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BUILDINGS, HOMES & REAL ESTATE

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Proposed residential threesome would fill noticeable Lauzon Parkway gap

WindsorOntarioNews.com June 29 2022

A three-building residential complex could infill Lauzon Parkway’s east side between Hawthorne Dr. and Enterprise Way or just south of the Zehrs shopping plaza at the corner of Lauzon Pkwy. and Tecumseh Rd. E. The area is currently vacant between otherwise commercial properties like the plaza attached to the John Max bar and Goodyear tire outlet. JBM Capital is proposing the development and seeking a rezoning change from mixed use/commercial for 2601 Lauzon Pkwy. There would be three, four-storey buildings with 23 units in each as well as 88 parking spaces. A city planning report calls the land “underutilized” and therefore the project “promotes intensification” a city goal to lure more development within existing urban areas rather than create new suburban sprawl or encroach on agricultural land. The development would also spur badly needed “residential growth.” The proposal offers a form of housing “appropriate in terms of range and mix, and will meet the social, health and well-being of current and future residents,” says the city report. Existing infrastructure, “active transportation” such as sidewalks and transit already exist in the far east side neighbourhood. The “medium profile” development is also close to many existing commercial services including a gym, grocery and restaurants. Traffic access to the site would be via Enterprise War or Hawthorne Dr.

Photo: Google Street View

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Tower would transform west end

WindsorOntarioNews.com June 6 2022

The site of a once sprawling west end bar, destroyed by fire and the land left vacant for years, could see a multi-use residential tower which would transform the far west end. The northeast corner of Sandwich Street and Chappell Ave., immediately north of Tim Hortons, could see an 11-storey mixed use building including 150 affordable housing units. The Volmer/Fahrhall industrial building is across the street. There are other industrial buildings in the immediate area, on the far west side of Sandwich Towne. But there is also housing along Sandwich Street. The applicant is Khurram Tunio of Tunio Development. There would also be two retail spaces. The proposal is going before the Development and Heritage Committee. A city administrative report says that while the closest bus stop is on Prince Rd. and Peter St. 450 metres away – and therefore “outside of Transit Windsor’s 400 metre walking distance guideline to a bus stop” – the city’s new transit master plan “will introduce a new secondary route along Sandwich Street in the area of the subject lands and will likely site a bus stop on Sandwich Street at Chappell Avenue, thereby providing a direct service to the proposed development.” The development is timely for another reason. As part of the Sandwich Street Reconstruction Project new bike lanes and parking are proposed for both sides of Sandwich St. in the immediate area. Public consultation locally found the development had “overall” support. As for filling those two commercial units the local BIA suggested a fine fit would be a grocery store, badly lacking in the west end. Planning staff have endorsed the proposal.

Image: City of Windsor

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April home sales down reflect more inventory; average price $692,759

WindsorOntarioNews.com May 5 2022

The number of house sales dropped 18.95 per cent in April compared to a year ago but all other local real estate trends continue upwards. In fact the drop in sales was a function of an increase as well – more homes being on the market. “There’s a little more inventory so people had more choice,” Elica Berry, president of the Windsor Essex County Association of Realtors (photo) said. It’s just a slight calming of the market” adding she didn’t think “it’s going to last too long.” In fact market activity (listings) were up almost 13 per cent with 1074 more homes on the market, The accumulative number of homes went from 546 in January to 3384. There were 586 sales last month. The average price was $692,759, up 20.69 per cent from a year ago. Year to date the top price range was houses between $420,000 and $549,999 with 550 sold, next was $550,000 to $699,999 with 537 sold. Berry said pandemic restrictions had ended and open houses are pretty much back to what they were pre-pandemic. In other words, no masks, gloves, doffing of shoes and sanitization. Though a seller can ask for it Berry hasn’t seen requests. She said the number of people bidding is about the same, and she had 10 and seven on two houses this week. “Even if there’s one offer the price is way over asking,” June 20 and Sept. 30 are the two busiest days for closing, June because school is out “and people want to make their changes.” And Sept. 30 because vacations are over and “they’re settling in for the rest of the year.”

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Is tax on home sales around corner?

