WINDSOR | Construction - News and Development

[jodelli]

WFCU

[Blitz]

A $150M senior village is planned to be built in four phases over the next ten years on Windsor's far east side at the intersection of McHugh Street and Clover Avenue.

[westerntragedy]

friend emailed me a bunch of color renderings of the University's new engineering school, going up this fall:



more here:
http://www.windsorvisuals.com/95662.html

[Blitz]

Nice, and wow do we ever need something like this.

The Toldo building and the new Medical building are really nice as well, now if they could just do something about the decrepits...Essex Hall are Cody Hall are looking pretty rough these days.

[jodelli]

East Windsor Cogeneration Centre (84 MW) - Windsor
http://www.powerauthority.on.ca/Page...ContentID=5116



Amica on the Drive just east of Pillette Rd.

"7 Supervisor of Development Application Teams Application of Amica Mature Lifestyles Inc. for site plan approval to permit a Lodging House – Adult Retirement and Accessory Facility (12 story building with accessory facilities within the building; 82 underground parking spaces and 11 visitor spaces, 5 staff parking spaces as surface parking area) located at 4881 and 4909 Riverside Drive East File ZS/9844"


Before and after:

[jodelli]

TD/Canada Trust site, Ouellette and Pitt:





Amica from the front:


East Windsor power:


Notice how the brickwork is of a similar style to the Albert Kahn original next door:

[jodelli]

Ouellette between Park and Wyandotte:

[sparky212]

how tall is the TD building suposed to be? Thats a awfully large footprint

[jodelli]

Check posts 899 and 890 for renders of the TD.

Here's the relocated BK:


New Shoppers Drug near Pillette on Wyandotte:

[jodelli]

http://www.windsorstar.com/news/Wowe...385/story.html

"Wowed council changes position on canal plan

Will seek senior government funding for $48M downtown project

By Doug Schmidt, The Windsor StarMay 20, 2009 11:08 AMComments (18)



* Story
* Photos ( 1 )


The city's Canal Feasibility Study Team displayed several conceptional drawings of the proposed canal and marina for downtown Windsor on Tuesday night.
Photograph by: Artist's rendering, The Windsor Star

After getting a taste of how Windsor could be transformed by a meandering inland canal that would draw not only outside tourists but local residents themselves to their long-suffering downtown, city council on Tuesday night reversed its earlier opposition to seek senior government funding for a $48-million marina-canal proposal.

“Wow. Dare to dream that this is actually Windsor,” Coun. Percy Hatfield said of the slide presentation depicting a below-street level development west of the art gallery with wide, pedestrian-focused boulevards and open public spaces.

“First and foremost, this is something that will bring our own people downtown,” said former MPP Dave Cooke, who led the privately funded feasibility study that concluded the project was doable and desirable.

While not a quick fix to the city core’s woes, the canal has the potential to be an economic generator, said Larry Horwitz, chairman of the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association. He urged council to support the project, arguing it had the potential to transform the city “from one our children want to leave to one they want to live in.”

Just two weeks ago, Coun. Ron Jones, angered like other councillors for the perception Mayor Eddie Francis hadn’t kept them sufficiently informed, said he wasn’t going to support the project and that it would never fly.

After Tuesday’s presentation, however, he said he and residents will love the proposal for his ward.

“I’m here to tell you I’ve changed my mind,” said Jones.

Even the critics had good things to say.

“Clearly we’ve been given enough information to be very excited,” said Coun. Bill Marra, who nevertheless voted against adding the canal to Windsor’s list of projects seeking senior government stimulus funding. He and Coun. Dave Brister voted against reconsideration of the earlier council rejection, both arguing that having the marina-canal proposal approved for two-thirds funding by senior governments would mean other infrastructure projects would likely fall by the wayside.

Brister predicted the canal project would become another Canderel fiasco and become “a huge sinkhole for dollars. I think this project is going to make that one look like chump change.”

He said his constituents were against the marina, but both Jones and fellow ward Coun. Caroline Postma said their constituents appeared in favour of hosting the project.

