Ontario Construction News staff writer
To increase the supply of housing and meet aggressive targets, Windsor city council has presented a list of municipal lands to make shovel-ready for residential development.
Properties are at various stages of the approval process, and some will come online sooner than others, the city will issue expressions of interest as soon as each property is deemed shovel ready.
To streamline the process, a special developer registration site will
connect the development community with opportunities. The first properties that will be available are:
- Former Lowe Secondary School site – 874 Giles Boulevard East
- Caron Avenue Parking Lot – 0 Caron Avenue
- Pelissier Street Parking Lot – 0 Pelissier Street
- Roseland Clubhouse and Parking Lot – 455 Kennedy Drive
Roseland Clubhouse and parking lot development – public consultation
A public information centre (PIC) will be held Mar. 7 from 4 to 7 p.m. at 455 Kennedy Drive to present and discuss the property.
City administrators have worked with local architecture firm Architecttura to develop a conceptual condo complex befitting the historic Roseland Golf Course and its South Windsor neighbourhood.
This concept includes the potential of 38 one and two bedroom(s) units, including balcony, a green roof, underground parking, tiered levels, glass railings, and sports courts along south side of the current parking lot, mainly using the existing footprint of the current facility.Development is not expected to impact the historic Donald Ross –designed golf course, but a new clubhouse will be built, and a plan for an innovative and complementary new condominium complex has been envisioned.
City administrators have worked with local architecture group Architecttura Inc. Architects to develop a conceptual condo complex befitting of the historic Roseland Golf Course and South Windsor neighbourhood.
The concept includes a potential 38 one-to-two-bedroom units, including balcony, a green roof, underground parking, tiered levels, glass railings, and sports courts along the south side of the current parking lot.
With public consultation being an integral part of the process, members of the public, agencies, and other interested persons are invited to participate in the upcoming Roseland Golf Club Parking Lot PIC:
A Roseland Clubhouse and Parking Lot Development online survey will also be available from March 1 to 24, for community members and stakeholders to provide input as part of the consultation process. Hard copies of the survey will also be available at the PIC on March 7.
The “Housing Solutions Made for Windsor” plan comes as the city experiences an accelerated period of growth and increased demand for housing, compounded by the housing shortage being experienced nationally.
In 2023, the city began a process to review municipal lands throughout the community that could support developments aimed at increasing the supply of housing in Windsor. That review identified several properties with significant and immediate potential for development covering all types of housing needs, including affordable housing, and missing middle housing.
Council met in-camera on February 12, 2024, to review and form consensus on the current list representing the first group of properties that are best suited, and furthest along in the planning process to achieve the goal of supporting the development of more homes, faster.
Public consultation is expected to ensure development is “complementary to and respectful of the integrity of established neighbourhoods and the quality of life for residents” and considers added amenities in some places. Additionally, any funding brought in from the sale of land will be considered for reinvestment in adjacent amenities.