I’m sure by now everyone has seen King Eddie’s latest legacy scheme. I’m not quite sure what to make of this plan, but I don’t like the idea of removing the last remnants of the residential area west of downtown for a hair-brained scheme like this.
It seems like this mayor is always after the silver bullet solution, rather than trying to fix the things in this city that are broken… But I digress…
If you haven’t seen the plan yet, click here for high res version of the photo above.
Judging by the concept drawing supplied by his highness, it looks like all of the area shaded in yellow will be obliterated. In fact Chatham St. will cease to exist west of Church St.
I took a little cruise through the area last night to show off the sights to those of you that aren’t familiar with the area. Here’s a mid-century hydro sub-station.
A nice, well kept little house on Bruce.
Next door to that one, at the corner of Bruce and Pitt is the J. H. Beattie house, listed as being built c. 1892.
This currently commercial section of row houses along Chatham was formerly the offices of the Walkerville Times.
An old early 1900’s duplex.
Hard to tell from the renderings, but it looks like these two older buildings along Pitt St. between Chatham & Janette may be saved. One is currently the home of Acapulco Delight, who already had to move once when their building on Victoria just south of University was demolished for a much needed parking lot.
A view south along Janette from Pitt.
I suppose we’ll have to wait and see, but if Eddie’s track record counts for anything, than there’s nothing to worry about as it will never get done…
What do you guys make of this plan? For the out of towners, click here to read the media’s coverage…
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Andrew--I have to weigh-in on this. I personally find the plan interesting and innovative.and have been really taken aback by the negative reactions I've been reading/hearing. While I expected the usual negative Windsor-types to come out of the gate saying "this will never happen, Windsor is a hole, etc"--I am shocked by the number of supposedly progressive-minded people who've come out to declare this project as "hair-brained" and to attack Francis for it.
I find the concept innovative and bold. I am no great fan/supporter of Eddie Francis--but the idea of 'extending' the waterfront inland is a game-changer for that entire district. Nothing since the original arena proposal has come even close to befitting the "western super-anchor" label--but the creation of this marina district has the potential to begin the process of transforming the city's self-image, as well as it's image elsewhere. Since the phobia of building anything commercial along Riverside Drive seems well-entrenched (as proven by the mania over a ticket office for a tour boat operator), building these canals seem to be a means of bringing developable waterfront land to market and changing the entire feel of the core area...unless of course these canals get built only to have a groundswell of support come to bear for all canalfront lands to be parks, in which case we'd be back at square one.
It looks like an interesting idea in my opinion but I really think the state of Oulette ave. should be taken care of before they start doing stuff like this. One would think our downtown's revitalization would take priority over a canal.
I don't believe there will ever be any other opportunity to bring the river inland like this allowing this asset to be leveraged. I get, that the Beattie house is an important asset.
Sounds like this makes for a great debate
I am personally opposed to this plan and there are many reasons why. I object to this notion that we have to terraform our own planet because nature did not give us a nice enough waterfront. People are comparing this to Venice and don't understand how they can say that with a straight face. Nobody goes to Venice just because there is water there. They go because of the history and the romantic mystique that has been propagated about the city. Venice has been a wonder of the world longer than Windsor has been a dot on a map.
This plan is going to cost a lot of money and we are already paying for a number of things in this city. I don't want my taxes to go up even further! I believe Windsor would benefit from a reduction in taxes and levies, not another increase. I believe millions of dollars should be spent attracting high-tech and other businesses to Windsor, instead. If Windsor has jobs and the city leaders work to make the place a desirable (meaning safe and relatively low cost) location to live in, then private interests will come and build here on their own. Work on improving existing schools, parks, roads, health-care, etc. Stop subsidizing urban sprawl.
I believe the city needs to come up with plans to help downtown property owners refurbish and maintain their existing buildings instead of letting them get rundown and eventually demolished.
In my opinion this is really nothing more than hare-brained scheming on Fast Eddie's part. I don't think this plan will ever come to fruition, but if by some chance it does it will prove to be a waste of $70,000,000. Is the average Windsorite going to benefit from this? No. If anything, this project will turn into an expensive haven for retired Yuppies from the GTA. Most Windsorites will not be able to afford to live there. The best they can hope for would be to gaze in wonder at this over-priced enclave of the wealthy as their taxes continue to blast upwards into the stratosphere. Windsor has a million problems which need to be addressed before Clowncil should even consider a fiasco like this.
What a circus!!! I dont think it will happen and I dont want it to, you really think that water going to that nice of a colour going through downtown it will just be a overpriced,overpolluded, glorified ditch. by the way wheres the 25 story water slide extending from the condos the the canal!!!! might as well go all out!!!
