News

Notes: Hospital Corridor Study & Council – July 16, 2018

Published with permission of Grimsby Citizens For Responsible Growth

Agenda: https://grimsby.civicweb.net/filepro/documents?expanded=542,543,90113&preview=96192

Official Town Minutes: https://grimsby.civicweb.net/filepro/documents?expanded=1127,1965,90198&preview=96209

Hospital Corridor Study

The Town is undertaking a study to develop a Secondary Plan and Urban Design Guidelines for the Town’s Hospital Corridor. This area is defined as all properties fronting onto Main Street East from Nelles Road to West Lincoln Memorial Hospital.

Approximately 100 people attended the first “Visioning Workshop” held on June 6, 2018. The next step will be a “Design Options Open House” to be held in the Fall of 2018, followed by the final Secondary Plan and Statutory Public Meeting to be held in the Spring of 2019.

The study outline and poster boards from the initial visioning workshop can be found here:

http://www.grimsby.ca/Public-Notices/hospital-corridor-study.html

The site also notes that:

The purpose of the study is to outline clear development expectations for the Hospital Corridor area. As stated above, this is as an essential component in shaping the Corridor’s future. The Secondary Plan process will:

1. Create a long-term vision for the Hospital Corridor that illustrates clear redevelopment expectations, and

2. Produce a policy document that refines current Town Official Plan policies to accommodate for intensification in a manner that has regard for the Hospital Corridor’s commercial role and functioning, as well as being compatible with its surrounding neighbourhoods.

As part of the Secondary Plan process, a Hospital Corridor Vision will be developed where clear development expectations will be illustrated, and Town Official Plan policies will be refined to accommodate for intensification in a manner that has regard for the Hospital Corridor’s commercial role and functioning, as well as being compatible with its surrounding neighbourhoods.

Key development aspects that will be discussed and addressed through this study include but are not limited to: the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital future role and function, as well as future building height, building frontages, land uses, transition to residential neighbourhoods, parking, loading, pedestrian access, active transportation, and built heritage matters.

It’s also interesting that the Request for Proposal outlined some of the expectations for the successful consultant with regards to public consultation:

6 Public Consultation

Public and other stakeholder involvement is key to the success of this project. The Consultant shall design a formal community consultation process which outlines the method(s) and tools for engaging stakeholders in the community and maximizing input at each stage of the project, including but not limited to community consultation sessions, public open houses, technical working groups, newsletters, surveys, notices, web materials and social media, posters and mail/hand-outs. Written explanatory briefs and other summary documentation shall be encouraged to assist members of the public in its understanding of the project. As noted previously, The Town is interested in exploring the use of new social media technologies to enhance public facilitation, such as live streaming. The community consultation process shall incorporate these technologies as much as possible. The Consultant will be responsible for implementing and monitoring these technologies.”

Unfortunately, live streaming was not used for the Visioning Workshop, which would have provided the public with a lot more information than we are able to capture and share below. Hopefully, the Town also moves towards a more public and transparent model of live streaming and sharing committee and Council meetings in the near future to better engage its citizens, much like our neighbouring municipalities already have.

We’ve captured below some of the comments from the June 6 Visioning Workshop:

Planning Staff Comments:

• there is development pressure to build
• the policy framework is too light
• there is no “target” in mind

Consultant Comments (Ute Maya-Giambattista, Principal, SGL Planning & Design Inc.):

• have met with the local landowners already
• will be meeting with the Hamilton Health Sciences hospital reps tomorrow (June 7)
• will be looking at transportation, transit, parking, traffic, municipal servicing, watercourses, heritage, among other things
• the area is especially attractive
• don’t know if the hospital will remain as is or be reduced
• lot depth is quite deep, unique
• as the hospital makes its intentions known and grows, it will be a “magnet” for development
• provide better pedestrian and cycling amenities
• maintain the old heritage flavour of Main Street, flowering trees, design elements – there are a few remaining heritage houses that should be preserved
• two parks “bookend” the study area
• manage growth – purpose of study
• development won’t be happening tomorrow, but once the hospital formalizes their intentions, things will start moving
• need to support the viability of the hospital staying in one capacity or another

Public Comments (Consultant Answers):

Q: Is the hospital in danger without the development?
A: …don’t know if the whole deal will go through – – viability – – what they want to do on site and then make it more attractive for them to stay.

Q: Is there one vision for this area, not just willynilly pieces (like Winston, etc)?
A: The Official Plan and Secondary Plans factor in.

Q: What is the role of the area for the Town? Purpose?
A: It will not be another downtown.

Q: The area is already developed – you’re tearing something down to build what developers want? Why ruin what we have here with more cement buildings?
A: We have noticed development pressures starting on the corner. We’re not forcing landowners to sell. This is an opportunity to have your say. Initially, landowners say a small grocery store would be nice.

Q: I’m quite disappointed not many turned out for the landowner’s meeting.
A: I’ll check with the Town who was invited and why you weren’t.

We can’t stop development from coming forward.

Region has a plan for transit.

560 spaces available for parking in the area. 195 are street parking.

At the July 16 Council meeting, the Consultant presented to Council. Here are some comments from that delegation:

Consultant: We need to “improve the viability of the hospital”.

Mayor Bentley: Public works upgrades for the area are planned – Maple to Nelles, Baker west, and this area of Main Street. Need to be ahead of potential developments/redevelopments.

Consultant: Potential owners/developers have agreed to slow down the process for redevelopment and are in consultations with planning staff now.

Consultant: Angular plane will be applied – retail with residential above, 4 storeys – will develop models and test from street and nearby properties.

Question from Alderman Kadwell: How much has the hospital put into the comments? How much on board are they?

Consultant: They are key to the study. Had a conference call with HHS to better understand their position. They are in flux right now because of the election. HHS will send representatives to all our workshops.

Mayor Bentley: The Town (all three municipalities) is working with them as well on the political side.

Alderman Kadwell: Is Sherwood Park proposed to change? Sell to developer? It’s outside the study area.

Consultant: They inform the study. They are two key open spaces (Centennial/Sherwood Park) and the school.

Mayor Bentley: We are one of the top two priorities for HHS. It’s an issue of money. We need to put pressure on now that the election is over. Not sure if the province has all their ducks in a row now how to fund it.

Read the rest of the article at http://www.grimsbycitizens.com