In the midst of one of the most-sobering meetings you’ll ever hear at city hall about the bleak state of our downtown came a glimmer of hope.

It involved the renovation of FirstOntario Centre.

First was the news that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is likely going to become a part-owner in the project. He wasn’t mentioned by name on Monday. Council was simply told a potential NBA MVP who just returned from the Olympics and who’s from Hamilton is probably going to be involved.

That description leads to a list of one.

“Adding that extra pizzazz to the project just helps elevate it within the community,” Oak View Group Canada president Tom Pistore says.

No doubt. Any time you have someone with a worldwide platform — the runner-up for NBA MVP last season certainly fits that bill — with a connection to your city and its facilities, and who can talk it up here and abroad, it’s a good thing.

It was also encouraging to hear that construction on the privately funded $290-million renovation that began in May is running on time. Interior demolition has begun in earnest, all the seats have been removed and work on concourses is moving along.

Plus, council heard that holds are apparently being placed on some concerts for late in 2025 which is significant because that creates a hard deadline and puts a tangible time frame on things. You don’t book Band X if you’re not confident the place will be ready by then.

Pistore continued by adding that sponsorships are selling faster than expected and suites are already being sold, too.

Then he offered one more nugget. A large, upscale, outwards-facing restaurant on the York Boulevard side of the building that will have the involvement of a “global icon” is now officially part of the redevelopment.

While intriguing, this brought the discussion back to the theme of this meeting of city council; A meeting that had heard several key businesspeople with significant stakes in the core deliver a number of brutally frank comments about the state of the downtown.

They talked about how stores are being significantly affected by surges in theft, harassment, shootings, stabbings, threats, petty crime, vandalism, open substance abuse, intoxication, uncleanliness and overdoses. They all seem to believe this is being fuelled by encampments.

Makes you wonder how a fancy restaurant is going to succeed if it’s looking out onto a spot where you can often see open drug use? Seems like that could be a deterrent for some people to come to the area. Which could then have a negative effect on a key ingredient of the arena project.

This isn’t just a theoretical concern.

Jason Cassis is CEO of Equal Parts Hospitality, a group that works to build and promote the hospitality industry. He’s a champion of the downtown. Yet he told council it was difficult to operate a business in the core right now. Part of that reason is legitimate safety concerns. And part is how safe people feel the area is.

Ultimately though, both of those lead to the same place.

“A perceived threat that prevents my mother from coming for lunch at The French is the same as an actual threat of her coming downtown,” he said. “To her.”

Which brings us back to the arena.

Pistore and Louis Frapporti (an adviser to the Hamilton Urban Precinct Entertainment Group and leader of the Commons Project, which endeavours to turn the entire area into an entertainment district), both believe this arena project is not only going to be a massive success but also a catalyst that spurs further development in the area.

And they both point out that downtown issues aren’t just a Hamilton problem; They occur in big cities all over the place.

We asked Spec readers what they think about downtown Hamilton. Here’s what they said

But there’s no doubt that the city — with other levels of government contributing — has to do something to improve things so peoples’ fears and discomfort about coming to the area are assuaged.

“I would like to think we have 16 months now to start to address the issues,” Pistore says.

He doesn’t necessarily expect things to be perfect by opening night late in 2025, though that would be ideal. Yet he certainly hopes a path is mapped out by then and a plan to make some changes is underway.

It’s not an unreasonable ask.

Cities don’t get too many revitalization projects like this. Assuming everything happens that we’re hearing about, this rejuvenated building could give a positive jolt to the area and generate some real momentum.

Or nothing changes and visitors from out of town — or even the suburbs who don’t make it to the core all that often — come for a show or a meal once, feel uncomfortable, and decide they’re not coming back. As already seems to be happening, according to some of the speakers at the meeting.

It has to be improved. That surely requires the involvement of all levels of government, but it has to be done.

Not just for the arena — though that’s a rare opportunity that simply cannot be squandered — but also for all the dozens and dozens of other businesses in the core who are waiting for the same thing.

See original article posted in The Hamilton Spectator.