Downtown Windsor BIA Chair Larry Horwitz says City Council has been misled when it comes to the Pelissier Street parking garage.
City administration estimated converting ground floor retail space to parking would cost $500,000, but tenders have come in at close to $900,000 with some over a million dollars.
Horwitz says it's council's responsibility to protect the public purse, but in this case it has thrown away taxpayer money.
He says it's a shame tenants were kicked out before the project was finalized.
"The purpose of that, I don't know, to do that before tender bids came back, but they eliminated the hair salon who has now moved out of there and is very angry. The Pride community centre was forced out and his business was terribly effected and he lost a lot of money by having to move out that quickly."
Horwitz is calling on council to reconsider.
"It's very upsetting. We have engineers on council. We have lawyers. How can a decision have been made like this that affects everybody's lives? They have to immediately reverse themselves, change their decision and keep the retail in the parking garage. It's just a travesty, what's been taking place."
Horwitz adds, the entire process has been flawed.
"We didn't understand why the hurry, why they need to convert when we have so much parking downtown? Why they needed to rip out the retail of all the parking garage and convert it? So this is a very serious situation and council must reverse itself immediately."
Horwitz says he knew from the get go the numbers didn't add up and wasn't surprised when estimates came in much higher.
Council will discuss the issue at its upcoming meeting August 8.
- with files from AM800's Rob Hindi