An amicable end to a major development near downtown Windsor between the city and Fairmount Properties.
"The matter is concluded and we're happy with the resolution, and we're all moving forward," says Windsor mayor Drew Dilkens.
Dilkens says both sides jointly agreed to end all business and legal matters over the initiative for the development.
In 2020, Fairmount and the city signed a memorandum of understanding for a $140-million development at the former Grace Hospital site located at University Avenue West and Crawford Avenue.
Then in December 2023, city council cancelled the project due to slow progress, prompting legal action from Fairmount.
Dilkens says now city council will be sorting through and putting out an Expression of Interest for that space "very soon".
He says he believes it should go back to the original plan - which was a large-scale development.
"We have six-and-a-half acres there, basically in the downtown core. We know there was interest before, and we know there's been interest since in development on that site. In fact, I would submit that the interest has only picked up because the market and the economy has gotten better in terms of need for more housing, and people and developers are looking saying 'how do we fill that need?', and they're looking at spaces just that size to say there's an opportunity here to make money."
Dilkens says council will now put out an Expression of Interest for the space.
"Sorting through the applications that come back, and we've seen a lot of interest with things like the Caron Avenue parking lot, Pelissier Street is going out, eventually we'll get to Grace Hospital. It won't take us that long. And I expect there's going to be significant interest in that site as well."
He says they're open to what the space could feature, whether that be a mixed-use development, or strictly housing.
"On the residential side you're going to see a lot of units being able to be built on that site, it's a prime site close to downtown, it's between obviously the university and the downtown college campus, it's on a bus route. We're starting the re-do of University Avenue, and so there's a lot of excitement along University Avenue. I think this project will just lend itself to that excitement."
When asked how much this issue will cost taxpayers due to legal fees, Dilkens was unsure of the exact number.
AM800 News has reached out to the city for an amount, however did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Fairmount Properties state they have elected to focus on more U.S. based initiatives.
