Living in the Core

While I’m a strong advocate for downtown Windsor, my views are not limited to its boundaries. I believe that the City as a whole should have the same agenda, but it is only natural and logical to start in the downtown locale and expand outward. This is the methodology that Detroit, and so many other cities, has so successfully embraced.

Much has been posted on the subject of amenities and on the benefits of living downtown, Windsor still faces the challenges of attracting new residents and residential developments to its city centre. Many are beginning to realize the beauty and uniqueness of our riverfront but few are willing to live on its doorstep.

The City’s Planning Department has recommended the allocation of $150,000 to be utilized towards residential market studies prior to the adoption of any of the residential development incentives and recommendations made by the Community Improvement Plan. Theoretically, this is the correct approach however it does not address the immeasurable negative consequences these delays will have on our community.

One such example is that the of the current Community Improvement Plans which have been put on hold until 2012 - at which time we will be facing the same, if not greater, fiscal challenges. After completing CIP's 4 years ago, I do not have confidence that they will not simply be put on hold again either. In the meantime, there are no incentives to redevelop the Glengarry-Marentette area, most of Downtown, and every other neighbourhood in which Community Improvement Plans have been established. By that time Ottawa, Walkerville and Erie St. may be in a greater crisis.

Our developers are well aware of the City’s economic challenges and what the market will bear when it comes to new housing. $150,000 would be better spent on changing people’s perceptions of our downtown.

Tax Incentive Financing is only one measure of what should be provided to developers. We need to start promoting the many benefits of living downtown. Since 2003, I have been lobbying for residential development in our city centre, and I will continue to do so until action is taken. I have always been of the opinion that if residential development is integrated into the city’s centre, businesses are smart enought to locate near customers. Other indirect goals will be the fact that the type of residents who choose to live downtown will be the ones who will likely support and attend arts events, making facilities like the Capitol Theatre and the Art Gallery less dependant on public funding. In fact I tell you that no matter what the question is about Windsor's challenges, whether it be Arts, Economic Development, Tourism, Clean and Safe Issues, the solution includes residential development in the core. Just look across the river at Detroit or any other city that has recovered from a downturn.

Click here to see some of those benefits

Disclaimer: The views of my blog entry are my own and may not reflect the views or policy of the DWBIA

Scale Down's latest addition

I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce you to Scale Down's newest contributor, Mark Boscariol.

This is an exciting time for Windsor's downtown, and we're extremely thrilled to have Mark join us here at SDW to help update and analyze all the issues and oportunities presented to it.

For those of you who don't know Mark (I'm sure there's one or two in Windsor...somewhere), he is the co-owner in management of Chanoso’s/Buda/the Room. (http://www.255downtown.com/) located in the heart of Windsor. Mark is a past-chair of the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association (DWBIA) who has run businesses in Nova Scotia, Alberta and Ontario, allowing him to spend much time in different communities to see how they have developed their areas. This has also given him extensive knowledge of the retail industry.

Mark walks the talk when it comes to downtown revitalization, playing an active role in the restoration and development of 255 Ouellette Avenue - a building that he believes was once downtown Windsor’s biggest eyesore - and converting it to house a thriving restaurant/banquet hall/café/billiards entertainment bar. He played an active role in the development of Edith Cavell Condominiums, the adaptive reuse of the former school at 5955 Ontario, one of 5 buildings selected to receive a Built Heritage Award Certificate. I could go on...

Mark understands the impact Windsor's bult environment has on our community and culture, and will add a breadth and depth to our discourse on the effects the decisions our elected officals and residents make have on our city.

Welcome aboard, Mark. We're going to have a lot of fun...

Head on over to...

Thought we'd point you in the direction of a couple of other local bloggers who should probably be moonlighting with ...Scale Down.

Head over to Blog Windsor for a tasty surprise on Ottawa Street, and then over to International Metroplis if you want to bring it back up again.

House hunting on two wheels

How far down the livable-city road does Windsor have to travel before a business such as this becomes a viable one here? When they do begin to pop up, we will then know that we are employing proper planning strategies

From the innovative business idea website, Springwise

House-hunting can be a difficult and time-consuming process in which it often feels like you spend more time in a real estate agent's car than you do viewing houses. Pedal To Properties has come up with a novel concept whereby agents offer customers the chance to check out properties and neighbourhoods in a more healthful and leisurely fashion: via bicycle.

