New plan needed for Hamilton’s unused Celebrating Age Centre

Monday, 18 September 2023

The unused Celebrating Age Centre in Victoria St faces further uncertainty.

It’s back to the drawing board for the disused Celebrating Age Centre now the council has stopped looking at multi-million dollar mixed-use developments on the site.

None of the options for community, office and residential space were currently viable - some would involve multi-million dollar losses, said a report to Thursday’s economic development committee.

The council-owned centre at the southern end of Victoria Street is currently unused due to roof and other problems. The council continues to foot the bill for housing displaced tenants.

Councillors agreed unanimously that - rather than exploring mixed-use options - staff should investigate the relative benefits of “retaining, upgrading or demolishing” the centre and report back to the community and natural environment committee. The word “mothballing” was expressly avoided.

More reflection needed ‒ staff have been asked to come up with new ideas for the future of the Celebrating Age Centre in Victoria St.

Committee chairperson Ewan Wilson on Friday described some councillors as being frustrated and surprised that consultants felt mixed-use options wouldn’t work but “we all accepted it had to go back to the community committee to try and resolve”.

They also asked that any community committee decision should not preclude the council’s multi-million dollar Municipal Endowment Fund undertaking future commercial development at the site.

A staff report said none of the options for mixed-use community and commercial space were currently viable - “the cost of the community facilities only adding to the negative or low development returns” to the council.

It also noted height and zoning restrictions limited potential development at the site.

Six options had been explored comprising a mix of community, office and residential development. The report made it clear a number would involve multi-million dollar losses.

Economic development committee chairperson Ewan Wilson hopes a mixed-use facility can eventually be established at the Celebrating Age Centre..

“Any development on this site in the short to medium term is likely to face competition from projects previously worked up and ready to go that have been placed on hold due to the current downturn in the property market - particularly residential projects.

The cost of community facilities only added to the negative/low development returns, the report said.

Before the vote, Age Concern Hamilton president Jenny Magee reminded councillors that the building had been funded by the community, and wanted to see the site retain a focus on supporting older people.

“There is far more to the Celebrating Age Centre than land title and commercial interest,” Magee said.

Also speaking at the hui, Hamilton Residents and Ratepayers Association secretary Roger Stratford spoke of his group’s long association with the centre and didn’t want it demolished or mothballed.

“It should be refurbished … earthquake-proof it and bring it back into shape”, he said.

Wilson said the community committee would need to decide on several possibilities, including long term plan funding for a replacement roof and re-opening, and the prospect of more development at some time in the future.

Some councillors saw the site as a prime development opportunity while others felt an ongoing commitment to community groups that had used it, Wilson said. He personally favoured a mixed-use development at some point.