Yes, the Dynes was demolished today. A permit was applied and paid for on April 5, 2007 (almost 4 months ago). Despite all the ranting and raving in the past 4 weeks, where was all the concern to perserve the Dynes while countless renovations and minor demolitions occured over the past ten decades?
The historical sections of the building are mainly located on and in the old sections of the building as reported in the consultants report, many of the "countless renovations" were done to the building envelope had been done years before most of us were even on the Beach. Check the 1980 attached picture below and the Central Library has a very similar one from 1975.
YNOT said:
The permit was tabled by the City on May 8, 2007 and nothing happened after that until the Dynes owner and developer requested a meeting with Councilor Collins and a member of LACAC in mid July.
As for the "Beach" paying $5,000 for consultant; the City paid to the Beach Preservation Committee $5,000 to acquire a last minute historical report which was completed after a 2 hour visit to the site at a cost of $3,500 (and wasted the owner's/developer's time at no charge). The City has a mandate, if not a legal requirement, to process and issue permits in a timely fashion. THE DYNES WAS NOT AND IS NOT DESIGNATED AS A HERITAGE BUILDING.
Yes we dropped the ball on that one, we should of had it designated back years ago when many of the home near the canal were designated as heritage sites. I was asked many times by patrons at the bar why the building wasn't designated and my answer was that what is the difference, designation or no designation, the owner will tear it down anyway. That's just my opinion, but was I wrong?
Still no permit, you should have waited like the rest of us would of had to.
As for the $5k, that whole amount was put aside to cover the report and it did cost around the $3,500 amount, add the tax though.
YNOT said:
For all the compliants by residents over the past several years about taxes on the beach, why does everyone think the Dynes was exempt? The taxes for the Dynes and the vacant land (315) was over $4,000 a month! In fact when the disgusting business/buildings at 315 Beach Boulevard were tore down in 2004 (no complaint from anyone then),the taxes on that property went up due to residential/commercial reverting to all commercial (higher tax rate)when the property becomes "vacant".
As I have done in the past, thank you for removing that mess and no one is complaining, but that wasn't the Dynes and you had a proper permit .
YNOT said:
It is wonderfull to hear so may people loved the Dynes as evidenced by the photgraphy of the demolition, but where was everyone for the past decade as one owner after the other went bankrupt due to lack of business. As soon as someone tried to make a go of it, the Beach complained of bike traffic and noise(music); not to mention the Province banning smoking in a tavern where 90% of patrons and staff smoked.
But you didn't really want it to make it a go, you told me a year and half ago that it was coming down so why even try make any big changes to the place if it's gone anyway? I can only assume that it was your plan from the beginning as that is the business you are in.
It was only a couple select residents that complained about the music, but that's all it takes. The same ones complained about music at the Beach Rescue Unit. Many of the Beach resident attended your bike nights, but again a select few of the bikers made much more noise than really necessary even though there were regular warnings from the bike night MC to tone it down.
I agree the smoking ban hurt business at the Dynes as it did to many taverns in Hamilton and later, the Province. The Beach Community had absolutely no say in that decision.
YNOT said:
Or how about the very public complaining as too how polluted the beach strip is with all the "fall out". I am sure anyone reading the Spec and/or postings on this web site would quickly rush to the Dynes to sit on the patio only to be covered in "black soot".
Then why would people rush to buy expensive housing in the same spot?? The Beach community is working closely with area industry to slow and/or end our black soot issues, but if nothing is said then nothing will be done. So yes we have to sometimes shame these companies into making their process a better one.
YNOT said:
The self-appointed saviors of beach strip now run to the City for support, the very City which if it had enough money would have expropriated all of you years ago to make room for a park. This City has war chest of money (apprx. $1,000,000) set aside for the beach strip; stop letting a few people make the descisions on how the money should be spent. Do you all like the road being in disrepair, the hydro towers running over your homes and along the beach (rather than on the industrial side - Eastport), the constant flooding of side steets and the Beach Boulevard due to an engineering failure when the sewers were installed, and increased crime as more transient/ex-cons make the beach strip their temporary home right accross from the play-ground/pool where your children spend their summer days.
The elected Beach Council is in constant dialog with the City and they do assist us with various issue that affect our community and not just your demolition permit, the City also accepts the problems of all residents as shown by the complaints of the select few about Bike Night.
The elected Beach Council was born to stop the City from proceeding with the slow death of the Beach, no one was expropriated by name and residents could sell their home to the City at their discretion, willing buyer-willing seller. But all building permits were denied and if your house was say, damaged by fire, you couldn't rebuild, hence the slow death.
With the removal of many of the slum housing the Beach started to look much better and many wanted to stay or had no intention of leaving period, the elected Beach Council took the City to court and at an OMB hearing the City was told that what they were doing wasn't legal. We are still here today and yes I can hear you, but the Dynes isn't.
The elected Council does have a sway vote on how the money from lot revenues is spent, but any Beach resident may run for council or show up at monthly meetings and be heard. But at most of the meeting in the past year I heard very little on what we could spend money on but rather what could be done about the Dynes.
The main road on the beach is in disrepair, but why spend one cent on it until all the lots have been filled in and the digging up of Beach Blvd has finished as that would be a complete waste of our tax dollars.
Moving the towers would cost a considerable amount of money of which one million dollars wouldn't even come close to covering, but I guess it would help condo sales though. We lived with them all our lives, we live with them for a long time to come.
The flooding issue is as old as the Beach it's self, at times in the past it was mostly a fight against the rising lake and there wasn't much storm sewers could do about clearing the side streets of flooding water, you can't argue with Lake Ontario. In more recent times the flooding is minor as compared to the 50's and the 70's. The problem that exist now is due to the catch basins at the end of the streets being terminated for one reason or another under the QEW and the City is now forced to pump the end of the streets to the catch basin on the blvd. However, the City has a new
pumping station is in the works and hopefully this project alleviate the situation. The sewers that were installed many years ago (and we are still paying for) are a sanitary system and have no bearing on the flooding issue.
The elected Beach Council and the residents in general are very aware of the problems at the Beach Motel, Hamilton Police are getting more involved due to complaints and have included the BEAR unit to make arrests. I have been there many times and watch as rooms were raided and seen police load handcuffed people into paddy wagons. Do I want my kids at the park? No really, but when they do go I tag along with then and when I can't they know which homes they can go to for help. We watch for each other down here!
During the weekdays the City employs staff at the park that do watch the kids as they enjoy themselves.
And it is still 100% better down here than it is for crime in many places in Hamilton.
And the question does arise, do we want the motel or another crowded housing development shoe horned into that property? Myself, I will take the motel over an unwanted rise in the population density.
YNOT said:
Everyone please find more important things to do with your time, progress is going to happen whether you like it or not.
Now you are starting to sound just like our friends over at the Port who think that progress is a toxic waste dump with a asphalt plant built on top of it and we on the Beach should like it, well we don't and sorry but we didn't want the Dynes gone either.