRCU2]

I am surprised that no one, let me repeat that, NO ONE responded to Emma's link "Your wishes, councillor?" I could be wrong since there are only 13 comments in the bucket as of my reading Sunday December 27th at 03:17 PM with the last comment visible to me being from tryan on 12/26 at 08:21 PM, but this is some incredible workmanship by Emma and deserves a good looking over, meaning not to be overlooked or un-bookmarked for our emotionally energized "Election 2010" Emancipation Proclamation:

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/696119

I don't know about the rest of you but I'd like to know why Aldermen 9 & 15 "...didn't respond to a request to list their wishes?" Has anyone got them Scrooges on their radar?

A very prosperous New Year to Emma and The Hall Marks Clique Du Coterie.

Cheers!

[Bill O]

Once again the Province bails Hamilton out!

[Michelle Hruschka]

Well I thought I would weigh in on the councillors and the mayor's three wishes.

I like Mr Pasuta's remark of less communication devices. He likes to shake hands and meet people fact to face. Sounds like a good idea to me.

I liked Mr Whitehead's remark that he wishes all poverty would be eradicated.

It was interesting to read all the thoughts and it does give us a perspective of what each individaul stands for.

[Patrick Matozzo]

Everyone who has commented on the Royal Connaught must realize that the owner’s intent was and always has been to create a hotel condo complex with retail space. However the demographics and the current economic circumstances Hamilton finds itself in are such that it was not possible. Stop to think for a minute, don't you think that the current owners approached Hotel Operators? In purchasing such a facility/building there are on going operating costs, and there comes a day when owners have to make decisions, how long can they continue to carry the costs of a vacant building. I don't believe for a second that the owners really wanted a subsidized rental property; it was a matter of economics, unfortunately for many of us we thought it was a bad decision. To the credit of the current owners, they’re just trying to reduce their operating costs and to somehow recoup their initial investment, if that’s possible at all.

[craig duvall]

So,here we go again, another LISTER BLOCK saga. Go figure. Let's hear it for the city hall officials again.

[TreyS]

Imagine if this was proposed for downtown Burlington?

But this was a good idea for Hamilton?

It's no wonder why many of those good jobs lining the Service Roads in Burlington and Oakville were formerly in downtown Hamilton office buildings.

Your blog is very informative, I have learned so much from it. It is like daily newspaper :).

Deirdre G