The mayor of Windsor says construction of a new $300-million housing investment along the city’s riverfront will be underway soon.
Drew Dilkens says Farhi Holdings Corporation is ready to go, but there is some remediation work that has to happen before the apartment can be built.
As part of the Housing Solutions Made for Windsor, Farhi will develop a 200-unit residential and commercial complex on the Caron Avenue parking lot near the intersection with Pitt Street.
The build will feature ground-floor commercial space, a coffee shop and bistro, and on-site parking, while residential options will include studio apartments and one-, one-plus-a-den, two-, and three-bedroom units.
The Caron Avenue development will then unlock the proposed development of a nearby 28-story residential tower with 187 units and commercial space on Riverside Drive, at the corner of Janette Avenue, a site already owned by Farhi.
Dilkens says there is some work that needs to be done before shovels can hit the ground.
“The development agreement speaks to the timelines to start, Mr. Farhi is ready to go, we just have to remediate some of the land. There’s some contamination where a former gas station used to be on the corner of that Caron Avenue parking lot, and so we’re working through the process to remediate that and get the record of site condition.”
He says Farhi is ready to go.
“Once we have the record of site condition, he’s ready to submit the building plans and to get building. And so, we’ve got his full commitment, and that’s going to be an exciting development as well.”
Dilkens says this is an exciting time for housing in Windsor.
“We’re just going to keep rolling, so we’ve got more announcements this week with respect to Housing Solutions Made for Windsor, getting another one out of the gate and on track for people to submit their Expressions of Interest. And we look forward to evaluating all of those expressions that come in and choosing a great developer that will move forward on the next project as well.”
This comes after ground was broken Monday morning at the Pelissier Park housing project, which will feature 48 units at the city’s former Municipal Parking Lot 15 just north of 711 Pelissier Street, not far from Wyandotte Street.
Pelissier Park was one of the Housing Solutions Made for Windsor initiatives.
The other key projects in the Housing Solutions Made for Windsor includes the former Windsor Arena, the former Grace Hospital site, the former W.D. Lowe Secondary School and the Roseland Clubhouse and Parking Lot.