Elections
Is Hamilton doing enough to support and encourage new investment in our older neighbourhoods? If not, what should the City be doing?
Responses to the question: "Is Hamilton doing enough to support and encourage new investment in our older neighbourhoods? If not, what should the City be doing?"
In This Page:
6 Candidate Responses (top)
| Ward 03 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Black, Bob | No | No the city is not doing enough to encourage new investment in older neighbourhoods. Something needs to be done to shake up this hive of potential. Initiative and resources need to be put into this part of our city I would not be at all surprised to find one of my constituents has already come up with a viable solution. In addition, I intend to look for it. |
| DiMillo, Mark | No | Many of my constituents have indicated that they would like to see better property standards enforcement, especially with respects to older commercial buildings. The City in my opinion is not doing enough enforcement to help preserve the integrity of the buildings in older neighbourhoods.
How this is relevant? If an investor sees depressed buildings or neighbourhoods, the general feeling is that although this may create an opportunity to purchase investment property inexpensively, it also makes it very difficult to resell and obtain financing for redevelopment. Therefore, an investor may not be inclined to invest. Having said that, the city's new zoning by-law stage 1 which has been adopted by council and is waiting for Provincial approval, or may have already been approved was designed to support the redevelopment of the lower city, and in the BIAs. It will remove much of the red tape usually associated with redevelopments. As well, the City is providing grants and loans, and money for remediation through the LEEDS program to help encourage developers to invest in older neighbourhoods and brownfields. The general feeling again, is that if someone has a good idea, but the zoning doesn't support it, the new zoning by-laws may make it easier to bring a developers vision to fruition, without having to go through the expensive re-zoning process. As a City Councillor, I will ensure that there is continuous monitoring and measurement of these programs, and make sure that any improvements will be implemented swiftly to accommodate new investment opportunities in the lower city, to encourage continuous growth and revitalization of the older areas of our City. |
| Gibson, Sean | No | No, the city is not doing enough. This is straightforward, cut out some of the red tape and invite people to invest in this area. Attaining a permit to enhance/renovate your property is like pulling teeth and costs just as much in some cases. Starting or establishing a business in this community is not a very pleasant or enjoyable experience, I'm speaking from experience. The support and encouragement that a municipality could provide is just not there. In the 16 years, I have operated my business here in this city, I have never once heard.... "Thank you for investing in Hamilton Mr. Gibson", it's the simple things that make a difference. |
| McGrimmond, Wilamina | No | Hamilton is not doing enough to support or encourage new investments as the older parts of Hamilton is still boarded up and falling down around us.
The City should be looking at ways to improve the older neighbourhoods instead of working in the new areas as they have been doing. They need to restore the history of Hamilton by restoring more old buildings. |
| Morelli, Bernie | No | Hamilton can always do more to encourage investment in our older neighbourhoods. |
| Tetley, Paul | No | Hamilton is not doing enough to attract new business, or to support and encourage existing business in our older neighbourhoods. This is clearly evidenced by the recent news that Ward 3's The Pearl Company is preparing to close after 5 years of unsuccessfully dealing with the city's red tape.
Implementing a Community Improvement Plan is one of the cornerstones of my campaign. It will allow for owners of industrial heritage buildings to plan and finance for tenancy, adaptive re-use, and the restoration of lands and buildings, along with the infrastructure supporting them. We will also establish an Industrial Heritage Building Association, consisting of property owners who will work together to share successes, advise on incentive programs, work to attract business, and co-market their facilities. And we will put in place a plan to proactively encourage businesses to establish and customers to return to our commercial streets, while keeping them clean of garbage, and eliminating the illegal social clubs, as well as other illegal storefront uses. |
Response Summary (top)
| Brief Response | Count | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 0 | 0.0% |
| No | 6 | 100.0% |
| Maybe | 0 | 0.0% |
0 Candidates Have Not Responded (top)
Every candidate has responded to this question.
