[Symz]

Originally Posted by north 42

^^^ Farhi has been very quiet lately, so I hope he has something in the works for his properties. I wonder if he'll develop his properties himself, or sell to the city?

On that note. I stumbled upon a real estate website local to Windsor that also runs a blog. Here is a recent blog entry from a realtor I found interesting.

Deal of the Week and Windsor Ontario Economic News Updates
November 28th, 2011
Dear Clients,

The University of Windsor has committed their final (and largest) group of students to the down town core long term.

This is huge, HUGE news for the downtown core. You now have firm commitments from both the University of Windsor and St. Clair College to shift over 2,200 students at the minimum into the downtown core. Man I can’t explain how huge this is for Windsor’s core. It ties into a master plan which has been carefully crafted by the uber skilled mayor and his ultra-capable city council (when can we EVER say that about municipal government). I’ll try to summarize for the interested clients:

1000+ St. Clair College students with a brand new MediaPlex building for journalism and broadcasting (first of its kind in Canada), and full possession of our old convention centre for hotelier, culinary arts and hospitality programs.
1200+ University of Windsor students predominantly in communications, social work and the arts, filling up four larger buildings in the core.
From the University moving downtown, the Windsor Star newspaper now takes on modern digs in the heart of downtown with an amazing renovation plan.
4 incubation hubs (also known as business accelerators) creating hundreds of new jobs (JUST TO START – the whole idea is these companies grow and move out within 2-3 years).
Incidentally Ontariorci.com member Rhys Trenhaile is one of the co-owners of the film and television accelerator downtown, 47 jobs projected within the first 3 years of operation.
4 new bank buildings in the last 4 years (a wise old investor once told me start buying when banks are building – he was spot on here).
A $400 million casino expansion including a massive concert hall and the 2nd largest convention centre in Ontario (Jay Leno did New Years Eve there last year for example. Yes Torontonians, in Windsor.).
You have gone from a single festival and a single fireworks night in the downtown core to literally multiple festivals each weekend during the warm season, including massive draws such as the International Red Bull Air Racing in recent years.
A $6 million auditorium on the waterfront able to house 15,000 people for a concert (I was there for Benny Bennassi if that means anything to you, 2nd largest DJ in the world spinning tunes, was UNREAL).
A $54 million community centre complete with Olympic sized pool, wave pool and water slides – a real draw not just for Windsor but for South Western Ontarian and American families as well.
The Main Library branch moves into the Art Gallery which urban planning studies the world over have shown this is sheer brilliance in enhancing cultural services to the community.
A massive call centre with 1,000+ jobs moves from two spots in town into the downtown core into the old library building. There was a good chance they were leaving Windsor, and the city government saved the day in spectacular fashion, where they’re now talking about expansion of the centre rather than leaving the city altogether.
This list above – and I’m sure I’m missing some things of significance – is all just in the last 4 years. That’s it. 1400 days.

Up next for the downtown core:

The largest investor south of Toronto has bought up huge swaths of the western side of the downtown core in order to build condo towers. Now that this University news is a done deal, he’ll be building soon I’m certain.
The Mayor is focusing on setting up a real museum as a serious draw. The reality is – and any historian will tell you this – no spot in Ontario has a richer history than Windsor. This isn’t me shaking the pom-poms, it’s a fact. It’s the oldest settlement west of Quebec City, War of 1812, end of the Underground Railroad, PROHIBITION (my favourite – man what an amazing story), the birth of mass production, the birth of the automobile, the birth of Electronic Music, the last of the “Company Towns” (Olde Walkerville), etc. etc. – many cities 10 times our size don’t have our stories to tell.
Who knows. I put this in half jokingly. This city is changing so quickly in a positive, diversified direction that I can only imagine what’s up next. Take no prisoners. Next.