Pier 8 Hamilton

A great deal of land along Lake Ontario that had previously been used as industrial sites are beginning to be repurposed. Turning land that was once utilitarian and dedicated to factories and production, find second lives as new master-planned communities that push the boundaries of environmental sustainability, and raise the bar for the standards of communities across the entire GTA. One such project is the Waterfront Shores Community.

With gorgeous lake views, Pier 8 will be a bold new direction for a downtown district of Hamilton. Led by Citizen Development Corp and Fernbrook Homes, this innovative community will act as a new centre for culture, recreation, and lifestyle in Hamilton, and will redefine what urban living means in Southern Ontario.

1.Location

Along the shores of the heart of Hamilton, a pier sits unused for decades. Pier 8 was an industrial site throughout the 20th century, but has gone unused, but today, its being turned into a bold new vision of how communities will work in the 21st. With over 1.6 kilometres of walkable landscape, Waterfront Shores will be a new community unto itself in the heart of Hamilton.

Creating a number of different buildings and townhome complexes, all designed by different architects will lend a rustic, unique feel to this brand-new neighbourhood. This new community will focus on being a leader in the way we develop smart communities in the future.

A new master-planned community is a bold step for the City of Hamilton. Leaders of the project have expressed a desire to respect the nearby communities, and to elevate local artists and culture.

With over 1.6 kilometres of walkable landscape, residents will be able to enjoy nature right from their front doors. Pier 8 Gateway Park, and Promenade Park will be refuges of nature, places to congregate, recreate, or just soak up the sun. Each block of development in the project will contain their own green spaces, patios, and parks , the entire area being canopied with trees. An interesting detail is “The Zipper” – a park that will stretch from the west corner of the development to the east side, widening as it does, creating a vibrant green stripe of parkland right through the centre of the development.

2.Amenities

Waterfront Shores will strive to be a beacon of sustainability in Southern Ontario. Because of this, one of the projects foremost goals is to eliminate natural gas consumption, using wastewater heat recovery, geothermal heating and cooling, solar power, and battery storage micro-grids. The development is looking to partner with Ontario Centres of Excellence to use this project as a testing ground for new green technologies for future developments.

The community will have a restaurant, cafe, fresh market hall, fitness and healthy eats centre, as well as a bier hall and a new artisan market. According to the plans, 40% of the site will be designated open space, which can then be used for community events, gatherings, farmers markets, and even outdoor festivals. These many amenities and more will be in the districts interspersed with the residential ones providing a new level of convenience for all residents.

There will be 197 townhouse condominium units, each with private outdoor space, as well as shared amenity spaces that will encourage community building and sustaining a neighbourhood feeling throughout the development. Each building will have its own distinct design, setting each block of the neighbourhood apart.

The development will also have a series of mid-to-high-rise condominiums, spread across eight blocks. Four different architectural firms will be involved, developing unique facades for each building in order to emphasize a more organic, unique feel to each building and street corner. Between them all, the condos will provide 27 studio/bachelor units, 760 one-bedrooms, 411 two-bedrooms, 68 three-bedrooms, and 6 live/work units.

Other technologies will be applied to the community, such as green-roofs on 60% of all buildings on-site. Initiatives like these are simple changes, but contribute to a much-lower carbon footprint than other developments.

3.Transit Options

Waterfront Shores will be fairly central in the downtown of Hamilton. As a result, a lot of the best of the core of the city will be a short walk or bike ride away. Residents will also have the option of hopping on the HSR, the citys local transit bus routes. For now, direct urban transit is limited to bus, but as Hamilton continues to grow, efforts are in place to provide a deeper well of options of Hamiltonians. On the horizon is an exciting project, the BLAST network, a new Light Rail Transit system that will provide residents of Hamilton with another option, and will support the arterial Main/King corridor. One of its lines, the B Train is in its first phase.

The Hamilton GO meanwhile, has been in place for decades and acts as a crucial part of the commuting traffic through the GTA and around the Golden Horsehoe. The Hamilton Station, West Harbour GO will be 15 minute walk from Waterfront Shores, and connects to Torontos Union Station.

Of course, by car, Hamilton is a very convenient city. Take the QEW which becomes the Gardiner Expressway into Toronto, or head south and west into the surrounding regions, the Niagara Region, Kitchener & Waterloo, and London and Sarnia.

4.The Developer

Citizen Development Corp is a well-respected development group within the GTA. Often credited with having a big hand in the citys skyline, Citizen has built some of the regions most iconic towers, having worked with architects like Daniel Libeskind and Yansong Ma.

Led by President Sam Crignana, Cityzen focuses on developing high-rise condominiums throughout the GTA and tries to invest in young talent, eschewing convention and looking to build unique, stylish luxury high-rises.

When building the Absolute World project in Mississauga, Sam Crignana started an international design competition to choose the buildings look. Invested in young talent, Sam eventually chose Yansong Mas design and worked to push through design challenges to achieve that vision. When designing communities, its important to have a vision, and Citizen believes in cultivating and supporting those visions.

Fernbrook Homes Group, another partner in the project, is also based in Canada, and has over 30 years of experience. Driven to create memorable, iconic homes, Fernbrook works close with their customers to ensure satisfaction with homes. They work closely with buyers at every stage, keep them informed and involved as the project moves forward.

Led by Danny Salvatore, Fernbrook has grown over its three decades from a modest home builder to an organization with over 100 professionals and thousands of homes and communities in its portfolio.

5.Investment Opportunities

Hamilton is a town going through a great deal of change. An industrial powerhouse throughout the 20th century, the urban core is now looking to densify and rejuvenate big sections of land throughout the city, and there are few projects in Southern Ontario as ambitious as Waterfront Shores.

This project had competing bidders for years vying for the opportunity to develop the land. As such, the final team is a whos-who of developers and architects all looking to make a new mark on Hamiltons downtown.

A bold vision, Waterfront Shores will be a pioneer for sustainable living as we approach the next few decades which will be integral in fighting climate change. With the partnership of GFL Environmental Inc, Greybrook Realty Partners, and KPMB, there is a great deal of muscle behind this inspiring push towards green living in the GTA.

Developers are planning a number of initiatives to ensure that the community is properly thought out, making this a good investment. Laneways for vehicles and an emphasis on pedestrians and cyclists will ensure that the community has a green, yet convenient structure. Further, developers are looking towards ground floor animation, ensuring that the area is highly walkable and properly laid-out. Also developers are looking to emphasize their sustainability through the use of local materials, supporting the local economy and reclaiming older materials.

With such a true-effort to build a sustainable community, as well as directly pledging to work towards new technologies for future sustainability efforts, Waterfront Shores Community sits above most other developments in Ontario.

Hamilton is going through such change, and with a bold new project like Waterfront Shores, its expected homes and units will sell out quickly as people flock to this exciting new venture for the city.