The free—and environmentally friendly—service is completely optional for clients, but those who choose to can tour through neighbourhoods and visit properties by cruiser bike. Boulder-based Pedal To Properties's agents meet clients with a few of the company's small fleet of cruiser bikes attached to the back of their car. An immersing ride can follow, giving potential buyers an alternative way to experience a neighbourhood and view multiple properties in an area without the hassle of getting in and out of a car.Launched by real estate professional, avid cyclist and Ironman triathlete Matt Kolb, Pedal to Properties combines health and fun with the home-buying process, providing a hyper-localized feel for neighbourhood vibes that could never be attained by car. The company is currently licensing its model to realtors across the United States, but the concept is simple, and could be applied virtually anywhere (reminds us of City Running Tours, which combines sightseeing and exercise). Of course, Boulder is an exceptionally fit kind of town, so realtors and other service providers in similarly health-conscious areas: this one's especially for you.

CocoBox Update

Since the PAC meeting last week, SDW has been reviewing the publicly available data on the approval for the proposed development at the corner of Sprucewood and Matchette directly behind the current raceway. You might remember that this is Jenny Coco and company, as represented by the numbered company 1223244 Ontario Ltd. After getting our hands on the meeting minutes from PAC, we discovered a couple of juicy tidbits that we thought we’d pass along to our readers.

1. First, and this one blew me away, EPAC, represented by Rob Spring at the PAC meeting, concurred with the recommendation that the land be converted to commercial space suggesting that the impact of commercial development would be less than a residential development. It is unfortunate that EPAC is willing to concede their position on this file. To their credit they did try and recommend a parkland development first although I don’t think that gives them absolution for their current position. Since when did we decide that choosing between the lesser of two evils was acceptable in this city?

2. The Town of LaSalle is opposed to this development and hired the firm Cushman & Wakefield LePage to draft a peer review of the plan. Per the meeting minutes (thanks to Kevin O’Neil for putting me on to this) for the June 26th LaSalle town council, they are ‘unanimously opposed’ to this development. That’s good news for us as this development will require partial approval from LaSalle for the changes to the transportation infrastructure it requires. (Though I think we should handle our own problems in Windsor and not rely on LaSalle to do our “dirty work”.)

3. This proposed site is actually larger than reported in the paper. Some will say, what’s another 20,000 square feet when you are already building 400,000? Given that your average main street business is about 2,000 square feet, it means another 10 businesses worth of selling space. Another 10 local merchants have their futures placed in jeopardy. For the record, 420,000 square feet of retail space are planned.

4. If anyone tries to tell you that this is simply a Commercial Centre, quote them this line: “Mr. Slopen describes the proposal to build … including restaurants, shops and larger big-box type stores.” Later on he concedes that a Loblaw Supercentre is planned for this space. Hey, if their lawyer said it, it must be true!

5. Mr. Slopen, a lawyer for the applicant from the law firm Miller Canfield, makes repeated attempts to coerce PAC into accepting the amendments to Recommendation IV which include removing the requirement for an Environmental Assessment. ‘Why?’ you ask. In his own words -- “the Class Environmental Assessment could slow down the process…and in [my] opinion; there is no reason to carry out this assessment.”

Alas, Mr. Slopen and the applicant succeeded in getting this amendment approved by PAC.

FYI – here is how PAC members voted. (Looks like the fight is on with our PAC sitting city councilors as all voted in favour of the project!)

For: Councilors Hatfield, Postma and Dilkens, Mr. Asmar and Mr. Baker

Against: Ms. Growe-Zdyb, Ms. Cross-Leal and Ms. Willis-More

Write your councilors and let them know that you do not want businesses in Windsor that want to detour around the EA process. We want good corporate citizens in Windsor, who care about the people and the environment of our city. Remember, this is scheduled to go before council on October 29, so time is short to get the word out to your representatives!

PS: Look for more on this topic from SDW in the coming weeks!

Time to think outside the transport truck

Personally, I have intentionally kept out of the massive border crossing debate for numerous reasons. The main reason for my absense? The lack of real solutions being discussed.

I have stated in the past that all the differing sides of the debate are actually arguing the same thing - just at different elevations. They see no problem (or at least they don't verbalize it) with the method with which our nation relies on transporting our manufactured goods, they just have a problem with the route this method of transportation takes - normally through their communities.

So, whether it's a completely buried truck route, a twinned span of the Ambassador Bridge, or the complete repaving of Essex County, it all amounts to the same thing. We're still stuck with these 30,000 daily truck trips! Nobody is proposing any real solutions, so I abstain. Well, maybe it's time to re-evaluate that decision.

Discussing many reasons for objecting to our current transportation model, Richard Gilbert and Anthony Perl have written the book "Transportation Revolutions". From their website...

"Before considering future transport we explore past transport revolutions, to gain insight into the nature and dynamics of profound change. We also examine current transport, with a focus on energy use and adverse impacts. We highlight some of transport’s determinants and analyse the politics and business of transport and how these could undergo major changes. We propose organizational and technical innovations that could ensure effective, secure movement of people and goods in ways that minimize environmental impacts and make the best use of renewable sources of energy.