Coun. Alan Halberstadt threw his support behind it but predicted “it’s going to be a lot more than $48 million.”

“It’s an expensive project,” said Cooke, adding that the proposed two-thirds funding by senior governments provides “a fair amount of comfort” on Windsor’s financial exposure.

“Simply, without that funding, this project will not take place,” said Ward 3 Coun. Fulvio Valentinis.

Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac said the federal and provincial governments have been “pretty darn blunt” about indicating they’ll support the canal.

Jones hasn’t been the only surprise convert, with other former opponents coming forward after the city posted the canal proposal studies and background information on its website.

“Please do not let this chance slip away from your grasp,” downtown resident Dave Couvillion wrote council in a letter.

A vocal opponent of the proposal just a week ago, Couvillion, whose home would sit at the canal’s edge, said that after reviewing the documents supporting the project, he’s so convinced that the neighbourhood’s residents are preparing a petition in support.

“I believe if we put the politics, the past mistakes, the personal agendas aside this will be a great asset to not only our downtown (and) the surrounding area but a great asset to the entire region,” he wrote.

While the funding application now joins the city’s list for stimulus funding to Ottawa, Francis said a detailed business plan will be prepared and the public will then get involved in discussing the project.

dschmidt@thestar.canwest.com or 519-255-5586
© Copyright (c) The Windsor Star

[Blitz]

A conceptual drawing of that canal plan:

[y2k_pony]

That canal would really help the downtown. That td construction is really a dissapointing project. I was hoping for a large tower on that prime piece of property. Nice to see they are continuing the street scaping and sewer projects down Ouellette.

[cujo8400]

Developers in Windsor are definitely not in a position to be building giant skyscrapers that they have no hope of filling. Come on now, do you really think people are that stupid?

[y2k_pony]

Originally Posted by cujo8400

Developers in Windsor are definitely not in a position to be building giant skyscrapers that they have no hope of filling. Come on now, do you really think people are that stupid?

The Candrel building is filled. As much as I want a large tower I also know that it couldnt be filled.. (atleast not in the economic hardship of Windsor)

[y2k_pony]

anyone take any redbull pics? Any pics of new construction going on in and around Windsor? Whats the deal with the marina on the Western side of Downtown... Approved?

[westerntragedy]

^ y2kpony, hehe i blog on these exact subjects daily! www.windsorvisuals.com

Red Bull pics:
http://www.windsorvisuals.com/?tag=red-bull-air-races

Local Construction update:
http://www.windsorvisuals.com/?p=529

Marina/Canal approval:
http://www.windsorvisuals.com/?p=401

[y2k_pony]

^ Great, thanks Western!

[Carlos_x3]

City close to selling Brighton Beach land for new border crossing

By Monica Wolfson, The Windsor Star July 5, 2009


aerial view of the brighton beach area

WINDSOR, Ont. -- The federal government and city of Windsor are nearing a deal on the purchase of about 100 acres of land at Brighton Beach to be used for the new border crossing.

The majority of the land is owned by the city, although about seven parcels are in private hands, officials said. The property will be used for a customs plaza and the new publicly owned down river bridge.

“We’ve pretty much agreed on a price,” said Mark Butler, Transport Canada spokesman. “We are also talking to some private owners and those negotiations haven’t been completed.”

Butler and city solicitor George Wilkki declined to disclose the price offered for the land, although the amount should be revealed when councillors vote on selling the property.

“I believe the monetary settlement will be satisfactory to the city,” Wilkki said.

The city’s spat with the province over Greenlink, a proposal for more parks and tunnels along the route to the new border crossing, didn’t interfere with negotiations with the federal government, Wilkki said.

“No decision will be made as to what will happen in the future,” Wilkki said, referring to whether the city will sue the province to halt construction of the border access road.

“The point is to achieve a negotiated solution that is satisfactory to all parties.”

The route to the new Detroit River International Crossing bridge is expected to cost $1.6 billion. DRIC is a consortium of officials and agencies from the Ontario, Michigan, Canadian and U.S. governments.

