Windsor city council is moving forward with a "districting" pilot initiative in Walkerville, first promised in the 2018 capital budget.
Councillors approved spending up to $100,000 to hire a consultant to map out design, engineering and costing plans for the project.
A total of $5-million has been set aside in the capital budget for theming neighbourhoods like Sandwich Town, Ford City and Olde Riverside.
Mayor Drew Dilkens says the initiative will include public consultations to help generate ideas to enhance the selected neighbourhoods.
He envisions Walkerville as a distillery district and making that a reality could include a wide range of infrastructure investments.
"Whether it's streetscaping, whether it's signage, whether it's areas for the public to gather, whether you want to build the largest barrel in the world — whatever the ideas are that come forward from the public's mind, those have to be designed and incorporated into an area and there may be some land acquisition."
He says a consultant is needed to make sure money is being spent in a smart and targeted way.
"You need someone who can help guide you through a process and get you to an end result and that end result will be — what does the plan look like?" says Dilkens. "What will change tomorrow that we don't have today in a Walkerville Distillery District and how do you link and connect the different elements and pieces that are there?"
The Walkerville project includes the area bounded by the Detroit River, Niagara St., Walker Rd. and Gladstone Ave.