The comments above are the reason why nothing can get accomplished in the downtown. Whatever "idea" get brought up as a way to improve the City of Windsor, people immediately dump (I would rather use the other sh-t word) on it and complain and cry that the "idea" is no good, stupid, far-fetched (insert any other negative word you want here). Only in Windsor can we automatically try to rip apart an idea of renewal and "out-of-the-box" thinking. We come up with excuses why it "idea" can't work. In this case, someone talk about the "mid-century hydro sub-station" and the half dozen or so homes (which homes are very nice and well-kept, I give you that). For heavens sakes, 50% of the area, as shown by the airphoto, is parking lot area! But why can't these people look beyond this and see that the proposal (IF IT EVER HAPPENS, YES I UNDERSTAND THAT), contemplates far more residential density/units for the area, that is currently there. I was at the Artcite meeting a few months ago, and many kept stressing the importance of bringing people back to the downtown to live, work and play. Now, this "idea" envisions residential units, and people here post that the units will be "to expensive" and only for "yuppys from the GTA"!! Honestly......you can't win, can you! People cry about the need for downtown revitalization, and whenever someone speaks up and proposes an "idea", they get run out of town with negative comments. Someone mentioned that they should not "subsidize urban sprawl" by doing this, and then goes on to say that the city should invest in schools, parks and roads...ROADS! That's what has always been happening. Spending tax money so that cars can get from point A to point B. And how is this project subsidizing urban sprawl, this is a project for DOWNTOWN revitalization. It boggles my mind. I don't think people stop and think things through before they touch pen to paper. All we do is start coming up with excuses why something wont work. Its going to be an "overpriced,overpolluded, glorified ditch", "my taxes will go up"...what else?, is the value of your house going to decrease?.....are we all going to die because of west nile virus in the summer?.....OMG...the humanity!!!!
Windsor always acts like the "grumpy man on the porch". We are always so quick to be negative, depressed and dismiss things.
And we wonder why nothing has improved downtown....HMMMM. It makes me laugh....and get fed-up/angry.
Here is my longest post ever on IM.
As a person who has a vested interest in this I will say the following:
Will the entire area be levelled or can they build the canals around existing homes? If they can build skyscrapers around one story businesses in NY they can do the same here.
Who is going to fill all of those condos? Since condos do not hold value very well who would they serve (especially since Windsor is losing population not gaining population)? Not everyone wants to live in a condo nor will. This is why I believe some or most of the houses should stay or be moved around the urban village. As it adds another dimension to the area other than condos, condos, condos.
Why can't they move the canal to Park St? Not only would it feed two birds with one piece of bread by removing a very low income/very high crime area but it would also be a catalyst to improve the small neighbourhood THAT ALREADY EXISTS. Thusly, the ENTIRE area that would benefit would grow.
The same cannot be said for the current plan because the housing stock south of Park St. on Janette and Bruce are in very poor shape. The gentrification just won't happen unless that area is levelled.
What about expropriation? Will the city expropriate the land? If so I sure am not going to get the money I have sunk into my house. Should I know put all of my construction on hold because of this and for how long?
I also have witnesses to Ron Jones stating that an urban village will be built and that I would be ahead of the curve if I were to purchase my house (this is back in 2005). If the city is going to expropriate they had better have deep pockets because I am not moving nor selling. I was promised an urban village and that is why I moved downtown; To be a part of the new urban village and to raise my family in an urban setting. Who can tell me where I can live downtown in a beautiful little neighbourhood with little crime and find a house in such good shape as the one I have currently purchased? It doesn't exist! My house was built by a former councillor James MacMurray, so historical designation migh tbe in the works. To add insult to injury I am in contact with the very same family who are ecstatic that the house still exists and who have stated to me that the house was the central focus point of the entire family until 1945!
If the city doesn't expropriate and leaves it up to the developers, all of the speculators who have sat on their vacant properties for years are going to want the biggest bang for their dollar which will drive up the cost of the development.
My other issue with this is why the mayor's office did not contact the residents first. Yet again Eddie talks about visitors, visitors, visitors and not one word about existing HIGH TAXPAYING RESIDENTS. Take a look at the review panel, NOT ONE RESIDENT! Talk about a slap in the face to those of us who have been gentrifying the area! I guess if your not a buddy of Eddie you are ignored...go figure on biting the hand that feeds you Eddie!
I think the idea is interesting but I don't think it should come at the expense of the existing neighbourhood. If we go back a few years for the original urban village an RFP was NEVER even sent out. Why when according to Mr. Jones, 3 developers (2 from the USA and 1 from Canada) were interested?
I don't think a canal needs to be built in order ot attract people to live downtown. Build quality row houses and condos, give good incentives for home owners to restore their houses and I am sure the area would be filled in quickly. As it stands their is little incentive to do just that. And having what I call the "war zone" (block south of Park Ave on Janette & Bruce) continue to have high crime while the police turn a blind eye doesn't help the situation much. When I call police to state I see drug deals in th eopen when I go for a walk and nothing happens is just mind boggling. Who is going to put up with that crap?
Clean up the core first before you try and re-invent it!
If some of the finer existing buildings could be incorporated into the plan, I think it's a fantastic concept. It's visionary - too visionary for some it would seem! If you would like to see the downtown revitalized and create a future heritage district for generations to come, then build this. No half measures or watered down versions - build it right!
he needs to be put in a padded room for this one. the cost would be insane and it's just so stupid. one minute it's a arena, then a university, next it's a canal? wish they would think before they go tearing things down in this city.
right now streets around the new bus station have buses parked all the time idling, where will they go? or all the parking. as it's shown with housing and a marina for some high end housing, only a select few would be able to use that space anyway. so why spend all that money just for a select few? when the rest of the city won't even be able to use it. stupid...