WindsorOntarioNews.com April 25 2022

Beware a home equity tax. That’s a tax the government would slap on the proceeds from the sale of your home. Up to now, or at least since the 1970s, proceeds from the sale of a home have always been tax free. But the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) sees the possibility of government introducing such a tax based on a study which specifically recommends such a tax. Kris Sims, CTF BC director, says the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), a Crown corporation, for the second time, has put money to the tune of $200,000 (the original amount was $250,000) into a study by the University of British Columbia’s Generation Squeeze group. Sims says the group is “pushing” for a “big” home equity tax. In their own words, the group recommends targeting “housing wealth windfalls gained by many homeowners while they sleep and watch TV.” The federal government has denied such concerns by the CTF and others in the past calling them “horrible reporting.” But Sims is undaunted. “Nearly half a million dollars for something the government vows it will never do? That’s like buying a backyard swimming pool when your apartment is on the 10th floor.” Sims says if the government isn’t serious about such a tax at best the studies are a “a frivolous waste of $450,000 in taxpayers’ money. At worst, it’s damning evidence that the Trudeau government is trying to tunnel taxes out of Canadians’ homes.” In email correspondence dug up by the CTF the UBC professor in charge of the study, Paul Kershaw, in reference to the tax, told a CMHC official “We are definitely serving as a punching bag for many as we work to make the politically impossible (now) possible (sooner than later).” Despite government denials Sims asked that if Ottawa isn’t planning to introduce such a tax, “why does his government require homeowners to report how much they made on the sale of their homes to the Canada Revenue Agency?”

Photo: Canadian Taxpayers Federation

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For some, rent-to-own may be solution in a tight, high-priced housing market

WindsorOntarioNews.com February 20 2022

In an escalating price housing market where once rather affordable homes - even in Windsor-Essex - are becoming increasingly out of reach, rent-to-own may be the answer for a certain group of buyers. The idea is exactly as stated: you pay rent for a number of years until you have sufficient cash to buy the house you’re renting. “We have seen an increased interest from people in Windsor,” the Barrie based company, established in 2015 by Brandy and Tom Mullen, says. “Sprout Properties has helped dozens of families in 2021 who would have otherwise been unable to get into the market.” The couple work with a team of real estate professionals including local mortgage brokers, realtors, lawyers, and credit repair specialists. Sprout buys the home and works with the “tenant buyer” to eventually purchase it. There is a second “option” payment credited towards the purchase price. “We work with a mortgage broker to work backwards to identify what people are missing in order to qualify for a traditional mortgage and determine what they need to save typically over a two-three year term,” Tom Mullen says. Minimum household income to qualify would be around $60,000 or one-fifth the house price. The downpayment is three per cent. Sprout holds the mortgage until the tenant buyers qualify. “We determine the future house price at time of purchase so our tenant buyers know what they will be paying in the future - that's how we make our money,” he says. ”The way we do this has worked out well for both parties as the tenant buyers typically improve the property and end up with equity in it when they buy.” Tenant buyers remain in contact with Sprout and mortgage brokers “to help keep them on track,” he says. While the program may have various upsides, it doesn’t avoid bidding wars. Mullen says the company sends tenant buyers “shopping (with) highly skilled local realtors to help us find deals on or off market.”

Photo: Sprout Properties

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Longtime east riverfront eyesore to finally get heritage makeover

WiondsorOntarioNews.com January 27 2022

The large hulk of an abandoned industrial building that has dominated an east riverside site for years is finally getting a makeover. And by the company that owns it as its new HQ. You’d never know it from the boarded-up appearance but the building at 10150 Riverside Dr. E., next door to Sandpoint Beach, actually has architectural significance. The 1928 four storey art deco edifice is listed on the city’s heritage register. Currently owned by Southwestern Sales, a longtime local aggregate company, the building was originally the home of Monarch Liqueurs and then W. L. Webster Manufacturing office and industrial shops. Southwestern Sales also owns two adjacent properties to the west. According to a city report the owner plans to restore the building in two phases. Southwestern has contracted with local architect Jason Grossi of Studio g+G Inc. The first stage is to demolish a shed alongside the building that was built later. The delipidated nondescript one storey addition is also on the heritage register because all “secondary buildings and structures more than forty years old are included in the Windsor Municipal Heritage Register unless otherwise stated,” says the report. The shed has been causing drainage issues affecting the main building. Removing and replacing it would allow proper restoration, city heritage planner Kristina Tang said. The smaller replacement would be designed to have similar heritage features. Southwestern’s current offices are in a strip plaza on Lesperance Rd. The company has an adjacent East Windsor dock and a West Windsor dock on Detroit St. It also has docks in Kingsville, Sarnia and Sombra. Sean Fry, the company’s executive director, said it’s too soon for Southwestern to comment on the project.

Photo: City of Windsor

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'Junction' redevelopers also renovating next door former 1950s UI building

