Applications for the city's Downtown Windsor Enhancement Strategy continue to roll in.
The latest round includes proposed residential/commercial developments for the former Don Cherry's on Pelissier Street and for the corner of Victoria Ave and Park Street West as well as the re-development of the vacant Radisson Hotel on Riverside Drive West.
If approved, the community improvement grants would total more than $250,000.
Downtown BIA Chair Larry Horwitz says giving incentives like this is going to help the city build a downtown it can be proud of.
"This is extremely big, important decision for downtown," he says. "This CIP, we've been fighting for, the BIA and myself, for a good 10 years and now it's time. We're moving forward with three projects and we're very excited about it."
Horwitz says bringing more residential downtown is a must.
"These different projects will include a lot of residential units. If people live downtown they tend to shop downtown and go to the restaurants and sip cappuccino. So this is really important. The students, possibly, will live downtown that are now coming downtown."
531 Pelissier St (Photo courtesy of the City of Windsor)
The plan for the former Don Cherry's includes ground floor commercial space and addition of three floors to the building which will house 24 residential rental units.
Plans for the corner of Victoria Ave. and Park St. calls for a 120-unit apartment building where there is currently a parking lot.
333 Riverside Dr W (Photo courtesy of the City of Windsor)
The re-development of the Radisson on Riverside Drive West includes a conversion to a Double Tree Hotel and the addition of a Milestones restaurant on the ground floor.
CIP grants have been given the go-ahead at the committee level and will now go to council for final approval.
— with files from AM800's Kristylee Varley