Hamilton 304 Main Street East | 88.55m | 25s | CT REIT | Arcadis

[christiesplits]

I've heard from a good source in the Hamilton planning office that there is interest in redeveloping the Canadian Tire at Main and Victoria as a residential project.

The site is currently home to a historically significant gas bar canopy.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/headlines/a-canadian-tire-gas-bar-as-heritage-the-city-doesn-t-think-so-1.2594092

 

[Lachlan Holmes]

I don’t have any additional inside information to add, but I will throw a few thoughts and observations in to the mix.

First and foremost, a brief Google Earth measurement suggests the site size is around 3,000 square metres. I expect the City to require a road widening of about 3 metres (this section of Main is, according to the future right-of-way designations, subject to an offset road widening, and refers to a plan of survey that I can’t easily find. My 3 metre estimate is based on the nearest section of Main that the UHOP provides a number for, which dedicates a 26.213 metre right-of-way, whereas the current width is about 20 metres. I cannot guess which side of the street the offset would be biased towards.) This is large enough for two skinny towers similar to those at Television City.

However… I believe that CT REIT may also own the small parking lot on West Avenue, which would add about 1,000 square metres to the site, and make it almost certainly appropriate for two towers, in my view. They would need to acquire part of the alleyway to make the site contiguous. Typically, this has not been difficult for developers to do.

I will dampen my speculation on the potential for two towers here based on the fact that the City doesn’t seem to care about massive podiums and towers with huge floorplates. They could very well try for something like that here in lieu of two point towers.

This site is on the very edge of the boundaries of the Downtown Secondary Plan. The current Official Plan designation and zoning allows for 12 storeys / 44 metres. They could try sticking within those current permissions, but I also think they have a pretty good chance of being successful should they choose to seek an OPA and ZBA to allow for tower(s) up to the escarpment height limit. Or perhaps they’ll try and exceed the height limit if they go to the trouble of an OPA and ZBA, as a handful of other applicants have begun to?

I’ll be watching this one with a lot of interest. It would be a huge positive to see more activity on the east end of the downtown.

 

[Chris R.]

I've heard from a good source in the Hamilton planning office that there is interest in redeveloping the Canadian Tire at Main and Victoria as a residential project.

View attachment 528269

The site is currently home to a historically significant gas bar canopy.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/headlines/a-canadian-tire-gas-bar-as-heritage-the-city-doesn-t-think-so-1.2594092

While this site is an obvious underutilization of land in the downtown, but I'm going to be very disappointed by this. Firstly, I just actually use this CT regularly as it's the closest to my house. It has been invaluable because there isn't a single hardware-esque store downtown that isn't Jamesville which has very limited stock and hours. This CT is a regular visit by me.

Secondly I really like the retro gas station and the tiny store with a basement, one of, if not the last of the small Canadian Tire stores that isn't a big box space. It might even be the last of all the big box stores that I can think of that has a tiny OG location.

 

[innsertnamehere]

File Number	FC-24-020
Application Type	Formal Consultation
Address	304 MAIN ST E
File Year	2024
Description	To develop 355 dwelling units within 2 residential towers of 23 and 25 storeys with a shared 7-storey podium, 1,256 m2 of outdoor amenity area, and 24 dwelling units within a 5-storey building with 96 m2 rooftop amenity area, and 248 underground parking s
Proposed Total Residential Units	379

 

[Northern Light]

May CT REIT's track record begin an upward trajectory here. The stuff they've submitted in Toronto has thus far not been at all good. I am led to believe the 839 Yonge site has a resubmission coming sooner than not, that will be a drastic improvement, but I reserve judgement pending the final offering.

 

[christiesplits]

I've heard from a good source in the Hamilton planning office that there is interest in redeveloping the Canadian Tire at Main and Victoria as a residential project.

File Number	FC-24-020
Application Type	Formal Consultation
Address	304 MAIN ST E
File Year	2024
Description	To develop 355 dwelling units within 2 residential towers of 23 and 25 storeys with a shared 7-storey podium, 1,256 m2 of outdoor amenity area, and 24 dwelling units within a 5-storey building with 96 m2 rooftop amenity area, and 248 underground parking s
Proposed Total Residential Units	379

My source came through.

 

[BrenWilson]

248 parking spaces for 379 units seems high unless some of those are for commercial space. Would be interestring if CT remained there.

 

[innsertnamehere]

CT has integrated fairly large stores into a lot of their redevelopments, so that may be the case here as well.. but this is also probably one of, if not the most "substandard" Canadian Tires in the province so CT may just write it off.

 

[TheHonestMaple]

wow ok. To those who doubted the LRT's impact, consider this: the recent surge in downtown development applications is directly attributed to the LRT. No question.

 

[BrenWilson]

Can't wait for the switch from people complaining we don't need the LRT to people complaining it will be over capacity.

 

[Northern Light]

CT has integrated fairly large stores into a lot of their redevelopments, so that may be the case here as well.. but this is also probably one of, if not the most "substandard" Canadian Tires in the province so CT may just write it off.

Just measured it, the existing retail footprint at grade is only ~12,000ft2! That's about 1/9th of the newest builds and something like 1/6th of the current median store size.

 

[KingJames]

Very interesting! Also would be sad to see CT go, but hopefully they will reinvest in a store / platform that could see them stay.

 

[Chris R.]

Just measured it, the existing retail footprint at grade is only ~12,000ft2! That's about 1/9th of the newest builds and something like 1/6th of the current median store size.

Does that include the fact that there's a basement? Half the store is underground. I love this CT from the swooping gas station roof to the small footprint, to being the only real hardware store somewhat downtown that doesn't require a huge trip out to CT at Centre on Barton, or even worse one of the big box plazas for Rona or Home Depot.

I hope if it does go, it still has a CT at the ground floor so I can use it for emergency pick ups for plumbing, lights and other essential stuff.

 

[Northern Light]

Does that include the fact that there's a basement? Half the store is underground.

No, I can't measure what I can't see! LOL

If the basement is the exact same size as the at-grade, obviously the stats above become ~ 1/5th and 1/3rd respectively.

CT has shown a willingness to build 2/3 storey locations, particularly in dense urban areas. If they can get 60,000-90,000ft2 that's perfectly viable, even if small by their current standards.

 

[Chris R.]

No, I can't measure what I can't see! LOL

If the basement is the exact same size as the at-grade, obviously the stats above become ~ 1/5th and 1/3rd respectively.

CT has shown a willingness to build 2/3 storey locations, particularly in dense urban areas. If they can get 60,000-90,000ft2 that's perfectly viable, even if small by their current standards.

Wasn't sure if you were aware or not

I'd be fine with multi-colour CT location here. Better than nothing. Even if a bit smaller, as I find CT often now carries a lot of random crap. This location has 90% of what I and most others need, and is tiny compared to the big box stores, so it just shows that the new locations are overly large and offer far too much selection.