WindsorOntarioNews.com January 12 2022

The same group redeveloping the former streetcar bars on University Ave. W. also wants to turn an adjacent former government unemployment office into a modern set of office suites. A numbered company on behalf of Toronto-based AIPL Holdings Inc. was approved for a tax incentive package by city council last month. It also received a grant to improve the gray tired looking 1950s era façade. The two storey 33,000 sq. ft. building at the corner of University and Elm dates from 1953 and is on the city’s heritage register. AIPL wants to clean the brick, remove white paint to expose the original brick, add new windows, ambient lighting, replace metal grills with glass blocks and add a new canopy at almost $650,000. Council approved the maximum $30,000. And the group got a tax incentive under a Community Improvement Plan (CIP) for University Ave. and Wyandotte St. approved last year with an aim to “build a vision for the corridors connecting the downtown to the University of Windsor that inform a land use concept, transportation concept and enhance the surrounding communities.” The city provides an annual grant of 100 per cent for any increase in municipal taxes after the completed project is reassessed, for five years. That works out to just over $38,000 annually. Meanwhile the same numbered company acting on behalf of AIPL this week won the nod of the city’s development and heritage committee to receive similar incentives for one of two properties on the adjacent car barn site, the “east barn” known as the Junction building based on a former commercial use. It was built in 1896 and since the 1950s was used as a roller rink, toy and radio equipment distributer, Kerns contractor and most recently the Junction restaurant-entertainment space. Its undergoing final heritage designation. The facade requires brick cleaning and restoration and partial demolition and reconstruction of a south addition. The work totals $1.3 million and the city would give a facade grant $30,000 and CIP tax grant of $24,422 for five years. It could be approved for 10 years if designated a “Catalyst” project including if 20 per cent of space is used for affordable housing. City council still needs to approve.

Photo: City of Windsor

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A'burg's former House of Shalom to become upscale loft condominiums

WindsorOntarioNews.com December 22 2021

The one-time House of Shalom youth centre and former St. Anthony School is being converted to upscale condominiums, The Lofts at St. Anthony. Jones Realty of Amherstburg has begun gutting the inside of the 1911 building on Brock St. in the centre of town, across the street from St. John the Baptist Church. The building operated as a school until 1972 and then it was home to the House of Shalom until 2020. Jones “recognized the beauty and potential of the building as loft-styled condominiums, preserving the historic look and features while modernizing the inside with amenities necessary for today’s lifestyle,” according to a company description of the property. The Rosati Group is undertaking restoration and redesign. Jones Realty CEO Mackie Jones says the interior classroom walls have been taken down. “All of the original brick, the stone, is in there, all the original hardwood floors. Once we ripped all the carpet out it’s just beautiful,” she told WON.com. There will be four floors including the basement and the former attic. Of the latter “it’s massive,” she says. The building is designated heritage and the developer has to respect those historic details. Rosati says most of the heritage elements will be kept such as exposed masonry corridors, hardwood floors, wood trim, exposed brick, “soaring ceilings, tall windows and high-transomed doorways.” Features also include rough-faced natural stone, round-arched windows and cornice detailing. “The only things that we are changing is adding windows to the roof because we can use that space up there,” Jones said. There will be 14 units altogether with prices in the $500-$600,000 range. Jones says the building, The Lofts at St. Anthony, is already being marketed through the website liveatthelofts.ca. The realtor is John D'Alimonte at RE/MAX Preferred Realty Ltd.

[UPDATE: Dec. 24/21: The Catholic Diocese of London sold the building. Here is what diocese spokesman Matt Clarke said: "It was built by the Catholic church as a school in the early 1900 and was operated as such until it closed in the early 1970s. It was then sold for a nominal amount to a local charity to operate as a Youth Centre/House of Shalom. When the charity moved to another building, we exercised our option to take back possession and decided to sell the building and that deal closed earlier this year. The funds from the sale stay in the local community." ]

Image: Rosati Group & Jones Realty

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Retail, recreation and a new hospital make South Windsor the place to be

WindsorOntarioNews.com Nov 19 2021

It might be surprising to learn that this is the first major residential development to take advantage of the big box retail and entertainment offerings of south Windsor. But that’s what HD Development Group is touting to attract residents to its $100 million Trinity Gate Condominiums project. “We’re starting on phase one,” HD owner Haider Habib says. According to the project’s website, the development emphasizes the convenience and charm of the south Windsor location. “Here's your chance to own a new luxury condominium in sought after South Windsor,” it says. The condo project, in three phases, will be built at the corner of Walker Rd. and Ducharme St., just east of Hwy. 401 and a block south of Provincial Rd., where Cineplex Silver City, Lowes, Costco and numerous other big box and commercial plazas are located. That burgeoning retail has been taking shape for well over a decade yet nearby residential offerings have been slim to non-existent. “The site for this exciting development was selected because of the incredible location,” the project’s website says. The project was originally known as Castle Gate Towers Inc. Now HD has rebranded it and is marketing the mixed use residential and commercial property. Commercial will form the part of the first floor of the Tamina tower, the building closest to Walker Rd. There will be 10,000 sq. ft. of leasable space. Meanwhile there will be 226 condo units over the entire three buildings. In fact, HD is promoting the area as a self-contained community and despite its suburban location, services and recreation are right outside the door. “Within a master planned community, it is in walking distance of parks, walking trails, splash pad, restaurants, shopping, entertainment and Talbot Trail elementary school. One does not need to own a vehicle to enjoy all this community has to offer!” The location is also close to YQG Windsor International Airport, the new mega hospital and of course Hwy. 401. Typically, the development features a “contemporary” style 58-unit, six storey building clad in brick, stucco, siding and stone. HD's Habib has been in the development business 25 years. Other HD projects are the $80 million Rockport St. @ Talbot Trail, an 80-unit detached custom home development and Village South Condominiums, a $10 million, 20 unit, three storey rental building.