The federal government is paying for the customs plaza, the new bridge and half of the construction costs associated with the highway to the new border crossing, Butler said. The province is paying for the other half of the extension of Highway 401 and making the land purchases and construction arrangements.

So far the province has spent $70 million acquiring 200 parcels of land of the 900 needed for the six-lane highway, said Heather Grondin, manager of communications and issues management for the Windsor border initiatives implementation group.

The properties have been a mix of residential, commercial and vacant lands.

The environmental assessment for the border route is expected to be completed by early fall.

“Once the environmental assessment is approved, the province can start advanced construction,” Butler said. “It normally includes demolition and moving utilities.”

The technical design of the bridge hasn’t been done yet, but the federal government has preliminary drawings of the customs plaza. It should take four to five years to build the bridge and customs plaza, Butler said.

The Michigan Department of Transportation recently solicited requests for proposals from contractors for a bridge design and ideas to connect the downriver bridge with I-75.

[Carlos_x3]

By Dave Battagello, The Windsor Star

Preliminary work will begin this fall on a $1.6-billion route to a new Detroit River bridge.

Monday, local MPPs Dwight Duncan, Sandra Pupatello and Bruce Crozier announced that the provincial cabinet has approved the environmental assessment for the Windsor-Essex Parkway.

The project is part of a $5-billion binational effort to create a new Detroit River bridge. It will create up to 15,000 construction jobs.

The six-kilometre parkway in the Huron Church Road-Talbot Road corridor includes 11 overpasses that will cover 1.8 kilometres of the route, creating 300 acres of green space.

Preliminary work this fall will include construction of two overpass bridges, a two-kilometre sound barrier wall near the Southwood Lakes subdivision and utility relocation, said Duncan, Ontario’s finance minister.

Combined with the recently launched $50-million underpass on Howard Avenue backed by the provincial government, a total of 1,300 jobs will be created this year.

The province becomes the first of four major government players involved in the Detroit River International Crossing study to give environmental clearance for the massive border infrastructure plan to build an improved link from Highway 401 to I-75 in Detroit.

With Windsor at the “epicentre” of the global recession, now is the time to get border road work underway, said Duncan, noting that the project comes on the heels of four years of public debate that included 300 community meetings and $30 million in studies.

“People really need to see the shovel is in the ground and it’s not just talk,” Pupatello said. “That’s really what we are trying to show today.”

But the bulk of the DRIC projects — including the parkway — will likely not get started before early 2011 following completion of a request for proposal process to find a private financial investment partner to help design, build and maintain the new highway and bridge.

Despite Ontario’s final approval of DRIC, federal and state approvals on both sides of the border are also required before the full project can go forward.

The Canadian government is expected to give its backing sometime within the next few weeks, according to Windsor’s cabinet ministers.

Warden Nelson Santos and several other county politicians were on hand Monday for the provincial announcement, but the only Windsor politician present was Coun. Alan Halberstadt.

“My concern is to get the region moving,” Santos said. “This has been six years in the works. This solution paints a good picture in terms of improving what we have today and providing a strong future for Windsor-Essex County.”

Halberstadt said council will discuss pursuing a judicial review of the DRIC plan that would threaten to delay the project at least several months and possibly years.

The city’s hired legal expert on the border, Toronto environmental lawyer David Estrin, has indicated he believes the city has a strong case that the DRIC environmental assessment was faulty.

“We have consulted with our legal people on chances of success with judicial review and how long it will take,” Halberstadt said.

“The province, the way they have put this together, are turning the screws on city council and we will have to make a decision one way or another.”

Mayor Eddie Francis did not attend the provincial announcement, but told a news conference city council’s next step will be to meet with Duncan and Pupatello to see if any changes can be made to the parkway plan.

The city wants more features of its Greenlink border road included in the the parkway plan. The city’s plan includes twice as much tunneling of the route and more parkland.

[jodelli]

This is a rock sample drilled up from 120' below the Chrysler Plant Three area.
It is composed of the same mostly calcium carbonate with traces of other minerals that can be found underlying much of Essex County, nearly reaching the surface in the A'Burg area.