We conclude that 2008 and 2009 could be pivotal years in preparing transport for the era of oil depletion, the many decades after about 2012 when world oil production could well decline gradually and unavoidably. In considering how to respond, we focus on what could be done in the U.S. and China by 2025. These are the most challenging cases among richer and poorer countries. Transport revolutions should be well under way by 2025, but far from complete.

"Transport Revolutions" could become essential reading for professionals in transport, energy, business, engineering, town planning, and local and national governments as well as students at many levels in transport, civil engineering, geography, town planning, environmental studies, public policy, and political science. "

I suggest that it is time to start questioning the motives of many of the people pushing the status quo, whether that be politicians, the bridge owners, N.Y traffic consultants, etc. They all have a vested interest in the survival of this method of transportation.

I just have the feeling that their priorities aren't the same as ours.

So tell that candidate knocking on your door to take their full tunnel "fix" and go back to the drawing board. It's not a real 21st century solution. It's pandering, and it's insulting.

Money for bike lanes

Someone should let city council and the Windsor Bicycling Committee know that the feds are ponying up more cash to speed up the implementation of alternative transportation.

Maybe we won't have as many bike lanes that lead to nowhere scattered around Windsor.

Transport Canada - New MOST Funding

Transport Canada is pleased to announce that the Moving On Sustainable Transportation (MOST) Program is set to continue supporting innovative sustainable transportation projects with an additional $3.2 Million for contributions over the next five years. The first funding round has a deadline of November 30, 2007. Learn how to apply with the new Applicant’s Guide and download the new Application Form by visiting our website.

Priorities, or lack thereof...

So, us Windsorites get multi-million dollar ice rinks and "improved" roads to drive on, but then we are told to cut back on other things to pay for them - like that extracurricular activity called literacy!

But I'm sure the neighbourhoods of Sandwich, South Walkerville, Remington Park and Forest Glade don't mind sacrificing a little bit of their communities for the common good.

4 Windsor public libraries face budget axe

The Windsor Public Library Board says it may close up to four branches and eliminate Sunday service to reach a 10 per cent budget cut.

The drastic measures were put forward by the library board after a six-hour budget session on Saturday. Each city department is being asked to suggest cuts to their departments to achieve a 10 per cent cut to help keep the city's tax increase at zero. "The feeling is that after increasing water rates by 86 per cent, the ratepayers aren't in the mood for more and that exercise has begun and the city needs to find $15 million in savings," Ward 3 said Coun. Alan Halberstadt, the chair of the library board.

Under the worst-case scenario put forward by the board between two and four library branches could close including Sandwich, South Walkerville, Remington Park and Forest Glade. "The board did pass a resolution that they strongly argued against service reductions, but if required, here is what could be cut," said Halberstadt. "There could also be a reduction in hours across the board. It's a little vague at this point."

The board needs to trim about $800,000 from its budget of just under $8 million.

Halberstadt said the library's largest expense is its staff. "A lot of our costs are staff and a lot of those costs are controlled by collective agreements," said Halberstadt. Halberstadt's council colleague on the board, Dave Brister of Ward 1, said he doesn't want any branches to close. "One of the things we have to look at before we start cutting service levels is to review administrative costs," said Brister. Brister said the removal of Sunday service would also make little sense. "Sunday has the highest use per hour of any day of the week," said Brister. "To even consider closing branches and eliminating Sunday service is a non-starter." Brister said the focus should be on trimming administrative costs. City departments are to provide their preliminary budgets to city administration by the end of the month so they can compile a draft budget for councillors. Any branch closures or service reductions would require the final approval of city council during budget deliberations next year.

DIY: Make a killing with land speculation.

This is a reprint from a 13 year old Economist magazine I found at the dentist office. I think you'll find that the path to riches is just as easy to follow today as it was in 1994... (Ed: Make sure you click on the picture to the left to check out JibJab.com and their spoof on Big Box shopping.)

The Classic Land Development Scheme

Making a tidy profit on land requires more than just smart buying and selling. The idea is to buy a frog and turn it into a prince. To make the big bucks, you need to do a complete "makeover" using the services of local government, compliments of local taxpayers. Here's an example of how it's done:

Step 1: Buy 200 acres of undevelopable wetlands outside the city limits for a song.

Step 2: Get the city to annex the land and rezone it for commercial use (but it still can't be developed, due to federal wetlands protection laws.)

Step 3: Have city planning staff conduct a costly wetlands planning process (at taxpayers expense) to enable the area's landowners to develop their land by "restoring" wetlands elsewhere.