Image: HD Development Group

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"Hong Kong" mentality fuels developer

WindsorOntarioNews.com October 20 2021

Call it the “Hong Kong” syndrome. Wing On Li is an up-and-coming Windsor developer, CEO of the Horizons Group, born and raised in Hong Kong and who started investing in the Windsor market almost a decade ago. “Hong Kong is a very fast-moving place,” he said. “We don’t walk to get things done we run.” He’s certainly brought that ethos to Windsor with several large-scale property developments under construction or in the planning and municipal approval stages. Among these is his new Riverside Horizons, still winding its through city hall but with construction likely starting next spring. Located a short block east of the Ford Powerhouse the 10 storey – two floor parking and eight residential - condo tower would offer luxury living with all units facing the river. The $30 million development would be built on .75 acres with existing single family homes behind it. The developer has bought one home as a buffer “so we are not going to create a problem for our neighbours,” he said. On the east side is a high-rise retirement building. Wing Li’s other projects in LaSalle, LaSalle Horizons and Laurier Horizons, likely will begin construction next month. 80-unit Lasalle Horizons “boutique” condos is already sold out with prices from the low $200,000s. Further out in the county, his plan for rural Colchester Bay is for 400 “cottage lifestyle” homes “designed for people who want a quiet waterfront life.” Back in Windsor two projects are in the “consultation” stage with regard to rezoning, he said. These are Ganatchio Gardens – “a big project” - with 300 units. Another is Lakefront Heights at the site of the old Riverside Sportsmen Club; 200 units will be built. Already completed and occupied is Eastside Horizons at Banwell Rd. and Firgrove Dr., a three tower, seven storey 180-unit complex. With the exception of Riverside Horizons – a luxury building priced in part to recoup the expense of building there - all the buildings are condos but “affordable by most people in Windsor otherwise we’d be out of a job very soon,” he laughs. Wing Li is no newcomer to Windsor and invested in what was a depressed housing market beginning in 2014. “That’s why we know the market pretty well, we know the market is recovering,” he said. Big time, that is.

Image: Horizons Group

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Windsor housing supply better than most in responding to price increases

WindsorOntarioNews.com Sept. 28 2021

Windsor does fairly well with increasing its housing supply in response to house price increases. A Bank of Canada study surveyed 33 Canadian housing markets and found wide discrepancies in housing price increases triggering more supply. A one per cent increase in house prices triggered an average increase in supply of 2.2 per cent. Vancouver, Canada’s most expensive housing market, saw only a 0.63 per cent increase in housing supply or “elasticity”. It had the second lowest housing supply increase after Regina. Winnipeg, by contrast, saw a 4.34 per cent, one the highest supply jumps – 27th best of the 33 markets. Windsor? We came in at 22, at just under a 3 per cent increase. The best market was St. John’s which saw an 8 per cent supply jump. In southern Ontario Oshawa showed less than a 2 per cent increase while Barrie’s jumped to more than 3.5 per cent. “These estimates imply that a 1 percent increase in house prices in the median Canadian city is associated with an increase in housing supply of 2.2 percent,” study author and BoC senior economist Nuno Paixão writes. “Alternatively, we can think that, all else equal, a 1 percent increase in housing demand leads to an increase in house prices in the median city of 0.45 percent (1/2.2).” Commenting on the study in the Financial Post, real estate analysts Murtaza Haider and Stephen Moranis said, “A comparison across all cities in the study revealed that housing prices rose much faster over time in cities with relatively lower supply.” As for government policy, they concluded that the re-elected Liberal government’s plan for increasing housing supply in Canada, the lack of which has been called a crisis, is far from adequate. “The current Liberal plan to build or refurbish 1.4 million homes over four years will certainly not be enough because that doesn’t even add 100,000 more homes per year than what will be built under business as usual,” they write. “Tinkering at the margins has not been effective, nor will it be in the future.”

