Bruce Kuwabara West Harbour tower | 147 m | 45 fl | Approved

[King&James]

https://www.thepublicrecord.ca/2020/...ng-for-pier-8/


wow 45 storey tower

[TheRitsman]

God awful spot. There is nothing wrong with the existing plan at the waterfront. Instead of throwing everyone into massive tall towers in terrible locations, they should force more Pier 8 style developments around the city.

[SteelTown]

It's a circular building too, that would be Hamilton's first.

Looks like they are doing this to appease Herman Turkstra, it'll decrease the overall density of the West Harbour land.

[TheRitsman]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

It's a circular building too, that would be Hamilton's first.

Looks like they are doing this to appease Herman Turkstra, it'll decrease the overall density of the West Harbour land.

It definitely feels more like a "fuck you" rather than an actual proposal.

[johnnyhamont]

I'm not clear after reading the article:

-Has Herman Turkstra already been in on discussions about a 45 storey tower here and indicated support for this plan? (EDIT: Yes, he has!)
-How does this achieve a decrease in density, and against what? Is density measured as units per floor area in all buildings, not units per geographical area?
-Is this tower replacing block 1, or (EDIT this would occupy the space "Block 16")

[lachlanholmes]

Honestly, this City is tiring.

We could build these towers in the downtown core where they make a lot of sense but the City is hell-bent on forcing an intellectually bankrupt 30-storey height limit, and as such the only towers built above the height limit are:

- ones with pre-existing zoning (310 Frances, Royal Connaught),

- ones that the City has a financial interest in (this one), or

- ones that have to spend a fortune at the OMB/LPAT to gain approval (TV City).

[TheRitsman]

Originally Posted by HamiltonForward

Honestly, this City is tiring.

We could build these towers in the downtown core where they make a lot of sense but the City is hell-bent on forcing an intellectually bankrupt 30-storey height limit, and as such the only towers built above the height limit are:

- ones with pre-existing zoning (310 Frances, Royal Connaught),

- ones that the City has a financial interest in (this one), or

- ones that have to spend a fortune at the OMB/LPAT to gain approval (TV City).

Honestly its not even the height limit. If the city actually approved the developments from all the proposals that have been placed with the city, there wouldn't be such a high demand. Hamilton lacks supply and yet they deny hundreds if not thousands of proposed residences downtown while approving suburbia in waterdown and other areas.

Pier 8 would bring thousands of residents, so would Corktown, Metro city, the two proposals on MacNab beside the Go and the development in Westdale, but alas the city beats around the bush and as you say with current demand and lack of supply the proposed units go to where they will be allowed. I honestly don't think it has anything to do with the height limit though. I will continue to disagree with this based on my knowledge of internal city information and from discussing with a few developers.

[Innsertnamehere]

My understanding is that the Corktown buildings have been cancelled.

Metro city was about to go to council for approval before coronavirus happened.

The buildings near West Harbour GO are approved.

[TheRitsman]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

My understanding is that the Corktown buildings have been cancelled.

Metro city was about to go to council for approval before coronavirus happened.

The buildings near West Harbour GO are approved.

I was referring to the two denied immediately adjacent to West Harbour on the south side.

[drpgq]

Wow as a skyscraper enthusiast, this made my day. I would have preferred one tall building for this site anyways, but I figured it was a non-starter.

I'm not sure if I now have to stop my loathing of Herman Turkstra. I guess in the end it is all about parking for him.

[Crapht]

And this is a compromise, How? The original Waterfront Shores development will see a decrease in height by 2 or 3 storeys and that number will be translated into a single 45 storey tower. The original design can and should accommodate family units as promised in the tower. It had a lovely waterfront village vibe as far as I can make out. If the city is going to allow this to proceed can we at least allow for 40 or 50 or 60 storey towers in the core? Or 12 stories at the new West Harbour GO Station? These Mid Rise buildings at Pier 8 make sense. They're much like the building across the street at Guise and James.

[SteelTown]

I heard this building would act like a beacon for James St. So it probably has LED lighting features on the side. The building is located literally at the dead end of James St.

[SteelTown]

Tall order: 45-storey tower pitched for Hamilton’s Pier 8 harbourfront

https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilto...bourfront.html

A startling proposal for a residential tower reaching up to 45-storeys in height is the upshot of a neighbourhood appeal of Hamilton’s ambitious Pier 8 redevelopment.