Step4: Get the city to declare the entire area an "enterprise zone" allowing all new businesses locating there to operate tax-free for the first three to five ears. (directly increasing the value of this land, again at taxpayers expense)

Step 5: But wait, there's more! The city manager authorizes construction of $20 million in public infrastructure (sewers, roads, etc.) to serve this vacant land at no charge to the landowners.

Step 6: The local electric utility gets with the program and builds power lines and a transformer station to serve the anticipated power needs of the commercial area (compliments of the utilities ratepayers)

Step 7: Feeling that they have not yet done enough, local governments fund an economic development agency to recruit big, outside corporations to the area.

Step 8: Bingo! Secret negotiations and promises of special favors, cheap labor, and expedited building permits lure a giant retailer to buy the land for millions of dollars. The retailer announces plans for a mega-million dollar big-box retail plaza.

Step 9: Public concern about the environmental, economic, and social impacts of the commercial plaza cause city staff to work overtime to expedite permit approvals and quell citizen opposition. City hires a PR firm to advise them on how to sell the development to the public.

Step 10: Commercial plaza gets built in spite of massive public opposition

Now, does this tongue-in-cheek how-to article sound like anything that's been in the news lately?

Water-main-Gate

As the blogging community in Windsor becomes a greater force to be reckoned with, more and more insiders, concerned citizens and people just generally sick and tired of the state of the city are beginning to come forward to push items into the lime light.

Chris Schunurr, who you might remember as a candidate for council in the last election put me on to a post at WindsorCityBlog. (Before you go off reading it and thinking that SDW has lost its' focus, let me remind you that every tax dollar spent means less tax dollars for rebuilding Windsor.)

For the record, SDW is looking to bring all parties to the table to rebuild Windsor. This is not a partisan blog, although the accusations might be different. We simply want to rebuild Windsor, strengthen neighbourhoods, and develop a pattern of sustainable living for all citizens. While we might shake our heads in disbelief at some of the decisions made by our elected, and not elected, officials, we will also be the first to give kudos to the city, schoolboard or anyone else who might be worthy of SDW praise (for whatever it is worth).

Don't think we've lost vision, we just want the citizenry to be informed.

Josh

"Bic" Heritage

I am continually reminded that not everyone takes pride in their homes, nor their community.

This revelation doesn't percolate to the surface easily when it's a disposable McHome or a disposable McNeighbourhood that is affected. But when it's in part of Windsor's most historic neighbourhoods - with homes dating back over 100 years - and planned by Hiram Walker himself, the loss really strikes a chord.

You may remember this home, which was featured in the Windsor Star a while back, due to the fact it was abandoned by its owners while leaving dozens of cats locked inside to fend for themselves. Becoming known as "The Cat House" (for less lusty reasons than you think) didn't help its notoriety. A walk along the sidewalk in front of this house brought tears to your eyes, due to the heavy amonia vapours from the cat urine. The neighbours couldn't enjoy their decks or patios (which are what makes this THE neighbourhood to live in), had to close their doors and windows and run the air conditioners at all times to avoid the stench. It was a source of distress for everyone, and now their happy it's gone. A house demolished due to cat pee.

Some video of the action...

So, let's morn the loss - but in the same breath, hope - that whatever happens in this now-vacant lot, it will be done with respect to the fabric of this tight-knit walkable community that has very deep roots in this city

On the road, again...

Windsor's downtown darling, Ron Leary, is eastward bound this time.

WHAT?!? Not familiar with Ron and his troubadour stylings? You've gotta get downtown more, Amigo!

Ron has been, and will be again soon, one of Windsor's hardest working singer/songwriters. Since his kickoff party at Sky Loung (where his adoring fans made sure his car was packed as nutritiously as possible) at the beginning of August, Ron has been criss-crossing this big ol' country of ours spreading his own scent of Windsor love.

So I thought I'd point you to CBC Radio 3, who interviewed Ron a couple of weeks ago in BC. Listen to what Ron has to say about Windsor's musical culture, living within view of Detroit and all that goes along with her, and his road trip in general. Ron is one of the many people who make downtown Windsor a wonderful place to be.

Looking forward to having you home again, Ron.

In the looking glass?

First off - I don't want anyone to feel that the M.O. of SDW has shifted off of "Windsor's built environment and it's cultural effects" to "Let's get an Downtown Campus". That does seem to be the direction a lot of SDW posts have taken lately, but our outlook remains the same. Strengthen the city's heart and the rest of the city will flourish.

In light of that disclaimer, I want to point you to an article a friend forwarded to me that appeared in the Toronto Star on, ironically, International Car Free Day. Now, as you read this article and you can easily and forgivably believe that Christopher Hume - Toronto's all-knowing urban critic - actually had Windsor in his mind (except for his waterfront observation) as he wrote it. It is actually eerie the similarities. But, who am I to make the judgement for you. Read it and let me know...

