Mayor says public has a say in the fate of the proposed condo development at Roseland
Windsor's mayor says the public will have plenty of chances to give input into the future of the Roseland curling club property, but critics say the recent decision to offer the property for sale to developers should have happened in open session.
Mayor Drew Dilkens says that "public input will be welcomed and encouraged at various stages," including online consultations and the rezoning process in the coming months.
This includes an open house at Roseland at 4 p.m. on Thursday.
As for the decision being made privately, "the matter was deliberated in camera, as are all property matters," Dilkens said in a statement to CBC News.
"City council's near-unanimous decision to do so was based on advice from the city solicitor."
The mayor announced last week that Roseland's curling club and parking lot are among four city-owned properties that will be available to buy for housing development purposes. The plan is part of a strategy to encourage more housing in Windsor.
The mayor and city administration already have concept drawings for a 38-unit luxury condo complex on the property.
A public consultation on plans to sell and develop the Roseland Curling Club is taking place Thursday evening. (Mike Evans/CBC)
Coun. Fred Francis says he'll be attending the community consultation session Thursday.
The property is in his ward. He says council should have discussed the matter in an open session, and he questions the legitimacy of the consultation process, when council has already decided that the property will be developed as housing.
Francis is wondering how the idea got so far along without his or his community's knowledge. He says he didn't see the current drawings until the meeting was scheduled a few weeks ago.
In his statement, Dilkens said the idea was raised four years ago "following the adoption of a strategic plan by the Roseland board during Coun. Francis's tenure as chair."
Dilkens said that "extensive efforts" are being made to ensure the "high-end" development fits with the neighbourhood.
But a former city councillor who has had his own disagreements with the mayor agrees with Francis that more transparency is needed.
"Is this a city-led initiative, or is this a mayor initiative?" said Rino Bortolin, who did not run in the last municipal election.
"Sometimes the lines are blurred. It may be part and parcel of the new strong mayor legislation and the new way they operate. But this should be a municipal issue. These are municipal lands... We have to be transparent and open about what those processes look like."
Bortolin says he's in favour of residential development in general, as a solution to Windsor's looming housing crisis. But public process is important.
People can give input via an online survey until March 24.
As for Francis, he says it's not enough. He worries about setting a precedent.
"The fear now is, if we continue to move forward in this direction, and you're going to see housing there, and you're going to see rezoning there, once the city rezones that lot, you're opening the door to having every single lot around that golf club course rezoned for residential condo development."
