Article content
South Windsor residents still puzzled by a closed-door council decision to build housing on golf course land united in a quest for answers Thursday evening.
More than 150 people filled the Roseland Golf and Curling clubhouse for a resident meeting hosted by Ward 1 Coun. Fred Francis. The meeting was born out of a flood of questions he’s received since Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens announced plans earlier this month for 38 privately built high-end condo units on Roseland clubhouse and parking lot land.
Advertisement 2
Article content
Article content
Francis, who vocally opposed the plans and the process behind closed doors through which council approved them, fielded questions for nearly an hour and encouraged residents to sign a petition created by one of their own.
“I truly want to stop this development from happening,” Francis said.
“The essence of this neighbourhood is the golf course. Once you start selling off the golf course, you negatively change the essence of the neighbourhood.”
Catherine Archer, who spearheaded the petition, told the Windsor Star she feels residents should have a say in what happens at Roseland.
“This is premium land. This is a heritage site,” she said. “People (councillors) have to get the input of the community because we’re the ones that made this community. We should have a say in what goes into it.”
One resident asked Francis when council would decide on the land’s rezoning and several expressed interest in speaking out during that meeting. Francis said it’s not yet known when that meeting will happen.
Another resident suggested that neighbours could pitch in to purchase the land. Francis explained that they would be unsuccessful under the city’s REI (request for expressions of interest) process, which will only entertain applications containing proposals for condos with stipulated requirements.
Advertisement 3
Article content
Some questioned the need for luxury condos during a housing affordability crisis, and others said they feared the plan would pave the way for more high-density development in the low-density neighbourhood.
Francis also had his hands full at the meeting quashing conspiracy theories about who might benefit financially from the development, as well as defending the mayor and his council colleagues from criticism over the project.
Earlier this month, Dilkens announced a closed-door decision of city council to pursue housing development on four city-owned properties: parking lots on Caron Avenue and Pelissier Street; the former W.D. Lowe school property on Giles Boulevard — purchased from the public school board for $1.6 million in January — and the Roseland clubhouse and parking lot. Francis said he was unaware the announcement would take place and was out of the country on vacation at the time.
A week later, the city held a public information centre about plans for Roseland at the facility’s clubhouse. Many of those present at Thursday’s neighbourhood gathering attended that event, too.
Advertisement 4
Article content
At the city-run info session, residents had the opportunity to view architectural designs for the proposed development, which would sit mostly in the footprint of the existing clubhouse and next to a proposed new but smaller clubhouse. They were also able to speak one-on-one with Dilkens, some councillors, city administrators, and representatives from the architectural firm hired to create the designs.
At the time, several attendees told the Star they would have preferred a town-hall-style meeting, where they could have listened to one another’s questions and heard all of the answers officials had to give. Francis’s meeting on Thursday had such a format, although he was the only one present to answer questions.
Recommended from Editorial
During the March 18 city council meeting, Francis requested an extension to an online survey about the Roseland development to give residents more time to submit feedback. The survey, which will now be available until the end of March, asks participants their age, what ward they live in, and for “suggestions or recommendations” based on architectural designs of the proposed condo building.
Francis has spoken out against plans for higher-density housing in his predominantly single-family home ward. He also opposed the private process council took to approve its pursuit of housing on Roseland property.
Francis’s request to move council’s discussion on the matter to a public meeting was shot down by the council majority. His lone supporter was Ward 7 Coun. Angelo Marignani, who was present at Thursday’s resident meeting.
Article content
