I don't really know what the following means....
Core site tempts U of W
Urban village delayed as city considers school's plans
Roberta Pennington and Dave Hall, Windsor Star
Published: Thursday, April 26, 2007
The University of Windsor is in talks with the City of Windsor for what could be "a significant project" on the lands adjacent to the Art Gallery of Windsor.
Plans for a downtown urban village have been delayed as the city considers the school's plans for future development.
"Right now we're just exploring all kinds of options," said U of W president Ross Paul. "And how that will end up, I don't know. We have lots of needs and we're spending lots of time trying to raise money both privately and from government and that will be a big factor in what we do."
Mayor Eddie Francis announced plans for "a significant project" Wednesday after speaking to the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association's annual general meeting.
Francis declined to divulge details, but at least two sources have told The Star the project involves an education institution.
"It could even be the university, I'm not sure; I know it's an education institution," said Ward 2 Coun. Caroline Postma. "It could go one of two ways: The post-secondary institution could look at it and say, 'You know what, it really doesn't fit in with our future plans....' Or, they could come up with some really great housing-slash commercial design that is truly an urban village."
Francis said the project could encompass most or all of the 50 acres of the urban village site.
The university has broken ground for a new $20-million medical school and has plans to build a $120-million engineering building.
The development would be aimed at increasing pedestrian traffic and adding commercial and retail development to the area, Francis said.
"The potential development is not developer-driven so much as it's idea-driven based on what we believe needs to happen on those lands and we believe it will generate significant interest," Francis said.
As a result, plans to issue a request for proposals for an urban village have been delayed.
Postma said the decision to postpone issuing RFPs for the urban village in favour of considering the education alternative was agreed to by council because "there's no other projects" that have been proposed for the area.
"No one's really come forward with any ideas yet," said Postma, whose ward covers the property in question. "There really hasn't been much interest from anyone else at this point."
Coun. Percy Hatfield would neither confirm nor deny the involvement of one of the local post-secondary schools.
"What I can say is that the mayor told us a little while ago that there's an opportunity for an exciting new proposal that would accomplish everything we'd like to see accomplished on the urban village property and it would have a residential component to it and, you know, everybody would really stimulate the downtown."
Another city insider, who asked not to be named, said the development did not involve building more hospitality or retail space.
"We've been asked not to say anything," the official said. "If it's off the record, it's something to do with education. That's all I can tell you. You know St. Clair College is already down there at the Cleary, right? "
St. Clair College president John Strasser said the college is not involved in any downtown development scheme.
NO PLANS
"We have no plans to build anything other than to move into the St. Clair Centre, as we like to call it," Strasser said. He noted, however, that local developers have approached the school to pitch the idea of converting existing buildings in the downtown area into lofts.
Speaking after the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association's annual general meeting, Francis said the project is something the city needs to consider before issuing a request for proposals for an urban village.
"We need an opportunity to address that entire development before we move forward with anything else," said Francis. "An urban village would potentially be done a piece at a time and this has the potential to speed up that process and it would be unwise if we didn't consider it."
Francis declined to say whether any developers have shown interest in the project.
London developer Shmuel Farhi recently acquired a piece of property next to the art gallery and 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 he was involved in the project being considered by the city.
Farhi said he would "look very seriously" at at any development that would help revitalize Windsor's downtown but declined to say if he has any involvement in the project eyed for the urban village site.
The site, which is bounded by the new transit terminal to the east, University Avenue to the south, Caron Avenue to the west and Pitt Street to the north, was the subject of a community improvement plan more than three years ago.
© The Windsor Star 2007
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