Actually, not really…
The Urban Village plan is “on hold”. I’ve been telling my friend who bought a house near the Urban Village proposed location for years that the whole plan was a sham, and that this city will never get its act together enough to pull off something like the Urban Village. Glad to see that the McMansion Mayor did not fail to dissapoint…
New plan
Urban village delayed for ‘significant project’Dave Hall
Windsor StarWednesday, April 25, 2007
Mayor Eddie Francis says the urban village concept has been delayed
Plans for an urban village on lands adjacent to the Art Gallery of Windsor have been delayed because of the potential for a “significant project†which could encompass most or all of the 50 acres, said Mayor Eddie Francis.
Speaking after the Downtown Windsor business improvement area annual general meeting, Francis declined to divulge details but said “it’s not driven by a single developer and it’s something we need to consider before we bring forward a request for proposals for the urban village.
“We need an opportunity to address that entire development before we move forward with anything else,†said Francis.
London developer Shmuel Farhi recently acquired a piece of property next to the art gallery fronting on Riverside Drive as part of a land swap which allowed the city to acquire property where the new arena is being built on the city’s far east side.
While acknowledging that Farhi is “looking to add to his investment downtown,†Francis declined to say whether Farhi was involved in the development project being considered by the city.
The 50-acre site, which is bounded by the new transit terminal on the eastern edge, University Avenue on the south, Caron Avenue on the west and Pitt Street on the north, was the subject of a community improvement plan more than three years ago.
Once city council decided the property was an expensive and inappropriate location for a new arena development, the focus shifted to an urban village which would include an eclectic mix of residential, commercial and retail development designed to attract more pedestrian traffic to the edge of the city core.
Council decided last year to issue a request for proposals from potential developers on both sides of the border but that process is now on hold.
© The Windsor Star 2007
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20 years ago this was a perfect urban village, one of the nicest in Windsor. Then the city removed it for that arena project.
The St. Lawrence neighbourhood here in Toronto, started in the late 70s early 80s, is a model of how a created urban village can work -- but it takes time for it to developer on its own. I too fear the Windsor version might be like those awful vinyl siding urban renewal projects in detroit.
Vegas North is betten than Tijuana North.
It's too bad the Windsor Star couldn't do an article with three photos. In all three, would be a picture of this 50 acres behind the AGW. One picture would have a cropped cut and paste of one of those ugly vinyl sided townhouse projects from Detroit. Another wouild have a croped cut and paste of an ugly two storey warehouse that would house U of Windsor's Engineering building and the third would have a cropped cuy and paste of the Vegas Bellagio, and under it, it would say, "Which would you prefer to look at while walking down Riverside? Ugly vs Awesome?"
For the record, Bellagio belongs in Vegas. In Windsor it might be as bad as that vinyl crap.
I think they should build a giant tourist trap box store with some stucco on the front and call it "Windsor Castle". People will drive from miles around to go see Windsor castle if you advertise the hell out of it. If it works for Wall, SD, it could work for Windsor!!!
I thought we already have a giant tourist trap box called the University of Windsor.
Maybe this "significant project" will be parking for the new University of Windsor Medical Building.
I was reading this morning's Windsor Star.
And, the winner is..... Drums roll.... It looks like it's gonne be the University of Windsor with their $53 million state-of-the-art warehouse looking, tourist trap box. (But, the chairman of the University's Board of Governors is quoted as saying no decision has been finalized.) I guess I can forget about my dreams of seeing anything worth looking at on those lands.
I can't think of a more natural partner for 50 acres of surface lots!
To correct some misinformation on this posting regarding the Engineering building.
The design for the proposed downtown location has not been created. The "ugly" two story "warehouse" is only a mock-up and does not represent the actual building - it's a filler to show where the building is going.
Furthermore, the proposed downtown location would be a $110 million facility which could possibly include up to 3 buildings - details are simply not known yet as they have not been drawn up.
I can tell you reading on the university website the building is being designed as a showpiece.