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No upscale town homes here (con't)
But there is nothing like the kind of expensive town homes that exist not just in Detroit but in numerous Canadian cities.
The reason we don’t have them is simple, according to Ezio Tartaro of Gintar Contractors and president of the Greater Windsor Home Builders Association. Windsor doesn’t have the young, affluent, downtown workforce that flocks to this type of housing. “The model is usually ‘live, work, play,’” he said. Tartaro said these upscale town houses exist in downtowns where there are “jobs, entertainment amenities and good public transit.” Almost all of which Windsor is missing. The city has “lack of work environments within the downtown core (and) no vibrancy with the downtown in terms of entertainment,” he said. Also, lack of affordability, the desire for townhouse consumers to want “one floor designs” and, for developers, high development charges, have been the nails in the coffin for upscale town homes. As well, where is the creative class that our mayor and others have spoken of wanting to lure to Windsor? “This type of construction caters to single or newly married young professionals,” Tartaro said. Families, by contrast, “do not want to live downtown.” Also, without good public transit, people in Windsor-Essex have to rely on cars. And since they have cars they’ll look for more economical housing, sending people, “to rural areas where land is more readily available.” Yes, Tartaro said, townhouses exist here. But “the typical townhouse is the bungalow design.” Will we see this two story construction anytime in the near future? Don’t count on it, he said. “I do not see the demand for this type of housing design unless there is a complete change in urban design that incorporates an environment where people can live, work and play." As well, “Unless there is a stop to development outside of the downtown, and a focus on infill development where our dependency on cars is eliminated, then we will not see this type of development.” There have been repeated attempts to revitalize the downtown core, and artist renderings have shown a variation of the upscale town home. So they might work downtown, right? Replied Tartaro: “If and when the city decides to truly urbanize the downtown core to include diverse and good paying work, safe and enjoyable play environments, then the living portion of the formula will make economic sense.” WindsorOntarioNews.com |
