Windsor's waterfront could look quite different in the coming years.
A $32.5-million proposal is set to come before council next week which would see a massive canopy built at Riverfront Festival Plaza.
The plan calls for several amenities as well as a permanent dome structure with a capacity of 5,000 people — similar to what's seen at the the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre across the Detroit River.
Pooya Baktash with Toronto-based Partisans Architecture is heading up the design.
He says there's a lot more to the project than just a canopy.
"This is not just the canopy," he says. "This is the entire Festival Plaza which includes a park activation, green space, we have a water feature. The canopy is only a part of this project."
Baktash says this would bring Windsor's waterfront to a whole new level.
"A lot of comments was that it's too hot and too cold," says Baktash. "So we brought a team of engineers to actually look at the environmental data when designing this canopy. The idea was how can we extend the shorter season so you can have a performance and be comfortable in March or even November."
Plans for a proposed $32.5-million canopy project at Festival Plaza in Windsor (Photo courtesy of Partisans Architecture Studio)
He feels a project of this size could become the city's crown jewel.
"The waterfront in Windsor is one of the most amazing places in, I think, the country and even North America," he adds. "Not only will it be a festival plaza, it's going to affect the downtown and create a kind of icon for the City of Windsor."
With an asphalt parking lot and no shade, the current Festival Plaza has received criticism from the community as the space can be too hot or not unusable during heavy rain or high winds.
The canopy proposal will go before council on October 4 — if endorsed it'll move to the public input phase.
— with files from AM800's Kathie McMann