An iconic broadcasting facility will go through the process of being stamped with a heritage designation; however, one city councillor is concerned that the developer will challenge the designation to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT).
A report with a notice of intention to designate the former CKLW building, now home to CBC, at 825 Riverside Drive West was approved by Windsor City Council on Monday but opposed by ward 4 councillor Mark McKenzie.
The city received applications to amend zoning to allow for the demo of the current build and the construction of townhouses and multiple high-rise buildings containing 1,602 residential units and 1,725 parking spaces.
The application triggered a 90-day review period, which includes the heritage proponent, with the city stating that they had until June 11 to file the notice of intent.
However, a letter filed to the city by Baroudi Law states the city only had until June 5, and if council approved the intent to designate, they would proceed with an appeal to the OLT.
McKenzie expressed concerns during the meeting but was told by city administration that they took it as they had until June 11 and they felt confident they could defend their reasoning to the OLT.
He says the city stated they’re prepared to fight this at the OLT, and he wouldn’t be shocked if the developer files the appeal.
“Now it could end up costing the taxpayer a lot of money here to literally just save what administration has said is a very, very small section of this building. I believe it was a hallway and some bricks. So, I wonder if designating it heritage was the right move at this point.”
He says this intent to designate felt very rushed.
“When this did come to committee, and it was only last week that it ended up coming to committee so they really pushed this through to council pretty quickly... normally it takes at least a few weeks, anywhere from four to six weeks for something to go through committee to council but I guess it’s because of these timelines that they’re trying to hit.”
McKenzie says he’s worried that if this is fought at the OLT that the development will be delayed even more.
“We’ve seen that with other properties that have gone to the OLT where it’s taken sometime three, four years for these to be resolved at the OLT. Sometimes it ends up working out in the benefit of residents and the city, but this is something that all of the residents who came to the open house were saying ‘yeah, we love this development’.”
The site was built in 1954 and is currently listed on the Windsor Municipal Heritage Register as the CBC Radio-Canada TV/Radio building, but it was never formally designated.
The developer has indicated that heritage elements would be salvaged, if possible, and incorporated into the project such as the glazed green brick and the L-shaped breezeway.
CBC Windsor still operates out of the building and their lease expires in three years.