Hotel in plans for Confederation Park

scotto

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Posted with permission from the Hamilton Spectator

Hamilton Spectator

Confederation Park’s campground would go, but go-karts would stay if a proposed master plan update meets with public approval.

Ideas being unveiled at an open house from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Lakeland Centre, 180 Van Wagner’s Beach Rd., include moving the main entrance to Centennial Parkway, doing away with the gatehouse and eventually replacing the campground with sports fields and a recreation building. There are also plans for a commercial hub featuring a hotel, retail space, skating track and other attractions.

There is no thought of a football field to replace Ivor Wynne Stadium, an idea city council has ruled out.

Sandy Bell, manager of design and development for the authority, said the current master plan, drafted in 1997-98 needs refreshing.

“We’re recognizing this is an important piece of the waterfront of Hamilton, so both the conservation authority and city are jointly part of this master planning for the next 10 to 20 years of how this property will be managed.”



Read more about the plans in tomorrow’s print edition of The Hamilton Spectator
 

scotto

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A new path for the park

January 20, 2010
Eric McGuinness
The Hamilton Spectator
(Jan 20, 2010)
Confederation Park's campground would go, but go-karts would stay if a proposed master plan update meets with public approval.

There is also a proposal for a commercial hub featuring a hotel, retail space, skating track and other attractions, but no thought of a football field to replace Ivor Wynne Stadium, an idea city council has ruled out.

Sandy Bell, manager of design and development for the Hamilton Conservation Authority, said the existing 1997-98 master plan needs refreshing.

"We're recognizing this is an important piece of the waterfront of Hamilton, so both the conservation authority and city are jointly part of this master planning for the next 10 to 20 years of how this property will be managed."

Bell said business has been dropping at the 50-site campground, built in the 1960s and in need of upgrades. The authority believes it makes more sense to expand camping at Fifty Point Conservation Area, less than 10 kilometres to the east.

The last master plan called for redevelopment of the land, but nothing has been done.

Ideas being unveiled at an open house from 5 to 8 p.m. today at Lakeland Centre, 180 Van Wagner's Beach Rd., include moving the main entrance to Centennial Parkway, doing away with the gatehouse and eventually replacing the campground with sports fields and a recreation building. The drop-in event will include a presentation at 7 p.m. Those attending will hear suggestions to move go-karting to an expanded Adventure Village and to naturalize the west end of the long, narrow park occupying 83 hectares between the Queen Elizabeth Way and Lake Ontario.

Owned by the city and operated by the authority, the property includes Wild Waterworks with its wave pool and water slides, Lakeland Centre with a viewing tower, restaurant and pool, restaurants Hutch's and Baranga's on the Beach, Lakeland Go-Karts and Adventure Village with miniature golf and batting cages.

Officials estimate 2,000 people a day use the Hamilton Beach Recreational Trail running through the park. Use is expected to increase when a bridge over the QEW extends the Red Hill Trail to the waterfront later this year.

Bell said many of the proposals depend on private investment. Costs have not been estimated.

"We don't have money to develop most of these things. We would need partners interested in running them. It would take a sizeable investment, but we're only at the concept stage. We're going to be a year or two getting it sorted out and looking at sources we can draw from."

emcguinness@thespec.com

905-526-4650
 

scotto

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HCA Plan: expand WildWaterworks, close campground

By Kevin Werner, News Staff

Stoney Creek News
Jan 28, 2010
A renewed Confederation Park design plan contains just about anything a family could wish for, except a stadium.
A preliminary master plan of an updated Confederation Park unveiled Jan. 20 during a public information session at Lakeland Community Centre, includes more green space; closing the go kart facility and replacing it with a naturalized area and trail system; expanding Adventure Village; adding educational areas with more trails and paths; expanding Wild Waterworks; eliminating the camping area; constructing an inn and; building an ice track during winter and a sports field.

A survey conducted by the HCA last summer found about 2,200 people from across the province use the waterfront trail per day. The HCA wants to keep these people in Confederation Park.

Access to the park will also be enhanced when the $14-million signature bridge over the QEW is completed in October, which will link the Red Hill Valley trail system to the waterfront.

“It is a development that is a compromise for people who want to do things,” said Ward 5 councillor Chad Collins, which represents the area. “We don’t want to develop the area too much so people don’t want to come here. We want to make this a destination park and respect the natural area.”

