TheHonestMaple
Active Member
Yeah there's still a few clubs and it gets quite busy on weekends, especially when university is in session. Similar to when I was going back in the day, but I would actually say it's less dodgy now.
Hamilton 166-190 Main Street West | 87.1m | 27s | BentallGreenOak | Kirkor
- Thread starter innsertnamehere
- Start date
PaperSun
New Member
It's pretty bare bones these days. Diavolos is gone it's just vacant, Che is now a dispensary, Hush is vacant there was a fire there a few months ago, Radius moved there from James St S but it's trying to attract an older crowd I believe it's 25+, Sidebar/RokBar/Lazy Flamingo all closed. Sizzle is still up and running.
Last edited by a moderator:
Chris R.
Senior Member
There's a new place where "Modern" used to be, and something is going in where Masque Wine Bar was, I heard something along the lines of a coffee spot.
Midtown Urbanist
Superstar
When I see an opportunity to tag @Northern Light and have him review planting choices at new developments, I will take it.
Pulled from the CoA link. BentallGreenOak talks a good corporate ESG game typically, curious if their talk matches the walk through use of native and non-invasive species at the project level.
Pulled from the CoA link. BentallGreenOak talks a good corporate ESG game typically, curious if their talk matches the walk through use of native and non-invasive species at the project level.
Northern Light
Superstar
Certainly not very native; I count only 3 pure natives in the bunch. '
The Canadian Serviceberry, the Northern Bushhoneysuckle and the Nannyberry.
I do not see Yucca surviving outdoors in Hamilton in the winter; that particular cultivar is listed as hardy to plant zone 4 but I'm suspicious, as potted stock, I assume they would put in inside to overwinter.
I don't think London Plane Tree is a good choice, we've been down that road in Toronto twice before with fairly limited success.
Nothing on the list looks hyper-invasive and the site isn't near a significant natural area, so that's fine, I suppose.
But they could really use to add a lot more native material to the list.
PS, counting Lilac or Serviceberry as a tree is permissible, but most people wouldn't think of either that way with size at maturity in the 9-15ft range.
Both plants are pretty, nothing wrong w/them inherently, just not really trees to my mind.
Just to breakdown that list for ya:
In order (from top to bottom): Native, Cultivar, Cultivar, not-native, not native
In Order (from top to bottom) Not native, Not native (native to China), Native, Not Native (native to Russia), not native (though native just to the south), not-native (native to Russia and Japan), not native (native to Japan), not native (cultivar Japan/Anglo), Native, not native (native to Mexico).
In order (top to bottom): Not native (native to China/Korea), Cultivar, Non-native (native to Europe), Non-Native (native to Japan), non-native (native to Japan, its a hosta), cultivar
onetimetoomany
New Member
The London Plane trees at city hall are spectacular; there's also a multi-unit house on Aberdeen & Locke that is surrounded by mature London Plane trees that have made it ok considering the vehicular traffic along Aberdeen/salt etc. This imo is a showstopper street tree.
I believe most people would consider the Serviceberry and Ivory Silk Lilac as trees, they're both so overused across the GTHA especially underneath wires. While they aren't shade trees and don't grow substantially tall, their shape is quintessential tree.
Northern Light
Superstar
Toronto has has had a miserable time with the London Plane tree as a street tree.
Two major efforts, Bloor and Queen's Quay were largely fails.
This is not entirely on the tree; in the case of Bloor, the original contractor did not plant in the soils that were spec'ed.
Additionally, Bloor in particular is a miserable corridor for high wind levels {near Yonge) and that has a real impact on a tree that is being pushed in terms of cold hardiness.
Hamilton is a smidge warmer, and also has less tower-induced wind; still, I'd be cautious about planting them. I think if the location is sheltered from wind, the conditions are salt-mitigated (high soil volume, good drainage), then I'd consider it.
i would also add, they aren't native, and I do think native is highly preferable; though the odd ornamental non-invasive, non-native is fine, if it does well.
If London Plane works though, not sure why you wouldn't go for its native to North America cousin American Sycamore.
I tend to think most people would view 'shade trees' and mature, non-dwarf conifers as trees.
But sure, there's nothing wrong with viewing them as trees; per se. The only thing is when thinking of 'trees' in most landscapes; I think when you're thinking shade or habitat value, you tend to lean to something taller.
Serviceberry is a good pollinator and food source for butterflies among other species, it is used for nesting by a small range of species. Lilac, in Ontario, are not known as significant for nesting.
Last edited:
TheHonestMaple
Active Member
I walk/drive past this empty lot regularly. Man is it ever depressing, especially this time of year. Really hoping that this project gets started soon....
jta5
Active Member
Conditional Site Plan Approval is in place here. That is often the last municipal approval that a developer gets before applying for building permit and starting construction.
innsertnamehere
Superstar
Normally yes, but Hamilton does its Site Plans a bit differently than other municipalities. it issues conditional approval quite early in the process and identifies a wide range of conditions which are needed to be cleared prior to permit issuance, usually in a staged manner based on type of permit (i.e. below grade, above grade, completion, etc.).
If BentallGreenOak is close to clearing the conditions for its below-grade permit, that's great news, but that often takes many months following conditional site plan approval. My experience is you are usually looking at a minimum of 6 months following conditional approval before you can get an excavation permit for a scale of project like this.
If BentallGreenOak is close to clearing the conditions for its below-grade permit, that's great news, but that often takes many months following conditional site plan approval. My experience is you are usually looking at a minimum of 6 months following conditional approval before you can get an excavation permit for a scale of project like this.