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A decades long dream, Wyandotte Street East will finally be completed

WindsorOntaripoNews.com Sept. 6 2021

City of Windsor officials are putting the finishing touches on a plan to extend Wyandotte St. E. to Jarvis Ave. It’s a decades-old dream by the city and the former Town of Riverside. It would be the last extension of Wyandotte St., connecting East Riverside (on the west) to what’s known as the Lakeview Planning District on the east, less than a city block long. The road would cut diagonally through properties between Banwell (on the west) and Jarvis (on the east) on a city owned right of way. Two public information sessions have been held as the city finishes its environmental assessment. But the planning is tricky. Planner Andrew Dowie says the idea is to connect East Riverside to Jarvis because there’s currently limited access. This would provide “significant” improvement in emergency response as well as better access for city services like snow and garbage removal. Access currently is awkward from distance arteries. But, says Dowie, “it’s not just for motor vehicles it’s also for pedestrians and bicycles.” However, residents of Jarvis are concerned Wyandotte could now be used as a through route and more traffic upset their tranquil neighbourhood. Dowie says “traffic calming” measures will be introduced. As well, the city will keep the rural character of the street by rebuilding Jarvis but in a way that will keep the “naturalized environment.” This will be through a new drainage system that will allow “low impact” development. This is a new concept for the city but has already been installed along Pentilly Rd. in Tecumseh. A metal cage is submerged, and natural vegetation grows through it. This “structural grass” is strong enough to support vehicles. “We’d send the water to the ditch and then through periodic field basins the ditch could then be emptied into the storm sewer system underground,” Dowie says. He said the system was invented more than a decade ago in Vancouver. It would therefore “help alleviate the residents’ concerns but would still provide technical improvements.” The EA still must be approved by city council before any funding is allocated.

Photo: Google Street View

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Yes, this was the Sandwich Towne Hall

WindsorOntarioNews.com August 17 2021

It’s easy to drive by without noticing the sign on the front of the building. But, right beside Sandwich Towne’s Mackenzie Hall on Sandwich St., is another very historic building. It’s called the Sandwich Towne Hall. The sign is no gimmick. It actually reflects the fact the building was the historic Town of Sandwich’s town hall before Windsor annexed the community in the mid-1930s. Several years ago the owners, a local couple, restored the building and added the name, reflecting its historic roots. (WON.com was unable to confirm the owners’ names or contact them.) Over the years the two-storey red brick building, which has the look of a grand old house, has served various purposes – town hall, a jail in the basement, a school house and, in recent years, apartments for specifically law students. “I believe it was opened by the Duke of Devonshire and his wife,” Devonshire also being the namesake of Devonshire Mall, Devonshire Heights Park and the old Devonshire Race Track, said Sandwich historian Terry Kennedy. Kennedy said there were many famous people who visited the stately building when the Town of Sandwich still arguably had greater stature than the City of Windsor. Kennedy lauded the current building’s owners. “They manage it very nicely,” he said. He said during the restoration a decade ago the couple added the Sandwich Towne Hall name at “maybe $30 or $40 per letter.” Kennedy said each apartment is also named after a municipal councillor of the era. He said the historic building occasionally draws attention from passersby. “You see the tourists always looking to go through the door” but then realizing it’s an apartment residence, Kennedy laughed. Kennedy, who knows of many absentee landlords in the neighbourhood who let their properties run down, had only praise for the upkeep of this heritage building which adds to the neighbourhood's historic roots.

Photo: Google Street View

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Brownfields: $13.8 privately invested for every dollar in city incentives

WindsorOntarioNews.com July 27 2021

Since the city began offering incentives to redevelop “brownfield” sites more than a decade ago, the private sector investment has been $13.8 for every dollar provided by the city. That’s according to a city planning department report reviewing the program. Forty-two brownfield projects have been approved totaling almost 50 hectares including 962 housing units. Rule of thumb is that every hectare redeveloped through a brownfield project saves 4.5 hectares of greenfield or undeveloped land. Some might call that land sprawl. So, the 42 approvals will save some 217 hectares of greenfield. Brownfield sites are lands that have possibly been contaminated by previous industrial or commercial use such as factories or even gas stations. The city has awarded more than $13 million in incentives, “anticipated” to increase property value assessment by $216 million, says the report. It also will see $183 million in private investment as per the above-mentioned ratio of $13.8 leveraged from each city dollar. In 2009 the city identified 137 brownfield properties (226 hectares or 559 acres) for redevelopment. Incentives are provided under the Brownfield Redevelopment Community Improvement Plan (CIP). Applications from the private sector were initially slow with only four approved between 2010-15. Then they accelerated: 37 from 2016-2021 with 15 approved since January 2020. The CIP has a Municipal Leadership Strategy to promote the program. Under it, the “most significant” redeveloped site was the former Wickes Manufacturing (photo taken in 2014) on Tecumseh Rd. E., now a U-Haul location.