Urban campus could have revived Oshawa

September 22, 2007

Christopher Hume

What can one say about Oshawa? Here is a city that has made every mistake in the book; a place so devoted to its own ugliness, it has become almost remarkable. The clear impression one gets from even a cursory visit is that no one cares; neither its leaders, nor its residents. This is a city in which people live, but refuse to inhabit. Who can blame them? Other than the usual shopping malls, franchises and fast-food outlets, there's practically nothing here. True, there is the Robert McLaughlin Gallery, but it seems somehow an afterthought. There's even a waterfront, though it's as plain as can be, dull even.

Oshawa's claim to fame, of course, has been the automobile industry. Interesting the effect that U.S. car manufacturers seem to have on the communities in which they're located; think of Detroit, North America's most spectacular failed city, and one can't help but wonder if there isn't some connection between urban decay and car makers.

Certainly, the automobile has done its share of damage to Oshawa, but this is something it has in common with many other communities throughout the continent, indeed, the globe. Still, bisected by Highway 401 and rent with feeder arteries, Oshawa does appear to have sacrificed an awful lot so that Ontarians can remain in their cars as long as possible. But it would be wrong to cast Oshawa as a victim, even of its own success. For instance, when it was chosen as the location of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, the campus was built at the far north end of the city, ensuring that it falls into the same commuter category as the rest of Oshawa.

One might have expected the UOIT to be situated in the "downtown" core where the on-going demise of General Motors has left lots of land vacant. Surely that would have made more sense, especially at a time when the environment has emerged as the major issue we face.
Building dense, urban communities is infinitely preferable to sprawl, which Oshawa already has lots of.

Besides, "downtown" Oshawa – and we use the term loosely – needs all the help it can get. An urban campus would have brought hundreds, if not thousands, of people into the city and provided an economic, social and maybe even a cultural boost. It could also have brought some vitality and sense of place to a hopelessly unfocused and unformed city.

And at a time when the major issue we face is that of climate change, the need to build compact and dense cities is more urgent than ever.

Clearly, this isn't a message that has been heard in the "City that Motovates Canada."

Obviously, we here in Windsor are not suffering our fate alone. We are, in fact, governed by the same economic and social laws as everyone else. Why is it that we will not follow the leads shown us by other successful communities who've turned their fate's around? It's high time that we started to do just that.

Empty offices litter downtown,

The office vacancy rate in Windsor is more than triple the national average while average net rent is half what is being charged nationally, according to third-quarter projections released this week by real estate broker CB Richard Ellis.

The figures show that Windsor has 600,000 square feet of vacant office space for a vacancy rate of 19.2 per cent which is up from 18.2 per cent in the second quarter. The national rate is 5.7 per cent.

Of the 10 other metropolitan areas surveyed, only London with a vacancy rate of 16.6 per cent comes close to matching Windsor's. Following London is Montreal, 8.6; Winnipeg, 8.3; Waterloo, 7.2; Toronto, 5.8; Halifax, 5.5; Edmonton, 5.1; Ottawa, 4.1; Calgary, 3.1 and Vancouver, 3.0.

Windsor's average net rent of $10.26 per square foot is the lowest of the cities surveyed and less than half the national average of $21.99. London has the second-lowest net rent of $11.87 followed by Waterloo, $12.34; Winnipeg, $15.25; Halifax, $17.24; Montreal, $18.09; Edmonton, $22.55; Toronto, $22.76; Ottawa, $24.50; Vancouver $29.13 and Calgary $43.90.

So tell me, exactly why is it that Windsor cannot attract any significant corporate interest when we have so many things going for us? Proximity to markets, low operating costs and lost cost of living for employees are usually some of the first things business relocators look for in a market.

Maybe it has nothing to do with our physical amenities, or lack thereof. Maybe, as many readers have noted, it has more to do with City Hall than our unions and pollution - the usual scapegoats?

So, it's proof you want, is it?

At a recent family get together, Uncle John (his real name) was trying to talk my partner and I into moving our whole family down to Phoenix, Arizona and open a coffee shop with him. Apparently, the downtown core of Phoenix is positively booming and the lineups for a Starbucks is out the door and around the corner. It's not that we are necessarily top notch Barista entrepreneurs - we're not. He just likes having his family near by. You've gotta like the guy!

Now, I'm not writing to you to aire my consistantly tough decisions (but if council doesn't do something to make downtown life here in Windsor better, I'll be Phoenix bound!), but to let you in on exactly why Phoenix is at the point where it is. In Uncle John's attempts to lure us to the land of 110-degrees-in-the-shade sunshine, we occasionally get emails from him with certain attachments that make us question why we're still in Windsor.