One of the more visible changes the plan proposes is relocating the park’s entrance from Van Wagners Beach Road to the intersection of Centennial Parkway and the North Service Road.

Glenn O’Connor, of Consultants Inc., hired by the HCA to oversee the updated Confederation Park design, said the idea is to extend bus transportation along Centennial Parkway into the park to reduce vehicle use.

“I think we have struck a balance between the activities and green space,” said O’Connor. “It’s not just the quantity of the green space, but the quality. They will be richer, more diverse.”

O’Connor said HCA officials want to keep people who visit the park in the area to enjoy the activities rather than just use the water park than go somewhere else in the city.

“We want to bring the facility together as a centralized village,” said O’Connor.

Judy Kloosterman of Stoney Creek, was supportive of the plan, except the idea for the HCA to continue charging for parking.

“I think it’s terrible we have to pay to enjoy the waterfront,” she said.

O’Connor said HCA is proposing to consolidate all its parking areas into one location.

Bob Coxon, who lives on Queenston Road, applauded the plan but urged the HCA to clean up the park. He also suggested planting trees to improve the air quality, especially in the summer.

“This is a great place for families,” he said. “But they need to do something about the pollution.”

O’Connor said during the session, which attracted about 50 people to the presentation, the campground was becoming tired and “not meeting the demand” of the public. In addition, the HCA, which operates Fifty Point Conservation Area is expanding that campground, which also accommodates RVs.

O’Connor said one idea is constructing a high-quality inn so people can stay overnight at the park.

A few people at the meeting expressed misgivings about the idea, saying they didn’t want a “seedy” hotel in the area.

O’Connor confirmed a hotel is not a preferred use in the park and a rezoning application would be required from the city.

While Confederation Park has been on a list of possible locations for a stadium to accommodate the Pan Am Games and eventually the Hamilton Tiger-Cats football team, this was not included in the plan.

Residents and Councillor Chad Collins are opposed to the idea and O’Connor said a stadium is “not appropriate” for the area.

There is no price tag yet for what is expected to be a multi-year, phased-in makeover of the park, said O’Connor.

Collins, a member of the HCA board of directors, envisions a five-to-10 year plan, with council approving it this year. Construction could begin in early 2011, he said.

The city owns the park, but it is managed by the HCA. O’Connor confirmed funding for renovations would come from revenues from the HCA, the City of Hamilton and private businesses that use the park. The HCA earns most of its revenue from Wild Waterworks and parking.

A final report on the park’s redesign will be ready for approval by the HCA and council in March. A public meeting on the report may be held before going to the respective agencies.

To see the preliminary plans for Confederation Park, visit www.conservationhamilton.ca .
 

Sharla1

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Not sure I'm liking this plan.
And paying to park to use the waterfront I don't agree with.
 

scotto

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Not sure I'm liking this plan.
And paying to park to use the waterfront I don't agree with.
I am very much against losing any of our dwindling green space and I like Confederation Park just the way it is. It's a people place and widely used in the good weather!
But I can see how using prime land for camping isn't very cost effective, they have generate cash somehow.
However, IMO once a hotel or something similar is built, the doors is open for more loss of green space. So I hope they plan well.
 

Sharla1

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I tend to agree with you about this issue Scotto. I didn't mind at all when they widened the path not long ago but that was still keeping the area very green. I am like you that prefers keeping as much green as they can.

Too bad they couldn't come up with other ideas that would still keep Confederation Park more for green uses.
 

scotto

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Thumbs down on Confederation Park hotel: Public

March 04, 2010
Eric McGuinness
The Hamilton Spectator

The Hamilton Conservation Authority may well drop the idea of building a hotel in Confederation Park to save the rest of its draft master plan for redeveloping the lakefront site.

"There's a good chance it will be removed," chief administrative officer Steve Miazga told The Hamilton Spectator editorial board yesterday.

Sandy Bell, manager of design and development, said most people who filled out questionnaires at a public meeting in January "weren't positive" about the hotel proposal.

"They felt it wasn't the place for it."

Miazga said it will be a hot topic when the technical team meets next week to recommend "which elements should stay or come out," adding that he wouldn't like to see the overall plan jeopardized over one element.

Bell said others at the public session also asked whether it's necessary to have moneymaking ventures at the city-owned park managed by the authority.

