LaSalle's mayor is calling it one of the largest commercial developments the town will ever see.
Town council voted Tuesday to move forward with a $200 million commercial development proposal from D’Amore Group and Petretta Construction.
Crystal Meloche told AM800's The Dan MacDonald Show that it's truly exciting to see such a large investment in the community.
Meloche says this is great for the community, the residents, and the businesses nearby, like Windsor Crossing Premium Outlets.
"It's bringing people in as well as our own residents who are going to spend the money there. It's also about creating jobs; there will be hundreds of jobs created. It helps with the taxes in the Town of LaSalle as well, by actually getting commercial-based taxes, something we don't have a lot of in our community," she says.
Phase one would include a Food Basics, Shoppers Drug Mart, Dollarama, McDonald's, Tim Horton's, Taco Bell, Pet Smart, and a Osmow’s Shawarma.
Phase two of the development is expected to feature a brand-name hotel.
Meloche says a a brand-name hotel is something that will benefit all of Windsor-Essex.
"All of our organizations that host events here in LaSalle have a lot of sporting events hosted here. People are always asking, 'I wish there was a hotel closer to your facility.' Hopefully we will have that in the future where they're able to get things more hammered down for phase two," she says.
Meloche says that the taxes in LaSalle are paid heavily by the residents.
"This is giving us a chance to grow our commercial tax base as well, and those things are extremely important. To me, this project is a great, great move forward for our municipality. It fulfills the needs we need," she says.
The development is expected to generate around 400 to 500 'sustainable' jobs.
It's expected ground will be broken on phase one of the project in early 2025.
