Work continues to bring new life to a derelict property in Walkerville.
The majority of the building at 1370 Argyle Rd. was destroyed by fire in September 2018, but the owners of Market Square at Walker Rd. and Ottawa St. have since purchased the property with plans for a major facelift to the tune of $21-million.
A three-storey, 81-unit residential build is proposed for the site with the existing heritage building to be rehabilitated and incorporated into the development.
Councillor Chris Holt says it'll be a nice addition to the neighbourhood.
"This is a spectacular project. It's a spectacular infill. The neighbours are looking forward to the condition of this property changing to the better. This is exactly what a Community Improvement Plan was meant to do," he says.
Holt says city incentives are making the project possible.
"If it wasn't for the financial incentives offered by the City of Windsor, we wouldn't be here right now talking about its redevelopment. We wouldn't be talking about the historical preservation of this," he says. "It's such a gorgeous building and it's such an asset to the community. We wouldn't be doing this right now."
Councillor Rino Bortolin says this will be the third grant given to the development.
"There's heritage investments, there's the brownfield clean up investment and then, obviously, the investment to create the building. So, you know, a lot of investors wouldn't touch this with a 10-foot pole. So I wanted to articulate thank you from the city, from the committee. This will be a beautiful addition," says Bortolin.
At its Monday meeting, the city's Development and Heritage Standing Committee approved a tax break for the property over the next three years under its Brownfield Tax Assistance and Rehabilitation Grant Program saving the owners as much as $426,000.
The grant still needs final approval from city council.