Plans to build a new condo building and clubhouse at Roseland Golf Course have been announced.
Valente Development and Bear Construction have secured the $33-million "Residences at Roseland" project that will see a four-storey condominium constructed with 48 units that will include one-, two-, and three-bedroom units.
80 per cent of the condos will be facing the golf course, with each unit costing between $400,000 and $1 million.
There will also be 83 parking spaces constructed, 72 of them underground.
The new clubhouse will feature a 5,600-square-foot building with 2,000 square feet of covered patio space.
Peter Valente, president of Valente Development Corporation, describes the project as 'exclusive.'
He says there are only 48 units.
"The ones in the mid-400s will be one-bedroom units, and they go up to three-bedroom units over the million," says Valante.
He says his demographic for development is empty-nesters and feels it's a big win for the neighbourhood.
"People that are looking for retirement living, that want to enjoy a beautiful golf course, that want to stay in South Windsor—that's my target buyer," he says
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens says the developer is buying the 1.3 acres of land for $1.5 million.
"The Valente group is actually going to buy the piece of land from the City of Windsor, and it's a regular condo development," says Dilkens. "So we're going to sell them that piece of land in order to enable them to build the condo. Of course we'll own the clubhouse site and the rest of the golf course."
Valente would like to have the project completed by late 2028.
As part of the planning process, there will be an open house next Thursday, April 30th, at the Capri Pizza Recreation Centre from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Ward 1 Councillor Fred Francis is not happy the project was included in an Expression of Interest and did not go out to tender.
"I think it's a bad development, and the whole policy I think around it has been pretty bad with respect to little public consultation," says Francis. "I don't think the competitive process has been very competitive from a bidding point of view. So all in all I just don't think it's a good development."
He says he wanted the two projects to be built separately.
"I didn't think they should be combined because I think that makes things a little bit messy," he says. "I personally would have loved to see the clubhouse project go out to tender to see a more competitive process that I think would have saved taxpayers a lot more money."
Francis doesn't believe luxury condos are needed in Windsor.
"There's more houses for sale in South Windsor than anywhere else in the city," says Francis. "So when you're looking at that and you're looking at something like this that's going to be between $400,000 and $1 million, the market is not asking for that."
The project still needs to go before committee and city council.