On that point, operations manager Bruce Mackenzie said revenue from Wild Waterworks helps pay to maintain the rest of the 93-hectare park, but the water park lost $400,000 last year because June and July were cool and wet.

He said the authority needs more predictable income so it doesn't have to ask for more money from city taxpayers. One way to do that is to make the park less weather-dependent by adding retail space and restaurants that attract visitors year-round, especially in spring and fall.

Miazga added, "People are still looking for things to do when they come down here."

The draft plan calls for closing the outdated campground at the east end, moving the go-kart facility from the west end to a more central location so commercial activity is consolidated, eliminating the gatehouse, imposing a pay-and-display fee system for all parking lots, building a new main entrance at the end of Centennial Parkway and routing HSR buses into the park.

Authority board chairperson Chris Firth-Eagland said staff are willing to present the proposals to neighbourhood groups, service clubs or other community organizations before a final plan is put together, likely next month.

Garnet Cowsill, manager of marketing and communications, can be reached by e-mailing Garnet.Cowsill@conservationhamilton.ca or calling 905-525-2181, ext. 136.

emcguinness@thespec.com

905-526-4650
 

scotto

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Public Meeting June 10

Confederation Park Master Plan Public Meeting June 10
The Hamilton Conservation Authority and the City of Hamilton have been undertaking an update to the master plan for Confederation Park which is located along 4 km of the Lake Ontario waterfront in Hamilton. The master plan is intended to guide future development and management of the Park over the next 20 year period. The draft master plan has been prepared by a consulting team led by G. O'Connor Consultants Ltd.

The Conservation Areas Advisory Board of the Hamilton Conservation Authority will be hosting a public meeting to hear a presentation from the Consultants on the draft master plan for Confederation Park. All interested parties are invited to attend this meeting as there will be an opportunity to ask questions and to appear as a delegation before the Conservation Areas Advisory Board to make your views known on the proposed draft master plan.

Date and Time: Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 7:00 pm

Place: Lakeland Centre Hall, 180 Van Wagner's Beach Rd, Hamilton, ON

Please see draft master plan documents below. Additional information or questions can be directed to Mr. Sandy Bell OALA, Manager of Design and Development, at (905) 525-2181 x190.

Draft Master Plan Documents:
•Confederation Park Master Plan Final Draft June 2
•Master Plan Diagram
•Then and Now - 1875 to 2010
•Proposed Park Zones
•Natural Heritage Lands
________________________________________

For more info, go here-

http://www.conservationhamilton.ca/...rchives/confederation-park-master-plan-update
 

scotto

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Let’s not spoil Confederation Park

Stoney Creek News
Wednesday, November, 30, 2011
When it comes to Confederation Park in Hamilton, I can’t help but think of the lyrics from Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi.
“Don’t it always seem to go
“That you don’t know what you’ve got
“Till it’s gone
“They paved paradise
“And put up a parking lot”
While we’re probably not in much danger of completely paving over Confederation Park, this jewel of Hamilton is at a crossroads.
Let me state at the outset that I have a vested interest in Confederation Park. I live in Stoney Creek, practically next door to Confederation Park. It’s close enough, that I consider it part of my extended back yard and as backyards go, it’s quite something.
If it were up to me, I would leave Confederation Park alone, except for a few minor tweaks. As far as I’m concerned, Hamilton is lucky to have Confederation Park. How many other communities have a 93-hectare lakefront park with a paved path suitable for walking, inline skating or cycling from one end to the other?
As a passive park, Confederation has plenty of room along the lakefront to lie on the beach and enjoy the sun or skip stones across the water with the kids. There’s also a lot of room in the park to enjoy a picnic with family or friends.
Some people manage to enjoy the park without spending anything, except for the price of gas, admission or bus fare.
Therein lies part of the problem as far as the City of Hamilton and Hamilton Conservation Authority are concerned.
Confederation Park is losing money. This year, the park’s deficit could run over $350,000 and if all goes well next year – with the benefit of good weather and increased attendance at Wild Water Works, the park should only lose $217,000.
Not all of the attractions at the park are passive. Wild Water Works, Baranga’s on the Beach, Hutch’s, Adventure Village, the go-kart track and Lakeland Centre, including a pool, splash pad, bistro, viewing tower and banquet centre, offer a range of recreational and dining activities.
And while they provide revenue, these venues don’t generate enough money to offset the park’s operating deficit.
They also require capital investmewnt. In fact, a large part of the park’s deficit is due to the debt incurred from updating Wild Water Works with new slides and building the Lakeland Centre.
And in order to keep attracting more people to the park, Wild Water Works will require even more capital investment in the future.
Naturally, staff and city politicians are concerned.
In August 2010, staff tabled a Confederation Park Master Plan. More than a year later, city staff are still figuring out what to do with it.
Earlier this month, at the general issues committee, staff recommended a feasibility report be conducted on implementing the Confederation Park Master Plan.
The 2010 master plan offered wide-ranging alternatives to improve the park, including expanding Adventure Village and adding commercial ventures, including up to eight restaurants, cafes and retail shops. Most of these would be concentrated in the existing commercial areas.
But all this might be a little too expensive to implement – about $37 million, excluding any infrastructure upgrades that may be necessary.
There would be about $10 million in private sector funds that would be needed for the commercial areas.
At the same time, the master plan recommends expanding the amount of open space for the park including picnic area, playgrounds and nature trails.
So staff are hoping to come up with a solution that would see more private commercial ventures built, while still increasing the amount of open space at the park.
To me, those two goals seem to be in conflict with each other.
Overdevelopment will ruin the waterfront park for the thousands of Hamilton residents who enjoy the park in its present state.
Let’s not lose sight of that as we ponder the future of Confederation Park.
Hamilton Community News Managing Editor Rod Jerred can be reached at rjerred@hamiltonnews.com or follow him on Twitter @HCN_editor.
 

