A stalemate at a city committee meeting.
Windsor's Development and Heritage Standing Committee met Tuesday afternoon, with report looking for approval to rezone the land at the corner of Cabana Road West and Casgrain Drive.
The rezoning was attached to a proposed three-storey development containing 29 dwelling units and 37 parking spots, with one ingress/egress along Casgrain.
After a two hour discussion, a number of residents expressing their concerns, and multiple questions to administration, council ended in a stalemate and received the report as information only after two motions - one to deny the rezoning, and one to approve - resulted in a tie from the committee members during the vote.
Residents expressed a number of concerns during the meeting including an increase in traffic, the proposed development not meeting the characteristics of the neighbourhood, parking, among more.
Despite these concerns, administration stated that the proposal met the Provincial Planning Policy, and that there would be next to no traffic impacts in that area as the entrance to the development is off Casgrain opposed to Cabana.
Area resident Anna Lanoszka says this will be an eyesore in the area.
"If you build it will forever hurt your own sense of aesthetics and wellbeing, and will destroy this part of the city which is historic, which is well-cared of, which should be respected in its current form."
Area resident Rino Licata says this development doesn't fit the neighbourhood.
"This development is not compatible with existing neighbourhood character which is low density, single-family homes. A three-storey, multi-building introduces high density in different forms and massing."
Area resident Fulvio Valentinis says those who live on Casgrain will be the most impacted.
"Casgrain has already been subjected to pressures, and you've got to sit back and look at the big picture. You've got Academy Ste-Cecile at the end of Casgrain... this leads into it. Look in the last 10 years how many additions there have been, and how much growth there has been there, and the accompanying increase in traffic."
Ward 1 councillor Fred Francis says he's with the residents on this one and echoes their concerns on how this will change the neighbourhood.
"Having a three-storey condo apartment building in an area that doesn't have anything three-storeys is concerning, and in my opinion will drastically impact the character of the neighbourhood... of the Cabana/Roseland neighbourhood."
He says he respects the Provincial Planning Policy, but not every development will meet that policy.
"I would implore the provincial government to give municipalities more say, and more flexibility to determine what our neighbourhoods and our cities look like. What works in Toronto doesn't work in Windsor always, and what works in Ottawa doesn't work in Windsor always, and so on and so forth. Cities are different, municipalities are different, and neighbourhood character is different... you see that in different neighbourhoods in the City of Windsor."
Francis says Cabana Road was improved to alleviate pressure on side streets.
"Having a chance, or some kind of possibility that we're going to have cut-through traffic because of these big developments, and when you tape them all together there's several in the area, and certainly what the city's proposing at Roseland Golf Course would add to that too with respect to a multi-residential building... so now you're adding more traffic in an area that's had traffic concerns and traffic problems for decades."
Francis says he spoke with the residents after the committee meeting and they indicated to him they would be more in favour of townhome-style developments rather than what is being proposed.
City council will now decide how to move forward with this proposal at a future meeting.