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| Watch what we wish for. This Hamilton design does not blend whatever but conforms to laws. |
I've written blogs and created
a video about my plans to combat developers from using our current laws designed to preserve historic heritage sites and buildings but which are actually being used to cause them to become unusable / livable, and then eventually eliminated.
This is a common problem that many municipalities face, and which the likes of Vancouver has dealt with part of it by legislating in the right to financially punish property owners who purposely allow properties / homes to fall into an unusable state of disrepair and to be boarded up until we grant development or zoning. Right now, developers often use the by-laws as written to do the bare minimum on maintenance - as they do not include any strict watch on the conditions they allow buildings to fall into to cause eventual "natural" destruction or is used to assist them in an application to demolish a home. Often it involves a property
with a building not yet declared heritage spot, but on a list to be declared a heritage property, and by speeding up vacating such properties using these LOOPHOLES, they control our planning without penalty.
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| Call Tom at anytime - 289-221-0928 |
My plan adopts such penalties but goes even further, asking that we strike up a working group to also
tackle those known loopholes and have those loophole changes put forward to our provincial friends be legislated into place. Certainly not an initiative most Councillors would even think of, but none have my ( any?) political experience, knowledge of process nor the will to tackle it.
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| Expect a more diligent watch on all our assets with Tom Pearson |
Such loopholes are not just used by developers but by our governing Councils too.
I recall a structure that had been a women's shelter for about 20 people, located on the same property as the current family and men's shelter, that was demolished scant years before it would have been declared a century home structure. Not many know of this, or seemed interested to care to know at the time as I recall. Maybe now they see my point, as more begin to understand the process and how it can be manipulated.
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| This 'need" was created through demolition |
At the time, they claimed that the foundation was no good, yet I had it inspected before they demolished it and found nothing outstanding that couldn't be fixed - albeit I and my construction experienced friend who attended with me are not engineers -
however the men's shelter on the same property , then 126 years old, was apparently OK for use. My plan would not allow for the first building to have reached such a state of disrepair, even if indeed that was the case, which would have saved us $ millions in this instance.
That building would have sufficed our "need" for a single women's shelter, and by speeding up that demolition process,
they essentially avoided it having that protected heritage designation while costing the Region $10,000,000 and counting to build a brand new one. Meantime that sole focus has men and couples living in our Ward 5 forests.
So its something the status quo likes to use with its knowledge of process, but, as you can see, one they can also use to create "needs" costing taxpayers not in the know and that must stop. It's cost us $10 of million and counting so far and who knows how many lives?
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| Tom also has a plan to tackle graffiti which includes engaging youth and creating wall art zones |
It seems I not only am
the only candidate with any practical political experience but also the only one with the will and knowledge to tackle this issue effectively so our townsfolk have better control over its own town and her assets and properties.
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| Seniors and others were furious at losing Main St.'s last bank. Tom plans to try and attract Credit Union to Main |
Most of my candidate opponents also take a
safe, sentimental position on the clock tower development, however my knowledge of process - and having actually met with the developers and a town planner - I can tell you they will be allowed to build and more than 3 floors in the end, with deep pockets on a $50,000,000 project, and it will begin costing us to fight them almost immediately, as we're now overdue to respond to their application. I didn't get us here, but we need to deal with it stealthily to avoid it being a costly error. Two roads lead to the same place, one is much less costly.
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| Only Tom has a plan that will protect us from future unwanted development.Blocks can be emptied boarded up presently. |
The
Forrest Group's development idea respects the integrity of the tower also, including sight-lines, and actually
uses it in its design, so we have to indeed watch what we wish for, as other developers may not be so kind if ever it came to that. I've seen projects in Hamilton that went by the law but don't use the structure as its closed off, and the back drop new building attached right out of place. I think this design respects those things and as well helps support a shopping centre seniors desperately want as well.
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| Little whispers says to watch this building in the future and Park St.. A plan to extend it through to Riverwalk? |
Vote for me if you want a representative of the people - and not the establishment or real estate a certain party. No one else has any plan to end this madness and destruction of our properties, homes, and landmarks but me. I'm Tom Pearson and I really do care. 289-221-0928 Direct.
