Colliers SVP Sydney Hamber tells us he expects the rest of the 475k SF former Siemens' plant at the north end of Barton St in Hamilton to be fully leased by Q2 2014. (So if you're a tenant there now, make sure to claim the good office chairs, before they're gone.)

Empire Steel has taken 100k SF, and other tenants have 186k SF. That leaves 190k SF vacant. "This type of facility is just not available in Hamilton," Sydney says. "Heavy cranes, high ceilings, rail, all of the things that industries that relate to the Hamilton market can use." Despite Hamilton's increasing economic diversification, steel manufacturing is still a part of its economic makeup--staying loyal at least to a degree to its "steeltown" history.

Siemens left the city in 2011, taking 500 jobs with them; Empire has replaced some. Sydney tells us part of the reason Hamilton is growing (a RE/MAX reports says Hamilton-Burlington is one of the few communities that saw an uptick in commercial sales activity this year) is the city's infrastructure. "If you are a company that does a lot of shippng than this is a place to be," he says, pointing to the international port, the international airport by Mount Hope, and the interconnecting highway system. (It's also a good place to make a fast escape.)