Thread by @JasonThorne_RPP

Sometimes it's the little things, the pilot projects & experiments that have the biggest city-building impact. In no particular order, here's a thread of #coollittlethings the City of #HamOnt did in 2017 ... and a shoutout to my staff who made them happen

1/ Special loading zones for musicians outside concert venues as part of our #MusicCity strategy #coollittlethings #hamont (thx to staff in Culture and Parking)

2/ The "Mountain Climber" pilot project = free bus rides up the #NiagaraEscarpment for #cyclists #coollittlethings #hamont (thx to HSR and Transportation Planning staff)

3/ New "#creativeindustries #zoning" to open up places of worship as performance venues and employment areas for #artist studios #coollittlethings #hamont (thx to Planning, Ec Dev and Culture staff)

4/ The "Everyone Rides" initiative to offer $3 bikeshare memberships for new immigrants @sobiHamilton #coollittlethings #hamont #cycling (thx to staff in Transportation Planning)

5/ New policy to allow temporary things like planters and seating on the #sidewalk without need for legal encroachment agreements #coollittlethings #hamont (thx to Planning and Ec Dev staff)

6/ New #zoning and noise bylaw to allow #livemusic on patios (got appealed to the OMB, but a good initiative anyway) #coollittlethings #hamont (thx to staff in Planning and Bylaw)

7/ Converting part of a #parkinglot into a seasonal #popup park #publicspace downtown #coollittlethings #hamont (thx to staff in Parking, Parks, Culture and Ec Dev)

8/ A recognition program for the 900+ pre-Confederation buildings across the City #coollittlethings #hamont #builtheritage (thx to staff in Culture and Tourism)

9/ Converting on-street #parking spaces into seasonal #popup patios for restaurants and cafes across the city #coollittlethings #hamont (thx to staff in Parking, Bylaw and Ec Dev)

10/ Allowing "conditional" building permits so #brownfield projects can proceed while waiting for provincial record of site condition (that one's for the planning nerds, but trust me, it's important) #coollittlethings #hamont (thx to Building, Growth Mgmt and Planning staff)

11/ Waiving planning application fees for #affordablehousing projects #coollittlethings #hamont (thx to staff in Planning and Growth Mgmt)

12/ Innovative new approach to #builtheritage protection that added 736 properties in Durand n'hood to our Heritage Register, incl. 52 candidates for heritage designation #coollittlethings #hamont (thx to staff in Planning and Culture)

13/ Our first #publicspace project to be awarded through an open design competition in nearly 100 years - the Pier 8 Promenade Park #coollittlethings #hamont (thx to staff in Waterfront and Culture)

14/ Introduced first-ever MAXIMUM standard for #parking #coollittlethings #hamont (thx to staff in Planning, Parking and LRT Office)