The “signature” tower was pitched by development architect and Hamilton native Bruce Kuwabara in a virtual meeting with city planners and neighbourhood residents Wednesday. The tall building would allow more family-sized units and on-pier parking in a planned neighbourhood that otherwise has an eight-storey height limit.

But there’s no guarantee the harbourfront tower will go ahead at record-breaking heights, said ward Coun. Jason Farr, who stressed there are “variations in massing and height” possible.

The proposed tower will need to survive public consultation, zoning and official plan amendments and an urban design study to set “appropriate” maximum building heights on harbourfront land city officials previously vowed would not be used for “skyscrapers.”

Conceptual image of proposed Waterfront Shores development for Pier 8, before the inclusion of the proposed tower.

City council voted to partner with a consortium called Waterfront Shores in 2018 on a high-profile plan to redevelop the barren west harbour industrial pier into around 1,600 condo and townhouse units. Both neighbourhood residents and industry appealed the plan, with the former group settling with the city in November.

At the time, a city release said “notable” settlement changes included more on-pier parking, more “family units” and city consideration of planning amendments needed for a “mid-to-highrise” development next to the Discovery Centre.

Forty-five storeys would set a new highrise record in Hamilton, with the current tallest building the 43-storey Landmark Place downtown. (A developer also pitched a 59-storey condo tower in Stoney Creek last year.)

It would also be a significant departure from the area secondary plan and original Pier 7-8 urban design study that forced groups bidding on the redevelopment project to come up with neighbourhood plans for 3,000 residents limited to a maximum height of eight storeys.

The North End Neighbours Association’s planning committee has recommended “further study” of the concept, telling its members a tall building would have “some attractive aspects” — particularly increased family housing on the pier.

Herman Turkstra, an association member who was heavily involved in the pier appeal, said he is open to considering the “signature” building concept as a way to promote more family housing and “reduce density” through the rest of the pier neighbourhood.

“If you had asked me two or three years ago if I would ever be supporting a tall building on the waterfront, I would not have been able to imagine that would work,” he said. But Turkstra said the project architects have since convinced him it’s possible to build “something that was actually beautiful” and adds to the neighbourhood.

Some council members were caught off-guard by Wednesday’s sky-high pitch.

Mayor Fred Eisenberger said he had yet to hear the details of the height proposal, but added a 45-storey tower sounded like a “non-starter.”

Coun. Chad Collins said the maximum height proposed “came out of left field,” adding he had assumed the settlement contemplated “something closer to 10 or 12” storeys. “It’s just totally contrary to anything we as a council have told residents about the vision for this development,” he said.

As far back as 2013, former city manager Chris Murray said the city was intent on avoiding the type of complaints faced by Toronto about a waterfront “blocked” by tall towers.

“We’re talking medium density,” Murray said shortly after the Hamilton Port Authority agreed to transfer Pier 8 to the city, setting redevelopment plans in motion. “You’re not going to see skyscrapers.”

[lachlanholmes]

Just a nitpick on the thread title - 224 metres isn't quite accurate as that's the geodetic height. Height from grade to top will probably be closer to 140-150 metre range (2.95 metre average floor height), depending on the height of mechanical box and podium design/double height ground floor, etc.

[thistleclub]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

It's a circular building too, that would be Hamilton's first.

The big question: Will it oscillate?

Originally Posted by drpgq

I'm not sure if I now have to stop my loathing of Herman Turkstra. I guess in the end it is all about parking for him.

It's certainly not the Durand Neighbourhood Association-era Herman Turkstra.

In another twist of history, up until 1982, the land that we now know as Bayfront Park was a privately owned industrial landfill site that was slated to be developed into condo towers by the Lax brothers.

One of the people who helped sink that project was Herman Turkstra.

[johnnyhamont]

Originally Posted by thistleclub

It's certainly not the Durand Neighbourhood Association-era Herman Turkstra.

The irony of Hamiltons NIMBY poster child championing our tallest tower is Shakespearian

[Innsertnamehere]

Can we get the the title fixed? This is 224m above sea level, but ground is about 78m above sea level, meaning this building is actually about 146m tall.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Seriously now, the pier development is too dense? Then the same people will turn around and whinge that there isn't enough housing in the City. These guys are experts in planning and architecture - just leave them the Hell alone. I'm sick of all this nonsense.

