Council passes shoreline property protection loan for north shore Riverside Drive residents

Windsor city councillors unanimously passed a motion on Monday allowing north shore Riverside Drive residents to apply for a local improvement loan to protect their properties from overland flooding. 

Riverside Drive residents between George Avenue and the Town of Tecumseh can apply for a loan of up to $20,000 to be paid off in lump sums over the course of 20 years. 

"If they were wanting to undertake projects that they were not able to finance on their own right now, they would be able to apply to the city for a certain amount to undertake those projects," said Ward 6 Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac

Gignac said this is simply "another tool in the belt of people to be able to deal with the increased potential of overland flooding."

Once a loan application has been filed, Gignac said city administration will be responsible for scrutinizing the project, "making sure that it's something that we feel would address overland flooding [and have] a positive impact on it."

"Naturally the funding is going to go toward things that we feel are going to protect the broader community and contribute toward making our community safe from overland flooding that [the Essex Region Conservation Authority] identified as having the highest potential they have ever seen," Gignac said. 

Once a loan is approved, Gignac said it will be attached to the property, meaning that even if a home is sold by its original owner, the new owner will be expected to pay off their remaining debt. 

"It would stay on the municipal tax roll and stay on that property until it was paid," Gignac said. 

... Another tool in the belt ...- Jo-Anne Gignac, Ward 6 councillor, City of Windsor

City engineer Mark Winterton said Windsor historically hasn't done a lot of work on private properties, instead opting to undertake those projects through the Local Improvement Act. 

In addition to approving the 20-year loan payment period, Ward 1 Coun. Fred Francis said council approved a motion allowing all homeowners 20 years to pay off local improvement initiative loans. 

"This really allows homeowners to stretch that payment over a longer period of time," he said. 

"By stretching that over a period of 20 years at an appropriate rate that administration will determine to ensure that the cities are protected from a financial standpoint, while also providing an incentive for the homeowner to do the project, that's kind of what we approved."