scotto

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Collins has big plans for Confederation Park

By Kevin Werner

The multi-million-dollar makeover of Confederation Park, which may include honouring the iconic War of 1812 ships Hamilton and Scourge, should begin later this year.

Members of the public works committee have approved cutting down 76 existing trees at the park's Stoney Creek Pond area, with the removal of an additional 28 trees that are in poor condition or are invasive species.

The work will allow city staff to build another kilometre of trail, which is an important aspect to the $80-million Confederation Park master plan project that council approved earlier in 2010.

The plan includes constructing an asphalt paved trail that would connect with the Lake Ontario Trail system. The new section will provide an additional 790 metres of trail and an accessible observation platform. An existing 1.5-metre-wide granular trail along the eastern shoreline of the Stoney Creek Pond will be maintained at an expected cost of $5,000 a year.

About 80 per cent of the trail will be constructed on existing roadways within the park, with a portion of Confederation Drive being converted into trail and for service-vehicle use only. About 20 per cent of the trail will be constructed through the forested area.

Ward 5 councillor Chad Collins said construction on the trail should begin later this year, and be fully available to the public by next year. It's expected to cost just over $100,000 to remove the trees, and $36,300 will be set aside to plant new trees.

But the trail project is only the beginning of what will be a multi-year project to rejuvenate the 93-hectare Confederation Park so it becomes a destination point for people.

"I want to have something going on every year at the park," said Collins.

He said about $3 million has been allocated in the 2014 budget for the park.

Collins said he will be securing the estimated $7 million to construct the sports park around the 5.8-hectare Stoney Creek Pond area and eliminate the former campground site, as identified in the master plan. There will also be sports field area, which will include a cricket pitch, two intermediate soccer fields that can be changed into a junior cricket pitch, plus an on-site parking lot, washrooms and new trees.

But the $7 million will only be a portion of the $80 million that will be spent on renovating Confederation Park. The master plan recommends creating a year-round, multi-use facility for the public that proposes relocating the go-kart facility from the west end to a more central facility, eliminating the greenhouse, building a new main entrance at the end of Centennial Parkway, allowing public transit access within the park, and partnering with the private sector to open some commercial ventures, such as a restaurant and allowing winter activities, such as an ice skating area.

Collins envisions redeveloping the park to honour the War of 1812 ships Hamilton and Scourge, which he says have been forgotten by the city and residents.



Hamilton Community News
 

David O'Reilly

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Dec 15, 2012
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It's too bad the city is going to cut down 75 trees to create just one kilometer of trail! I don't think that one kilometer of a trail is worth 75 trees.

In the past year or so, it seems that the city has been talking about increasing the forest canapy.
 

Sharla1

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If they are the manitoba maples I can understand them wanting those out. Those trees are a royal pain in the behind. I have them growing all over my property and I curse them like crazy.
 
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