Windsor Arena

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• Comparing London and Windsor is natural. However, Richard is partially right, the two cities are different. London has historically always been more dense than Windsor. There was only 1 core centred on Richmond and Dundas (if you ignore a half-block in London East at Dundas & Adelaide). Windsor on the other hand had two initial cores, Sandwich (Sandwich St. & Mill) and our current downtown. Eventually, you can argue, we had 3 (or maybe 4 if you count Riverside). Richard needs to be corrected however, the river promotes density, not hinders it. Regardless of all of this, it was a mistake to put the WFCU Centre in the suburbs.

• The ACC almost went in at Yonge and the 401 (you see a cluster of highrise condos there now).

• I can't believe, that after years of hullabaloo, the residents of Windsor allowed an arena to be built out in the wastelands. Whatever happened to an "anchor" for downtown Windsor?

  Anyway, I am not so sure it needed to be replaced. Living in Ann Arbor, I catch a lot of games at Yost Arena, which reminds of a lot of the old Windsor Arena. Watching at Yost is a terrific experience.

  Where there is a will, there is a way.

  I guess I don't see the need for corporate suites. Corporate anything usually means disposable. The old Windsor Arena lasted 80-some years. In Detroit, the Joe Louis Arena isn't even 30 years old, and its considered a relic. That's what happens when you start buying into the corporate mumbo jumbo.

  I've been getting a lot of press releases from Casino Windsor, pubbing all their "big acts."

  Are you telling me there wasn't a way to somehow tie a new arena development with the Casino? There could have been a lot of synergy there.

• Tran - i don't know the technical side of it, so I ask this: would you have to be over 18 to go see a game if it were incorperated into the casino? then it would get all this gawd awful "ceasers" garb all over it.......i don't know.

  but you're right, there was nothing like seeing a game at the Barn. sitting right on top of the ice, the place shook with the howl of the fans. a scene i'm afraid the old girl will never experience again.

• In the above post by JBM if he looked up when those shopping areas were built they where outside the city,Dorwin plaza, Sentry, and Gateway Sandwitch west township, Tecumsh mall was built across the road from Sandwitch east township hall. Devonshire mall built in the seventies was in Windsor from the start, the others where annexed.
  The firt I heard about a western anchor was after the Casino planned the permanet building.
  The comment that the river promotes density, it DOSE NOT attract retail investment the proof Windsors core.
  The casino was put downtown after other areas lost out, the casino was supposed to be the new life for Windsor, gamblers come to gamble then go home,no shopping no spending money.
  If Lauzon Rd. is the suburbs, theirs more retail stores than downtown, and its still Windsor.

• I personally believe that when the city built WFCU Centre where it is it was an act of retrogression. If we look at several other cities who have built new sport venues, they've built them all in their downtown cores, and in many cases adjacent to a body of water. Think of the many new baseball stadiums built in the last 20 years - ALL of them except for the new one in Dallas were built in the downtown core. The idea behind them was to promote business in their downtown cores which were in many cases rotting and made downtown Windsor in it's worst state look like Shangi La. Many of them succeeded in transforming the economies in their cities. Therefore, building in the outskirts is very backward.

  An arena downtown would have helped fill that horrible gap in a absolutely lovely area of the city with unlimited potential. Now I hope that the University of Windsor will purchase this land and build some new facilities for the planned move of the visual arts, theater and music programs downtown...

• In spite of all the great hockey games,my fondest memory was watching an epic tennis match between Pancho Gonzales & Jack Kramer in the arena circa 1949!

• The WFCU Center out in the suburbs in this a rebuilding year, not like the last three when the target was the Memorial Cup is still drawing over six thousand fan per game.If they where downtown would they have the same effect the Casino does, people come to gamble then go home,where is the spinoff for retail stores?
  When first touted the new Casino was going to draw thousands of people downtown, create large trafice jams. Even at its best time people came gambled and went home.I think most people that go to a Spites game do not go shopping after, they go home.

• we had the western anchor site with wayne gretzkys name attached and we blew it-the arena should have stayed in downtown windsor- many businesses would have benifited-ask the Keg-they get a lot of business when there is a concert at casino