Read this article he sent us from the October, '07 issue of Phoenix Magazine and you will learn that the impetus to this downtown revitalization is eerily familiar to Windsorites, and not just because you've read a bit about it here before.

According to Phoenix City Councilman Michael Johnson, the big focus on their downtown started, ironically, with the failed effort to lure the Cardinals football stadium. "We weren't able to get the stadium, but as a result we ended up purchasing a lot of property, which became necessary when we started looking at ASU and the biotech campus".

Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

I don't think I need to say any more. Now - call your councillor and ask him/her why we're sitting on this Downtown University Campus idea. Some of them need you to spell it out for them. What more proof do they need?

Electorally speaking....

We here at SDW have no desire whatsoever to make this blog a forum for the October 10th provincial election or referendum, even though we have strong feelings about the whole affair. Our purpose is to focus on Windsor's built environment and it's affect on our culture and quality of life - so we're going to leave it at that.

But that doesn't mean that you have that option personally. You don't. There are numerous provincial issues that directly relate to our municipality and local community. Raise those issues and expect concise answers from the candidates knocking at your doors or appearing at election debates. And clue yourself into what's going on with the referendum as well. We all need to be aware of what's on the line here.

In the meantime, I'm going to send you over to one of my favourite Canadian blogs, Toronto's SpacingWire for you to see what's going on in the electoral landscape. they do a good job and have an urban-centric point of view.

So, learn lots and vote often!

Quote of the day.

I came upon this in todays Windsor Star, and had to pass it along.

When presented with the fact that Windsor ranked 18 out of 27 Canadian cities in a green urban transportation report, Penny Williams, Transit Windsor's General Manager, conceded that "(o)ur ridership is on the low side," but blamed "peoples' choices" for Windsor's low ridership and stated further that our situation would improve if more people took the bus.

You're absolutely right, Penny, and my golf score would improve if only I learned how to play golf better!

Sheesh!

Piecing together a future, downtown

I unexpectedly found this treasure in today's Windsor Star and am not surprised to see that Larry Horwitz wrote it, considering all I hear about him (I've never met him, but aim to correct that very soon). The momentum is building towards truly understanding what is needed for a healthy Windsor, and a strong downtown heart is the first puzzle-piece that must be in place.

'Creative class' will transform Windsor's core

Windsor Star
Saturday, September 22, 2007

Let's stop complaining about downtown Windsor not being the way you want it to be -- let's do something about it. You have the power to change your downtown. Once every century an opportunity occurs that can change the texture and quality of downtown. Not since Gordon McGregor formed Ford Motor Company of Canada Ltd. in 1904 has the occasion presented itself for a monumental cultural and economic genesis of a city centre.

The University of Windsor's Centre of Engineering Innovation could transform, rejuvenate and revitalize the downtown core. The campus is 300,000 square feet in size with rooftop windmills, a treed central atrium enclosed by solar glass and a green roof designed to catch rainwater -- an attraction that Windsorites, tourists and conventions will marvel at. When you combine the U of W engineering campus with the St. Clair College campus in the former Cleary International Centre we can give birth to a "creative class" in the core and a vision that will have a lasting impact. By introducing our children to downtown in their post-secondary years, we create a nucleus that will seize the opportunity to transform the core. They will make it safer, more attractive and create innovative businesses and services.

The "creative class" will populate the city centre. They will sip beverages in coffee houses, browse in bookstores, reside in lofts and walk their dogs in green spaces. Remember when downtown was Marilyn Brooks, The Tea Room, Birks Jewellers, Dacks Shoes and other retail shops? They will not return -- but will be renewed by healthier, trendier type outlets that cater to a fresh young audience. Research shows that a vibrant downtown boasts the economic health and quality of life in a community. It creates jobs, incubates small companies and raises property values. A healthy downtown is a symbol of community pride and history.

New York City, Kitchener, Ann Arbor, Mich., Dallas Tex., London, Ont., Newark, N.J., and scores of other cities have transformed their downtowns by creating university campuses in their downtown hubs. These forward-thinking cities have created a blueprint for a downtown recovery and revitalization strategy that is easy to follow. "Success lies in creating a place where creative experience can flourish," says former Seattle mayor Paul Schell. We have that place, we only need to select its occupants.

