WINDSOR | Construction - News and Development

[AmateurPlanner]

Originally Posted by DieselXL

Both developments look to be on the west side of Walker.
I thought Castlegate was going to be on the North side of Duscharme but it looks like it'll now be on the South side of it (backing on to 401).
The new Trinity Tower will be on the north side (backing on to the train tracks).

The signage does look a lot like the building on Crawford and Wyandotte but I know they're different developers (Piroli built that one and I am in that building now lol)
HD Development is the one behind Trinity Tower. Website shows this to be Phase 1 with a 7 story midrise (58 units) and the overall project showing 244 units

Interesting, wonder if the developers did some sort of swap? Yeah that Trinity Tower development looks to be pretty big too. Website for the curious (site plan is also shown on the website) https://trinitygatecondos.com/

[Symz]

Originally Posted by north 42

A new boutique hotel is now planned for Erie St. where the new 4 story building that has gone up that was originally meant to be apartments. I think it’s a great location for this and a great asset for Little Italy!


https://windsor.ctvnews.ca/8-million...taly-1.5585352

So in the article they talk about the hotel industry not really fully recovering until 2024, but in the same breath say that if the building stayed residential it would be rented out because of demand... There's some interesting logic going on here.

Hotels have struggled in Windsor historically in the past 20 years. I have a lot of reservations about this fully panning out and I'm speculative they apply for a licence to convert the space back to residential down the road.

[AmateurPlanner]

Originally Posted by Symz

So in the article they talk about the hotel industry not really fully recovering until 2024, but in the same breath say that if the building stayed residential it would be rented out because of demand... There's some interesting logic going on here.

Hotels have struggled in Windsor historically in the past 20 years. I have a lot of reservations about this fully panning out and I'm speculative they apply for a licence to convert the space back to residential down the road.

Yeah, I think a mixed-use residential building would have been better for the area, especially with the city's push to increase the amount of density in the core neighbourhoods. I think it will be interesting to see how it plays out at the next council meeting where the final approval will take place.

[AmateurPlanner]

Smaller-scale development news. The building at Ottawa and Windermere (from what I can tell on Google Maps, it's the building on the north-west corner) is currently being renovated by the Biblioasis owner, with plans for the publishing to move there, as well as warehouse storage for the books. The building is also planning to include Everitt-Wells Financial as well as possibly another tenant. CIP grant application for improvements going to council Monday for approval.

NC Capital (a tiny home developer) is also seeking CIP grants for two tiny home projects in Ford City, on Hickory Road. Here's a link to the project site: https://nccapital.ca/project/tiny-ho...-east-windsor/. From the article, it sounds like they have already built a few other tiny homes on infill lots in the core as well. CIP grant application is also going on Monday too.

Been a bit quiet on the larger developments, anyone see any smaller-scale stuff near them?

Link to full article: https://windsorstar.com/news/local-n...-by-cip-grants

[DieselXL]

Random searches are getting very few and far between results.
The BairdAE architecture group seems to have a couple things on the go.

No real details unfortunatelyhttps://bairdae.ca/gallery/sandwich-street-apartment/

[north 42]

^ Interesting! I haven’t heard of the Sandwich st. development. Would that be the student housing that was supposed to be built at Sandwich and Mill?

[DieselXL]

That'd be my best guess as well.
It doesn't show the rest of the proposed development but that does fit the 10 story building at the back of the design

[Symz]

If you guys are starving for Windsor development news, learn ALOT of patience, and prepare yourself for disappointment at times. Welcome to the forum.

[north 42]

Man, all you ever post is negative shit. Talk about a Debbie Downer!

[DieselXL]

I've learned over time to expect less than what initially suggested.
I've also realized things work and a disproportionately slow pace for Windsor and I'll never grasp why tbh.

Changes nothing in my desire to see any progress what so ever.
Desperate for development would be an accurate statement and I'm good with that.

[inter777]

Wonder when we will see the type of developments going on in similar sized cities closer to the GTA. At the moment I think Windsor is working with its accumulated dead stock housing from over the years. Lots of home renovations going on all over the city. The larger developments seem to be happening outside the city.

[AmateurPlanner]

Yeah, it's a fair point that not all the developments announced pan out to the original scope, although I will say it's cool to see some of the proposals within the last couple of years that I never would have seen 10 years back.

Definitely agree with the points from @DieselXL and @inter777. I'm not sure why the pace of some projects seems to take a while longer, although hopefully the shake-ups within administration with the new CAO can help partially alleviate it. It's also fair that there are a lot of infill properties that are being re-activated at a smaller scale (which doesn't usually make it to any media sources). From my limited knowledge on the larger projects, it usually takes up to a year from announcement to shovels in the ground, so hopefully with all the projects announced earlier this year, by early 2022 we'll start hearing more.

