YMCA to move into University of Windsor's downtown campus

The downtown Windsor YMCA is joining the University of Windsor's downtown campus.

On Tuesday, the YMCA announced plans to move its immigrant settlement and learning services into the university building at 300 Ouellette Ave.

"We want to be part of the revitalization of the downtown core in Windsor," said Andrew Lockie, CEO of the YMCA for Southwestern Ontario. "We were always committed to making sure that we maintained our presence in the downtown. Obviously, you can't be more downtown than here.

"We're so excited to work with the University of Windsor as a partner... It's perfect geographically, but it's also perfect from a partner standpoint."

The building at 300 Ouellette Ave. was previously the home of the Windsor Star. The university took over the property in 2022.

The YMCA will occupy around 23,000 square feet of space, mostly on the building's ground floor.

The upper floor will remain devoted to students and faculty of the university's graduate computer science program.

Renovations have already started and the move is expected to be complete by September.

The downtown Windsor YMCA has been based out of a building at 500 Victoria Ave. since the 1970s and for the past decade, that building has been entirely devoted to newcomer services.

Lockie said the organization has outgrown the Victoria Avenue location.

"It was originally built as a health and fitness facility, not a newcomer facility. So it's not purpose-built, the way [this  location] will be," he said.

Robert Gordon, university president and chancellor, said the arrangement with the YMCA regarding 300 Ouellette Ave. is more than a landlord-tenant agreement: The hope is that the close proximity of university and newcomer resources will lead to more learning and community-building opportunities.

"I see it being mostly about how we can build up collaborative relationships," Gordon said.

Renaldo Agostino, the city's Ward 3 councillor, praised the partnership. He noted that the space being renovated for the YMCA was occupied by a sports bar and a night club in the 2000s.

"I think the hospitality sector has changed," Agostino said. "Downtown Windsor has changed, and it needs to continue changing. We can't be a one-or-two-night-a-week destination. We have to be a place where people want to come seven days a week."

A dollar value for the project hasn't been shared.

Lockie said there is a new owner of 500 Victoria Ave., but he won't be disclosing the owner's name.