Downtown Windsor – Part II

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• As far as facades go, building owners like myself had never had any type of guidance when it comes to design. We went to an architect, trusted the architect would recommend the best course of action and followed it. Thats why you have the results you have.

  But you couldn't tell that it's ugly?

  
  After learning about design possibilities and motioning for a facade grant program to recruite businesses and beautify Downtown, the DWBIA paid $30,000 to have its own design guidelines prepared for all o Downtown in order to educate its members. Those new design guidelines are available at our office and communicated to all of our members. The facade grant program allows for matching funds of up to 10,000 (15,000 for corner bldgs) for anyone who improves their facade.

  Why do you constantly feel the need to brag about how much your studies cost? Why can't you just leave it at the fact the DWBIA paid to comission their own study? Every time you attach a dollar figure to something, it seems very braggarty. However you didn't answer my question as to why the study was contracted to an American company, and the same company that the former Executive Director was hired from?
  
  We also advocate that the city adopt many of our design guidelines as restrictions as to what shouldn’t be allowed, the DWBIA has given the carrrot but the stick remains absent.

  I looked over the study, and it seems that it was well put together and it should be in play. Banning the use of EIFS would be a great start.

  BTW, Ouellette cannot be closed for a pedestrian mall as it will become the only north south connection to the riverfront within 5 blocks. The DWBIA has budgeted however to close it for 6 Fridays evenings and Saturday day and evenings (a 12,000 expense) provided the businesses program it with family friendly entertainment.

  What about Goyeau? I also think we need to reevaluate the use of one way streets downtown. As John remarked when we were down there on Sunday, Pelissier is like a speedway.

• Mark apologies to my reply above, I see you answered my question while I was typing mine.

• Has anyone used the facade funding yet?

  If you think the burbs are gentieel and gracious thats great, I think Andrew should do a photo blog showing the true realities of that area

  Why don't you do it for me Mark, I think you live closer to the burbs than I do.

  Honestly, I can't tell you the last time I was out there. My Mother In Law used to live near the Zehr's in St. Clair Beach... I never go out there, I have no need. What I need I can get inside city limits.

  Last time I spent money out there was to see a movie at the sprawled out movie place. It think it was during the LIFF a few years back.

• "Why do you constantly feel the need to brag about how much your studies cost? Why can’t you just leave it at the fact the DWBIA paid to comission their own study? Every time you attach a dollar figure to something, it seems very braggarty. "

  The numbers are there to show that the budget matches the stated priorities, When I joined the dwbia board, Clean and safe were a stated priority while only 4% of the budget were devoted to those issues. Now over 25% is. At that time over 20% of its budget was spent on marketing to Americans only, today that number is zero, we market to our own city first.

  I'm sorry you feel the money's bragging. Thats not how it was intended. You consistently say that the DWBIA has failed and/or accomplished nothing. I'm trying to show how much it has spent advocating for the very things you promote.

  If you would prefer I can state the numbers as a percentage of our budget. I think its important to show that we walk the walk instead of talking the talk. When we spend tens of thousands on LED lights or Hanging flower planters, why shouldn't we brag. The money comes from a surtax of all our businesses and a huge contribution from the Casino. Its not like its my money that I'm bragging about, I guess you could call It bragging for the entire downtown and showing a bit of pride which you correctly point out is very absent in our downtown

  One constant criticism I put at city council is that their actions don't meet their words.

  I am only trying to show that the DWBIA is an organization puts its money where its mouth is.

  I think Pelissier could be considered but Goyeau is a tunnel access route and is up in the air due to the tunnel plaza expansion plans. I'm not saying it shouldn't be considered, just that the city needs to have a long term implementation plan for the tunnel expansion

  As a minimum pelissier should be converted from one way to two way but until the residents speak up, it won't happen

  Andrew, there is nothing I would like more than to put to rest the feud that has started between you, john and I. We all want the same things. If you want an apology, its yours, if you want me to eat crow, I'll eat crow. The only thing I won't do is state things I do not believe to be true or allow those statements to stand.

• Has Shanfieds or the Canada Gift Shop ever applied for the facade loan? The Canada Gift shop has had the same sign up there since the 1970s and now letters are missing from it. What's holding them back? Is it just too much red tape to qualify for it? Do vendors feel they won't get it? Do vendors have to foot the bill first and then apply and wait for reimbursement 5 years down the road? How long has it been in place for? Is it that these vendors feel their property taxes are too high and are concerned that their property taxes will double if they cleaned up their property? If they strip the garbage and bring it back to it's historical appearance and clean the brick, do they still qualify for the loans or is it just for silly stucco and modern innovations? Shanfields sells $5,000 Rolexes and diamond rings. If customers are spending that kind of money, doesn't it make sense that customers would want to visit a building with a nice clean exteroir? One would think that if the carrot was so readily visible that they would see this great big carrot and reach for it.

• Hold the phone! Where did this spiel about "genteel" burbs come from? I hate the burbs. So does Andrew. Not as much as Mark apparently though. And I won't be doing any photo essays on the countless cookie cutter mcmansions and giant centralized car-oriented plazas either.

  OTOH there are many neighbourhoods and districts within city limits that are still well-serviced by mostly walkable essential amenities such as Walkerville, South Walkerville, Olde Riverside, Old South Windsor, even Sandwich town (disenfranchised as it is), etc. that are great places to live life without driving everywhere you go. Matter of fact, as I type this comment I have the receipt for my last fill-up... Feb. 26. I'm almost down to a 1/8 tank now. Not a "car free" life but 75% of what I need can be found in my nieghbourhood from the diverse mix that services my area. The other 25% is not more than a kilometre or two away. That is what is called a district that is pedestrian and resident friendly. If I lived downtown I'd have to survive on Cuban cigars and hand jobs. Yay!

