Windsor city council endorses plan for civic esplanade project

Plans for a sweeping redesign of the corridor from Windsor city hall to the Detroit River took a big step forward Monday with council's endorsement of a concept design. 

After lengthy debate, councillors endorsed one of three proposals, dubbed "Light the Path."

The extensive plan includes interwoven pedestrian walkways, two large gathering areas, an ice rink and a splash pad. The plan also includes food trucks and "pop-up" vendors at Charles Clark Square and outdoor classrooms. 

The plan could cost in the ball park of $30 to $35 million to implement fully, architects who presented the design to council said, but cautioned that was a "high-level" estimate that could fluctuate depending on the features chosen to include. 

"On behalf of the residents and businesses, I gotta say thank you," said Ward 3 Coun. Renaldo Agostino. "There's always this feeling that council and the mayor don't support downtown and tonight is a clear indication, even for people that aren't supporting this particular project, that [they] still care about downtown and want to see things improve."

"The hard work is about to pay off and hopefully we can continue to push our downtown forward with projects like this." 

The project would be undertaken in five segments: City Hall Square, Charles Clark Square, Arts Park, Riverside Plaza and City Beacon. 

"Going from a big small city to a small big city requires this type of bold action and this type of vision," said Ward 2 Coun. Fabio Costante, noting the plan will leverage other sources of funding. "I think this is the right approach and the right track. 

But not all councillors were enthusiastically in favour. Ward 1 Coun. Fred Francis was the lone vote in opposition to the project. 

"I'm just of the opinion this is a great project and something we ... could look at doing in the future," he said. "I believe there are other priorities in the downtown and surrounding neighbourhoods in the downtown.

"We're talking tens of millions of dollars."

The Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Area (BIA), represented by executive director Debbie Croucher, spoke in support of the project, while two residents spoke against the project. 

"The DWBIA believes the architects have ensured the esplanade is well connected to the surrounding urban fabric," Croucher said. "We certainly feel it would do our city proud."

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said the project has "to start somewhere," comparing it to other master plans from which the city implements portions each year. 

"This, like every other master plan…will be done in a sensible way, in a way this community can afford. If there are years we can't afford it, we'll make sure the money goes to the priority items at the time but I expect that incrementally over time you'll see progress here and ultimately it will be one of the nicest gathering spots in the City of Windsor, for the community to gather."