The city of Windsor will not close Matchette Rd. between Titcombe and Sprucewood Ave.
After a heated and emotional debate Monday night, council voted against spending between $150,000 to $250,000 on an environment assessment.
Instead council agreed to receive the three reports and will send the issue to the 2018 budget, to see how much it would cost for eco-passages on Matchette Rd. in front of the Ojibway Nature Centre.
Ward one resident Greg Goggin lives directly across the street from the park and says Matchette should be closed.
"It will achieve stopping traffic from killing animals trying to cross the road," says Goggin.
During the debate, councillor Fred Francis was called out a few times for living off Matchette Rd. in a subdivision developed by the Coco Group.
Many in the audience felt Francis should have declared a conflict of interest.
He says he received an independent legal opinion.
"You all know where I live, many of you have come to my home, members of the media know where I live. During interviews on this, I've said that I lived in the area and let me be even more clear I'm not going to apologize for living in the ward that I represent, period end of story," says Francis.
Goggin has lived in the area for close to 10 years.
Both the Coco Group along with the Town of LaSalle voiced concerns about the potential closure of Matchette Rd.
During the debate, council went in camera for a short period of time to deal with legal questions.
While speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mayor Drew Dilkens said there was significant risks with closing Matchette Rd. and lawsuits were possible.
He stated the closure would have put the corporation in great legal jeopardy.