Photo: City of Windsor

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Islamic Assoc plans five midsize apt. buildings across from Windsor Mosque

WindsorOntarioNews.com July 7 2021

City staff are recommending approval of a major plan by the Windsor Islamic Association to build five medium rise apartment buildings to house largely members of its senior community immediately across the street from the Windsor Mosque. The just over half hectare property on the northeast corner of Dominion and Northwood is mostly currently vacant. (Overhead photo shows Windsor Mosque on the bottom left.) One of the buildings – each housing six units – would face Northwood and the remainder would front Dominion. “The apartment units are proposed to be rental apartments with a focus rental market of the senior members of the Mosque community,” a report to the Development and Heritage Committee says. There would also be 42 on-site parking spaces and landscaping. The buildings, dubbed “Dominion Apartments,” have a classic brick look with peaked roofs. The site’s zoning would change from current “low profile residential” to “medium” profile. North of the site are single family homes. “The subject neighbourhood is characterized by the existing mix of low profile residential uses (single unit dwellings) and institutional uses (schools and place of worship),” the planning report says. For example, Northwood Elementary School and Holy Names High School are nearby. The area is immediately served by the Dominion 5 bus route. Planners says the proposal will develop “underutilized” lands “promoting an efficient development and land use pattern.” The development is consistent with land use planning policy. It will “increase housing options” in the area and promotes “residential intensification and compact form of neighbourhood.” The planning report also says the project supports “active transportation and connectivity through the existing and planned sidewalks and bike lanes.”

Photo: Google Satellite

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And now for Anuj Sood's second act: suburban townhomes in south Windsor

WindsorOntarioNews.com June 23 2021

Fresh from starting construction on one of the city’s biggest infill projects in an otherwise neglected industrial neighbourhood, developer Anuj Sood will bring a major townhome project to south Windsor not far from Devonshire Mall. The yet to be name neighbourhood would be constructed on the former parking and storage lot behind a 155,000 sq. ft. industrial building that fronts Division Road. It used to be home to companies such as Martinrea but hasn’t seen production in likely a decade. Sood bought the property two years ago and has been carrying out extensive interior and exterior renovations. He is leasing the building out and already has one tenant, Reactive Manufacturing. “We’ve painted the whole thing and we’ve made it look more modern,” he said. ”It used to have brown brick it just looked like an old beat up building.” The city is providing $22,950 towards an environmental assessment under a Brownfield redevelopment Community Improvement Plan (CIP), the most it can provide. Sood picks up the remaining cost. The 27-acre property lies directly south of Marentette Ave. with entrance off Kamloops St. Noted the city in a report, the site “has previously been used for parking as well as storage of construction and fill material.” The EA will assess the soil and groundwater quality and determine “the extent of any contamination.” The city says there has been “little interest in redeveloping brownfield sites due to the uncertainty surrounding the extent of contamination and the potential cost of clean-up.” While Sood’s Walkerville project has a definite urban brownstone look to match the adjacent historical Walkerville neighbourhood, the south Windsor project would be more suburban-like with “ranch style” one storey homes with basements. No branding or price points have been set. “We haven’t made it that far,” he said, noting architects are still working on final drawings, Asked if there would be a buffer between the industrial building, used for light manufacturing and warehousing, and the neighbourhood, he said, “we would make a nice landscaped buffer…I know there’s an existing ditch already there so we would just kind of put something on one side or the other on it.”

Photo: Anuj Sood

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LaSalle condo project fills hole in donut

WindsorOntarioNews.com June 2 2021

The Town of LaSalle’s planning committee has given the green light to a rezoning change for a new condo development at the northwest corner of Sandwich West Pkwy and Mary Drive on a 1.8 hectare site. The area is now a vacant field. Two new five story buildings accommodating 146 residential units will be known as The Crossings at Heritage. The project, across from Holy Cross elementary school and Seasons Royal Oak Village., is planned by The D’Amore Group and Petretta Construction. The planning committee last week gave the nod to two variations: one, a required rear yard depth from 14.9 metres to 8.5 metres and the second, a required minimum lot area from 167 square metres per dwelling unit to 120.7 square metres. LaSalle’s planning supervisor Allen Burgess said there were only two citizen inquires but both concerns have been satisfied. Coun. Sue Desjarlais asked if any units were accessible. Developer David Petretta said at least two units per floor will be accessible “and (for) every style of suite.” The County of Essex still has to sign off on the project. A sales video shows the project surrounded by a tranquil community with walking trails, deer grazing and “where you may find more pedestrians than vehicles” along with close access to shopping. An artist rendering shows a rectangular building (photo above only shows a portion) with a colour scheme of light and dark grays, taupes and browns, along with various geometric facade accents. Prices start at $299,900 per unit and the broker is Century 21.