Kitchener is giving $35.5 million to create two satellite campuses in its core. The University of Waterloo and Wilfred Laurier are coming downtown, creating a partnership between the city and the universities. New retail and restaurants are springing up because of this development. Jeffrey Leder of the University of Waterloo says, "for the university, service learning also plays an important role in educating and developing community.... It challenges universities to broaden their missions toward becoming engaged campuses supporting not only what is important to them within their own domain but outside as well." McMaster University is also very engaged and is a strong advocate of the rejuvenation of its city core. In 2002, James K. Bartleman, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, spoke about how McMaster had played and is playing a significant role in the ongoing efforts to revitalize the downtown.
The transition of downtown Windsor to an education based "cafe society," or as Mighigan Governor Jennifer Granholm calls it, a "cool city," has begun with the St. Clair campus locating in the core. In a short period of time more than 500 students have had an economic and social effect on downtown.

They are shopping, sipping coffee and looking to be involved in social and educational activities.

Bob Williams of the Downtown Diner has already seen a positive change in his clientele. He sees the addition of an engineering campus as affecting the entire texture of downtown. Tim Hortons' Vicky Smith, past chairwoman of the DWBIA, is also excited by the possibilities and can see it as changing the face of our downtown. The BIA strongly supports having a Centre of Engineering Innovation campus in its core. We will do what it takes in manpower, incentive and energy to be a welcome centre. We have shown what we can do for St. Clair students and faculty and hope to prove the same for the University of Windsor.

The Downtown Business Association has been changing its direction toward creating a new healthy, clean and safe city centre we can be proud of. It has created a facade incentive program, a clean team, security cameras, streetscape and a chess park. Its focus and direction is business recruitment and these initiatives can help bring us to that goal. "Luck is being prepared and being in the right place at the right time." We are prepared and now we need the citizens of Windsor's assistance. Not since I moved back from New York City 10 years ago have I been so excited about an opportunity for downtown. It is time for us to nurture, grow up and transform ourselves.

I ask, YOU, the citizens of Windsor to support and encourage the Engineering School of the University of Windsor to come downtown.

I ask visionaries Ross Paul, Marty Komsa, Dave Cooke and Ed Lumley to broaden their mission and revitalize and recreate the texture of downtown into a cafe society.

I ask the honourable mayor and council, who have done a remarkable job with St. Clair College, to remove any impediments to making downtown a two campus urban village.

I ask Premier Dalton McGuinty and cabinet ministers Sandra Pupatello and Dwight Duncan, who realize how downtown campuses have revitalized other Ontario cities, to assist us in making a downtown facility a reality.

I ask the Downtown BIA to support in every way imaginable (i.e. manpower, programming and incentives) a two- campus downtown.

By working as a team we can make it happen.

Larry Horwitz is the chairman of the Windsor Business Improvement
Association. E-mail: chair@downtownwindsor.ca. Phone: 817-6264.

© The Windsor Star 2007

...and the east end growth machine rumbles along.

"Most cities are busily doing everything they can to grow as fast as possible. They are aggresively recruiting new businessess with subsidies, tax waivers, and other giveaways. They are pouring millions into building infrastructure to accommodate future growth. And they seem willing to sacrifice local livability and environmental quality to achieve this growth" This was written almost 10 years ago by Eben Fodor in his book "Better Not Bigger"

Yet growth for the sake of growth still reigns supreme in the building and planning departments at city hall. It isn't difficult to understand why, as the question of growth rarely gets challenged in today's culture. There are many vested interests involved in keeping the challenges to the status quo at a minimum.

Everyone from the obvious; land developers, road builders and real estate speculators, to retailers (the new residents will all need plasma televisions and leatherette sofas) and the media (who will gladly sell full page ads and television advertisements to all these new big-box retailers and real estate brokers selling the newly opened up land), to the professionals themselves (architects, landscapers, engineers, surveyors, interior decorators, home inspectors, appraisers, etc) who are trusted with planning our built environment are in on this scheme. All you had to do is read Dave Hall's article yesterday, which said that "(c)ity administrators are recommending approval" of the zoning changes necessary for the proposed big-box development on the city's far west end to move forward,to know that not everyone at city hall is looking out for Windsor's long-term sustainability. Everyone listed here has a vested interest in the continued propogation of the growth machine.

Sheesh! It's a wonder that we have any agricutlural land around this city left at all.

Case in point: The City of Windsor has initiated a Class Environmental Assessment Study (Class EA) to investigate providing an improved transportation corridor along Banwell Road from Tecumseh Road East to the Windsor City Limits at the CPR tracks south of Intersection Road (approximately 2.7 km). The purpose of conducting this EA is in anticipation of future growth through staged program of improvements over the next 20 years. They are now in their second stage of community participation, with the next information session scheduled for this Tuesday, September 22, from 3:00 PM until 8:00 PM at the Banwell Community Church.