I still try to stay optimistic about the developments though

[DieselXL]

As much as I don't care for a few of his ideas, Mayor Drew has tickled my fancy on this one. I'm sure there will be plenty who see it as a bit far fetched and/or grandiose, but I am on board with the overall vision here.

The article says its a 20 year vision, but lets be honest... if it's started in my lifetime, I'd be very surprised

https://windsorite.ca/2021/10/heres-...r-walkerville/

[north 42]

I really like what they’ve come up with and think it’s a reasonable plan that is mostly doable over time. It’s already a great neighbourhood, so hopefully it can continue to prosper and build on its assets.

[AmateurPlanner]

I definitely think Councillor Holt needs some credit too. He's advocated for increasing density, improving walkability, liveability, and the pedestrian experience throughout the city

I think the plan looks great as well! The idea of a flex street that's prioritized for pedestrians and cyclists is an excellent idea for Walkerville (I could see it on a few downtown streets as well). The pedestrian bridge is also a fantastic idea as well to connect the riverfront pathway to Walkverville.

To be honest, the whole plan looks great. I just wish the timeline was more aggressive although it's definitely better than nothing

[Symz]

Originally Posted by north 42

Man, all you ever post is negative shit. Talk about a Debbie Downer!

That's because development in Windsor moves at a snails pace and when it happens it usually leaves a lot to be desired once it's done.

I kind of got bored and just left. Windsor has a way of making people cynical. I remember I used to almost keep this forum alive for a number of years..

[Symz]

Originally Posted by DieselXL

As much as I don't care for a few of his ideas, Mayor Drew has tickled my fancy on this one. I'm sure there will be plenty who see it as a bit far fetched and/or grandiose, but I am on board with the overall vision here.

The article says its a 20 year vision, but lets be honest... if it's started in my lifetime, I'd be very surprised

https://windsorite.ca/2021/10/heres-...r-walkerville/

You know what's crazy. The 20 year visions they had when they drafted all the CIPS's for the city back with Mike Hurst still haven't even come to fruition. Not even close.

[AmateurPlanner]

A few proposals have come through for the east side:

Five six-storey residential towers are planned for the north-west corner of the Tecumseh Mall property (currently a grass field). Site plan can be seen in the article here. This is a really great development being close to both commercial as well as the transit hub at Tecumseh Mall. If approved by council, the developer plans to have shovels in the ground by early spring. I think something like this at Devonshire on the old Sears side would be great as well (after it's finished being the vaccination clinic).

A five-storey development has been approved by the development committee for 6475 Wyandotte St E (currently vacant), although there has been some neighbour pushback (when isn't there?). Article can be found here. Typical complaints you would expect: too much street parking, home value decrease, etc. I've seen many of these types of buildings in other cities with no issues. Glad to see Holt and Bortolin sticking to their guns on this one.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by AmateurPlanner

A few proposals have come through for the east side:

Five six-storey residential towers are planned for the north-west corner of the Tecumseh Mall property (currently a grass field). Site plan can be seen in the article here. This is a really great development being close to both commercial as well as the transit hub at Tecumseh Mall. If approved by council, the developer plans to have shovels in the ground by early spring. I think something like this at Devonshire on the old Sears side would be great as well (after it's finished being the vaccination clinic).

A five-storey development has been approved by the development committee for 6475 Wyandotte St E (currently vacant), although there has been some neighbour pushback (when isn't there?). Article can be found here. Typical complaints you would expect: too much street parking, home value decrease, etc. I've seen many of these types of buildings in other cities with no issues. Glad to see Holt and Bortolin sticking to their guns on this one.

That one on Wyandotte is a great fit. There are three-floor buildings on the blocks east and west of it, and a taller one close to the Metro and gym. People always complain about parking, but the homes on those side streets all have their own driveways (and some are quite long). Wyandotte is a perfect street for intensification.

What's Tecumseh Mall been like lately? I haven't been there in at least 10 years but it was pretty dead back then. It wasn't too far from my grandparents' house and I remember stopping there a lot when I was visiting them as a kid (early 1980s). A lot of the retail to the east along Tecumseh Rd. wasn't there back then. Mall properties all over the place can use this kind of redevelopment.

[Blitz]

As for the developments being slow or not panning out at all...we can say that about any smaller sized city. There are lots of examples of that in London too.

Tecumseh Mall had improved over the past decade with a new food court and some new anchor stores...but it has been hit hard by Covid. I was in there a few months ago and it's about 20% vacant. All of these apartment buildings proposed to be built adjacent to the mall will help.