Image: D'Amore Group and Petretta

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Cabana and Dougall retail plaza could see new second floor residential units

WindsorOntarioNews.com May 10 2021

The decades old but still contemporary looking commercial plaza at Cabana and Dougall in Windsor’s south end could see the second floor converted to residential apartments. The Tim Hortons anchored plaza with the part green angled roof on the southeast corner has had several commercial units vacant for over a decade. And owner Marco Savoni thinks the better use could be apartments. He received city approval earlier this year for the “mixed use” designation. But while the first floor has long had a bustling set of 19 retail outlets the second floor had drawn little tenant interest. “It was always zoned commercial and it’s been a real challenge to get it leased,” Savoni said. “And I’ve owned it for a year and I’ve had approximately three or four calls over the last year of leasing inquiries for second floor office space.” The plan is to convert to 16 dwelling units. Interestingly, while the market for the apartments could be anyone there had been strong interest shown by retail owners on the first floor. “This would afford them to save time and money when operating their businesses,” a city report says. “Urban living, it would be more economical for anybody in the area,” Savoni said. Converting to residential would “allow for more parking,” the city says, because commercial tenants' clients naturally take up more parking spaces. The planned use is intact; there would be no plaza additions. The city applauds this because it meets with its desire for urban “intensification.” The south Windsor location is also served by transit and “active transportation” such as cycling and walking. Savoni said all that remains is obtaining a cost analysis to determine the project’s feasibility. But he’s optimistic. “It’s going to happen in the future either with myself or another developer – at some point someone’s going to do it."

Photo: Google Streetview

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Canada Building’s residential rebirth will require slight heritage alterations

WindsorOntarioNews.com April 16 2021

The Canada Building in downtown Windsor is such an historic edifice that the owner wants to begin refurbishing some of its heritage aspects but needs the city’s approval first. The 12-storey building near the tunnel was built in 1930 and was once the city’s highest. The refurbishment is part of much larger plans to convert 10 floors to 80 residential units. It’s the kind of change that is also taking place at the decades-old Security Building, only blocks away at University and Pelissier, as developers rethink former office builds as residential towers. The first two floors would remain for commercial purposes. The art deco building was at one time to The Windsor Star’s predecessor The Border Cities Star. The heritage interiors include a marble lobby on the first and second floors and brass trim on windows, doors, elevators and stair railings, “crested” elevator doors and the lobby’s ornate ceiling trim painted in gold. Owners of heritage designated properties need municipal approval to “alter” the property. The applicant is Rhys Trenhaile of The VanGuard Team at Manor Realty. The owner is an Ontario numbered company out of Burlington. The major conversion in the building will require “some minor interior modifications,” the proponent says. Most of the changes are indeed minor. These include cleaning and polishing brass elements, restoring the brass Canada Post mailbox in the front lobby and cleaning and repairs to the marble lobby to enhance it. The biggest alteration will be first floor ceiling removal for a new sprinkler system. That will be repaired with colour, tone and texture to replicate the original. Some exterior work is also required. For example, the Ouellette Ave. exterior canopy needs major repairs as it “has been neglected for years and has deteriorated considerably,” a report states. The intent, however, would be to “to restore and preserve” the original design.

Image: University of Windsor

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Rock Developments sways into luxury tower and townhome development

WindsorOntarioNews.com March 25 2021

Up to now Rocco Tullio and his Rock Developments have been associated with major commercial developments such as Windsor Commons and Union Square on Division Rd. south of Devonshire Mall. Now Tullio is branching out with a major residential complex on the former Tecumseh Golf Course on Manning Rd. north of Tecumseh Road with One650 Manning, a condominium tower and associated luxury townhomes. No cost figure has been put on the project but the expected 152-unit building has an impressive design that will stand out not just in Lakeshore, from where Tullio hails and his offices are located, but in the region generally. According to Rock vice president Josh Way it’s in part his boss’s giving back. “He wanted to build something that would be a legacy and something that he would be able to provide back to the community,” Way said. As well, there is a dramatic need for new housing not just in Lakeshore and adjacent Tecumseh but the region as a whole. “Windsor has a lot of interest (in housing) but not a lot of product to be sold,” he said. “The prices are skyrocketing, it’s hard for people to find homes.” The development features a fitness room, spacious party rooms and an outdoor gathering area. A waterfront living theme features private boat slips. Two and three bedroom suites are bright and open ranging from 1,100 sq. ft. and higher. According to the website’s description suites will be “filled with natural light featuring expansive windows, sweeping terraces, private balconies and garden patios overlooking the water.” The location also will fit well with the large and burgeoning commercial - mainly shopping - developments along the Manning Rd.-Tecumseh Rd. east side axis. Deerbrook’s Anthony Smith is the property’s realtor. Partners include ZEDD Architecture of London, Leamington’s Milavo Design (owner Tania Iacobelli) and sales and leasing tech firm Imerza of Sarasota, Fla. The L-shaped tower has a striking contemporary work accented by white angled geometric lines and overhang roof elements. This is contrasted by brown brick and lots of glass. The adjoining 10 townhomes have overwhelming brownish brick with ample garage space a modern squarish, almost Bauhaus, look. No unit prices points are yet available.