So, the city is undertaking an EA to evaluate a project (which would cost between 3 and 20 million dollars) in anticipation of future area growth? Do they not think that they may be guiding this growth with the laying of this "improved" infrastructure? Do they not think that by upgrading routes out of the city, we may just be accelerating the migration of city residents to the pastoral countryside of the outlying bedroom communities, thereby lowering our tax base while we increase our capital budget?

Here's the official reasons the city is using to justify this "investment" in our future:

- The current operations (including current volumes, configurations and signal timing) of the Banwell Road and the EC Row Expressway intersection operates at a poor level of service during the AM peak hour and PM peak hour respectively. (read: big traffic jams)
- Traffic projections have identified a need to widen Banwell Road to 4 basic traffic lanes by 2021.
- Anticipated population and employment growth in the immediate area will result in increasing traffic congestion over the next 20 – 25 years. To accommodate this growth, improvements to the Banwell Road corridor are required.
- Grade separation at EC Row Expressway and Banwell Road will eliminate the current traffic safety and congestion issues.

Existing Traffic Volumes on Banwell Road
- Traffic volumes on Banwell Road north of EC Row Expressway are 13,000 – 16,000 vehicles per day. South of EC Row Expressway the volumes are 3,000 – 8,000 vehicles per day.
- Trucks comprise approximately 1.5 – 3.5 percent of the traffic.

Area Growth
- Large areas of residential and employment growth are anticipated in the City of Windsor and this growth will affect the entire Banwell Road corridor. The 20 year population growth is expected to increase to over 2,500 persons and employment growth is expected to increase over 2,000 persons adjacent to the corridor.
- Town of Tecumseh population is forecasted to increase by 10,000 (40% increase) by 2021. (hmmm, maybe it's because we're still building roads like this in conjunction with making Windsor a crappy place to live?)

So, we build a subdivision out "there" and are amazed that people drive everywhere, filling up those old roads. Then we have to build bigger and better roads which in turn opens up more land for subdivisions and strip plazas, and then those bigger and better roads are no longer big enough, and...well, you get the gist. Solving our traffic jams in this manner is like the obese person solving their weight problem by getting bigger pants.

When do you think the time will come when we, as a society, start to question the need to grow for the sake of growing? It has been proven that the so-called benefits of this growth ends up costing a municipality more in the long run than the initial high of a few more jobs and increased retail tax-base. And the Banwell Road upgrade is not the only vein that the city is opening up encouraging people to flee to the suburbs and outlying communities; the Provincial / Division Road Environmental Assessment will make it easier to flee out to Lakeshore, the Windsor Annexed Lands Master Planning Study is making Essex seem pretty attractive, the widening of EC Row will be good for both LaSalle, Tecumseh and beyond, and even the Riverside Drive Vista Improvement Project will inadvertantly make it easier to run away to Tecumseh via Wyandotte in the guise of making Riverside Drive a more scenic drive.

But at least we get bike lanes!?!

And this doesn't even consider what PAC's decision last night on approving the zoning change paving the way for Jenny Coco's big-box development in the far west end! Can you imagine what that will do to our road infrastructure - especially the EC Row expressway - not to mention this will be right next door to Ojibway park and right across the street from the Provincial Reserve. ERCA has already signed off on an Environmental Evaluation Report (EER) that states "no negative impacts on the ecological function" of the Ojibway Complex are expected!?!

Doesn't it seem as though the ultimate goal is to empty Windsor of all it's residents, their taxes, their culture, environment and its livability?

The fight is on....

Argh! What were they thinking? According to the Windsor Star today, PAC approved the mega-development on the edge of Windsor and Lasalle. Oddly enough, the noted that nobody from Lasalle showed to express their disapproval for the development, even though the media had reported that they were worried about the economic and traffic impact on their town.

We now have about 3 weeks to put the pressure on our councillors to vote to deny this development and reverse the decision of PAC. It has been done before, but we are going to need to work together. The Star said that Jenny Coco and gang are promising 1500 full and part-time (read: mostly part-time) jobs along with $4.8 million per year in tax revenues. Our money hungry city is going to be chomping at the bit to give this land away. Our argument is going to have to be very convincing to have them pass up $4.8 million a year into city coffers.

Possible objections:

1. Costs for infrastructure development and support
2. Costs to protect, rehabilitate and restore damaged
3. Costs to provide infrastructure, etc for the inevitable housing developments that will follow.

Those are just off the top of my head, and that is not even including the impacts to the established neighbourhoods in Windsor.

Post your thoughts in the comments field. Chris and I will try and formulate them and then put together our objections. We'll make sure that we have representation at council from SDW to speak out against this development!

If anyone knows how the voting went, especially with the councilors who sit on this committee, please post it here. That will help us to know who we have to work with, and against, in this critical process!