  While downtown was the seed of Windsor's birth and was once a thriving city centre, its residents and businesses were chased out slowly for reasons pointed out already that weren't the fault of those participating in the mass exodus. Now downtown wants them back. How nice. Well, do any of those books say anything about the value of a business district demonstrating civic pride? Does it say anything about maintaining presentable storefronts. Does it say anything about pushing a snow shovel in front of your business for ten minutes, or throwing some rock salt on the ground so pedestrians can pass safely? Does it say anything about picking up the debris and garbage left behind? Don't even start with the ineffective "clean team". It should be up to every property owner to maintain their property frontage - even if it is not leased.

  Go take a walk up Erie street and learn something. The sidewalks are swept, the storefronts are neat and tidy. The place just screams of civic pride. And it is rewarded in kind by being a thriving district even in these hard times, including lots of foot traffic on a late Sunday morning. You don't see anyone there from the BIA peddling excuses and double-talk. They just get 'er done. Remember that phrase, "get 'er done"? Mark, if you put half as much energy on putting your foot up a few asses downtown as you do trying to refute perfectly valid points made in these discussions.... this series wouldn't even exist.

• John, the comment came form somewhere else in the discussion. maybe yesterday, or on scaledown? I'm pretty sure the original post was relating to how the disinvestment in the core isn't found in the burbs despite the state of the economy.

  As John points out, look at Erie St. there is no district in the city that can match the pride of the business owners.

  David, that block is probably a bad example right now as redevlopment rumors surround that block. I doubt any investment would take place while demolition is pending. The Canada gift shop is a great building, relatively unchaged as well. It wouldn't take much to make it a gem of Ouellette.

  Mark - fair enough about why you're quoting prices.

  I'm not looking for an apology or for you to eat crow, I just want you to realize that the status quo isn't working that slick videos aren't the answer. Look at the comments here and at scaledown. Residents are speaking, but it seems they're not being heard. But the simple amenites are lacking, silly little things like a Coles or even an International News would go a long way towards helping the core. We need a mix of small national retailers and vibrant local businesses. But we keep loosing places like Tureks only to have them replaced with nothing.

  What we as a city (residents, council, The City and the DWBIA) have been doing isn't working. In this case I think we need to throw the baby out with the bathwater and start over. Even if the DWBIA has stopped trying to lure Americans the monster that has been created still exists.

  Too many years have been spent turing the downtown into a toilet/playground and now it's like a runaway train. The real businesses have all but left and all we're left with is a wateland during the day and a party zone at night. There needs to be some subsidizing and/or reduction of taxes to get the businesses back. I'm not asking for a Dominion at Wyandotte and Ouellette again, but something that's not a money mart would be good...

  Maybe zoning restrictions need to be done? I'm not sure what the answer is, but it's clear it's what you or I or the City or the DWBIA have been doing, is not working. The sooner we can admit that the sooner we can all work together to achieve the same goal.

• Are they demolishing the whole the block or just the vacant buildings up to the gift shop? From the Windsor Star, it's just the vacant buildings up to the gift shop and the rest of the buildings will remain. Petrotta (sp?) Construction already bought the vacant buildings as stated in the Star. It's my understanding from the ad that they weren't going to buy anymore property. I guess the vibrations from demolition next door for a month might cause the glass and porcelain to shake and possibly fall over. But, that'd be only for like a month. Then, they could put it back up again. Not a good enough reason as to why not clean up the front facade when the DWBIA is offering all these so-called incentives.

• Obviously it’s apparent that people want downtown to be revitalized. That much we can all agree upon. People are sick and tired of complaining, and observing nothing being done. So the question is, when will someone at the top of the totem poll LISTEN to what the people actually want, and not just assume what they want, or what they feel is best for us. Since when do we need others to speak for us? When will our wonderful elected officials (**GAGS**) actually initiate something, and show Windsor as a City that they too are serious in wanting to change our downtown, and are hearing what people want? Do you think a stupid video is the answer? One, which doesn’t even, truly focus on revitalization? You and I cannot do this alone; it must start at the top. The answers are simple, and clear as day. Illuminate the downtown tweeny clubs, COMPLETELY. Implement new zoning laws forbidding them to even be established downtown, I mean if they all want to be together, and operate as neighbors, then move them across town, hell out of town would be better, the vast majority of people in this city from what I have observed, won’t miss them in our core to begin with. Mandate property owners to clean, and maintain their property frontages as John mentioned, don’t make it an option, make it LAW. If they disobey make them pay.
  Enforce new by-laws which emphasize preservation of historic buildings downtown, and forbid the addition of stucco, and other materials not suited for these buildings. The taxes on those properties, and just in general for this city are disgusting, lower them, and make owning a downtown business, a feasible/profitable business venture vendors can take on. Where does the re birth begin? Who initiates the first step by illuminating the bars, and implementing new by laws?? King Eddie? If so, downtown will fall much further in its demise with Eddie at the wheel. I love that these blogs give us a voice, and freedom of speech, however it’s unfortunate that our cries are falling on deaf ears, at least in my opinion.

• I don't know If anyone knows that some of the buildings I've seem stuccoed over have had their brick surfaces crack and break off due to the freeze thaw cycle. They really look shitty with broken brick faces. Is there a cost effective way of fixing this problem without covering it with stucco ???