Hamilton aims to make downtown safer, more vibrant in 10-year plan

Hamilton City Council is trying to plan the future of the downtown. A new report on the 10-Year Downtown Revitalization Strategy was presented to a council committee today.

It lays out priorities like increasing a sense of safety in the core and creating more public spaces.

“It’s not my downtown, and it’s not the City of Hamilton’s downtown. It’s the people of Hamilton’s downtown,” said Andrea Horwath, Hamilton mayor.

A revitalized, people-centric downtown — that’s what the City of Hamilton is trying to create in the core over the next decade.

And to do so, city staff laid out a set of priorities and initiatives in a draft 10-year downtown revitalization plan, presented to council’s General Issues Committee today.

A few points of that plan include the following :

• Redeveloping so-called “strategic locations,” like surrounding the new TD Coliseum
• Modernizing and cleaning buildings and green spaces
• Ensuring there’s a visible police presence on the streets

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But first and foremost, the city wants to change its reputation of being unsafe.

While Hamilton police have reported that shootings are down this year compared to last, the city found that Hamiltonian’s perception of feeling unsafe is one of the top factors keeping them away from shops, restaurants and public spaces in the core.

“What we have heard over and over again from our business community is that safety is the number one priority of our downtown, and making sure that it’s a safe, welcoming place,” said Greg Dunnett, president, CEO of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber of commerce is asking for the city to act quickly on this, looking to see noticeable changes in the next one to three years.

“If we can prioritize the small things now that are going to move the needle and make people feel comfortable being in the core, then that will make a lot of positive impacts in the long run,” said Dunnett.

So far, $1 million has been earmarked in the proposed 2026 budget for capital projects downtown, but councillors say the ambitious plan will take consistent funding over the next decade and beyond the next election.

No dollar figures were included in today’s draft plan.

“It’s not going to happen out of thin air. It’s going to require money and it’s going to require investment, and we have to be willing to show up with those dollars. And we also need a sustainable plan. So something that, no matter what happens, we’re going to continue to invest in on an ongoing basis,” said Cameron Kroetsch, downtown Hamilton city councillor.

But, not every councillor wants to focus the city’s spending cash downtown.

“We have spent hundreds of millions of dollars. I’d like to know how much we actually did spend in the downtown. And so then the question is: what’s the $1 million going to do to help us,” said Brad Clark, Stoney Creek city councillor.

City staff are expected to present a full draft of the plan by March next year and do more consultations in the meantime.

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