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Essex golf club proposes new golf driving range right across the street

WindsorOntarioNews.com March 9 2021

The venerable Essex Golf & Country Club wants to build a driving range right across from its long-established golf course on LaSalle’s Matchette Road. The club, considered the most prestigious golf club in the area, has played host to many high-profile tournaments over the decades. Club management will be going before town council March 23 for a rezoning of the 7.5 hectares of land on the east side of Matchette north of Golfview Dr. The address is actually “known as 7455 Malden Rd.,” says the town. “This is currently part of a large block of land (which) has a Malden address,” town development director Larry Silani said. “However, the intent is for the applicant to acquire the westerly portion of this block with its access and frontage becoming Matchette Road.” A map shows the land extends as far east as Malden Road, hence the address name. WON.com could not get a confirmation on the exact location but presumes it's the cleared land in the photo above, which is directly across Matchette from the golf club's main entrance. That side of the street also has several neighbouring residential homes. The virtual town council meeting can be viewed live on LaSalle’s YouTube channel. The golf club, which has been on Matchette since 1929 (but dates from 1902) and was designed by famed golf course architect Donald Ross, seeks a rezoning from the land’s current agricultural zone to a site-specific recreational use. This would allow a new driving range and “accessory uses” according to a public notice. Residents can register up to noon March 23, the day of the meeting, to make comments at the meeting or to submit written comments about the rezoning request. Neither Mark Skipper, the lawyer acting on behalf of the golf club, nor club president Lynda Heij, responded to requests for comment.

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Windsor property taxes lower in most categories than the provincial average

WindsorOntarioNews.com February 11 2021

How do Windsor’s property taxes stack up against other Ontario municipalities? According to city budget papers the city’s taxes rank below the provincial average in nine out of 12 classes, according to BMA Management Study. By comparison in 2004 only two property classes ranked below provincial. For example, taxes are below average for typical residential properties but above for “high value” homes. That’s because the city is older and its housing stock is comprised of generally smaller houses. But larger homes are “outliers” in assessment value to a greater extent than in newer municipalities which have more larger homes and therefore the “split” in total taxes among individual properties “is more homogeneous.” Meanwhile multi-residential taxes for both walk-up and mid to high-rise apartments are below the provincial average. Commercial properties “generally rank well below average” except for motels which are slightly above. Property taxes for industrial sites “now rank well below” average. To what is the decline in taxes in recent years attributed? Says the report, it’s a “direct result of the fiscally responsible budgets and various tax policy decisions” brought in by the city over a number of years. Here are some individual class comparisons: Residential - Detached Bungalow (3-bedroom, single story with 1.5 bathrooms and 1 car garage): Windsor - $3,363, low - $3,212, high-$6,594, average-$4,201. Residential - Senior Executive (detached 2 story, 4-5 bedrooms, 3 baths, 2-car garage with approx. 3,000 sq. ft. living space): Windsor - $7357, low - $4950, high - $13,626, average - $7,154. Commercial – Neighbourhood Shopping (store of 4,000-10,000 sq. ft.): Windsor - $3.30, low - $3.30, high - $6.47, average - $4.93. Commercial – Motels (per suite): Windsor - $1,931, low - $1,029, high - $2,617, average - $1,538. Large Industrial (greater than 125,000 sq. ft. based on per sq. ft. floor area): Windsor - $1.23, low - .57, high - $2.85, average - $1.34. Industrial Vacant Land (taxes per acre): Windsor - $3,282, low - $851, high - $23,195, average - $9,791.

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The Orchards will bring another high end neighbourhood to South Windsor

WindsorOntarioNews.com January 20 2021

A higher end neighborhood should be ready for move-in by the end of the year after the city approved development of The Orchards subdivision. The little known former open land lies just east of Howard Avenue south of Division Rd. and is obscured mostly by single family homes along Howard. Yet two longtime local developers – Albano Holdings (Imperial Developments) and J. Rauti Custom Homes - have combined to build the 86 home upscale development. Homes will be similar to existing Rauti homes on nearby Maguire St. (pictured). The land had long been owned by the two families pieced together over the decades and had been in a “holding” zone by the city expressly for residential use. “Now is just a great time to put it together, the market’s strong, Windsor’s expanding, the need is there,” Ric Albano said. He said the developers definitely did not want to build a more conventional neighbourhood; as Albano put it - “bunch everybody up in multi-units and town homes.” Instead, the development is a nod to other south Windsor upscale areas like Southwood Lakes and even almost century old larger homes west of Howard. “It maintains the integrity of the two establishment neighbourhoods,” Albano said. One noticeable road change will be the extension of Holborn St. westward through to Howard Ave. bisecting the division. But Albano dismissed concerns this would be used as a pass through, as most general traffic uses Maguire to the north. The street will be used primarily by local traffic. The city and developers will cost share the extension. Albano has a background in mainly industrial and commercial construction, The family built the Riverview Steel plant on EC Row and the innovative Club Lofts condos – a converted distillery warehouse – in Walkerville. Rauti brings an extensive background in home development including Tuscany Oaks, Huron Estates, Lakeside Estates and currently the Lakeshore New Centre.

Photo: The Orchards

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