And how did Herman Turkstra become such a power broker in this City? It seems that before anyone does anything, they have to kiss his pinky ring. It's been going on for decades.

[thistleclub]

Originally Posted by johnnyhamont

The irony of Hamiltons NIMBY poster child championing our tallest tower is Shakespearian

Another irony? He went from champion of the harbour and critic of a financially suspect harbour commission to legal enforcer for homegrown house-of-cards Philip Services Corp during a time when it was giving us sky-high E.coli discharges into the harbour. In that latter role, Turkstra defended the infamous Taro East dump and was up for playing the heavy if the firm came in for criticism. Macleans:

Tony Skarica, a maverick Tory MPP from Wentworth North, says there is a price to be paid for being on Philip’s bad side. He defied both Philip and advice from a Tory cabinet minister to go public about the company’s environmental record during the fight over the Taro dump. Philip’s lawyer, Herman Turkstra, showed up at Skarica’s office with a list of names of 80 Philip employees who live in his riding. “He was there to tell me that 80 people and their spouses would be voting against me in the next election if I continued to raise Philip’s negative image,” he says. Skarica was also subpoenaed by Philip in the Hilson lawsuit, and was grilled by Turkstra as though he was “part of a large conspiracy.” Skarica says he was shocked by the tactics—he says that in 10 years as an MPP, let alone his own career as a lawyer, he had never seen such behavior from a company.

Theory: NEN backed this proposal knowing that it would be almost guaranteed to be bogged down in process for a generation. In the meantime, their neighbourhood continues, essentially unchanged.

[SteelTown]

45-storey ‘cylindrical’ tower pitched for west harbour
Matthew Van Dongen
https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilto...bourfront.html

A startling proposal for a residential tower reaching up to 45-storeys in height is the upshot of a neighbourhood appeal of Hamilton’s Pier 8 redevelopment.

The “signature” cylindrical tower — paired with a shorter, 30-storey building — was pitched by pier redevelopment architect Bruce Kuwabara in a virtual meeting with neighbourhood residents Wednesday.

The celebrated architect, who grew up in the North End, said he sees the white tower as a “symbol of waterfront transformation” that would be evocative of — and visible from — the historic McQuesten high-level bridge.

The tower would also allow more family-sized units and on-pier parking in the planned harbourfront neighbourhood — which otherwise has an eight-storey height limit.

But there’s no guarantee a tower will go ahead at record-breaking heights — or even at all. “We have not yet decided whether there can be a tall building on the site or not,” said Chris Phillips, a city project lead on harbour development.

He said the city agreed to take a second look at the feasibility of higher buildings next to the Discovery Centre as part of a settlement of a Pier 8 project appeal, Phillips said. A consultant is already looking at a variety of heights, including mid-rises (think 10 or 12 storeys) or highrises 20 storeys and up.

That urban design study will recommend “appropriate” maximum building heights on harbourfront land city officials have long vowed would not be used for “skyscrapers.” Any tower proposal will need to survive public consultation, as well as council votes on zoning and official plan amendments.

Phillips said more public consultation is coming — but COVID-19 has temporarily prevented “traditional” meetings.

City council voted to partner with a consortium called Waterfront Shores in 2018 to redevelop the west harbour industrial pier into around 1,600 condo and townhouse units. Neighbours appealed the plan, but reached a settlement in November that obligates the city to consider planning amendments for a “mid-to-highrise” development next to the Discovery Centre.

Forty-five storeys would set a new highrise record in Hamilton, beating out the 43-storey Landmark Place downtown.

The North End Neighbours Association’s planning committee has recommended “further study” of the concept, telling members a tall building would have “some attractive aspects” — particularly increased family housing on the pier.

Herman Turkstra, who spearheaded the pier appeal to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal, said he is open to considering a “signature” building as a way to ensure more family housing and “reduce density” through the rest of the neighbourhood.

“If you had asked me two or three years ago if I would ever be supporting a tall building on the waterfront, I would not have been able to imagine that would work,” he said.

Some council members were caught off guard by the sky-high pitch. Mayor Fred Eisenberger said he had yet to hear the details of the proposal, but added a 45-storey tower sounded like a “non-starter.”

Coun. Chad Collins said city officials have promised for years to avoid the type of complaints about skyscrapers blocking the waterfront that have dogged Toronto. “It’s just totally contrary to anything we as a council have told residents about the vision for this development,” he said.