Article content
With a $45-million facelift on Cabana Road nearing completion, and more roadwork in the area to come, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens says denser housing development along the upgraded arterial road “makes sense.”
During a Tuesday update on the Cabana corridor revamp — a project that’s been underway for nine years — Dilkens said housing density along major bus routes is also being supported by upper levels of government.
Advertisement 2
Article content
The update comes amid backlash online from South Windsor residents against several private multi-unit housing developments being proposed in their area — neighbourhoods currently made up almost entirely of single-family homes.
“I think it’s fair to say you see housing as the top order of business for every level of government,” Dilkens said.
To increase Windsor’s housing supply, council is pursuing a strategy Dilkens called “smart” and “sensible” — encouraging higher-density development along major transit corridors, including Cabana Road which runs east-west across South Windsor.
“That is the place that makes sense. It makes sense to city council,” the mayor said. “But it’s also the type of density and growth that is being supported by both the provincial and federal governments.”
A city council majority, Dilkens included, remains opposed to allowing fourplexes on any residential lot in Windsor without public hearings or council debate. Doing so was seen as a minimum requirement for Windsor to receive $30 million from Ottawa’s Housing Accelerator Fund at the start of this year, but council stood its ground and lost out on a federal grant.
Advertisement 3
Article content
In Ontario, triplexes are allowed on all residential lots as-of-right.
Since 2015, the city has invested roughly $45 million on Cabana Road upgrades between Provincial Road to Highway 3, transforming a dusty two-lane “farm road” without curbs — Dilkens called it “a mess” — into a four-lane arterial street with new sidewalks, gutters, painted bike lanes, street lighting, and boulevards with trees and sod.
The reconstruction project council began nine years ago and work attached to approved funding so far is expected to wrap up by the end of this year. However, work along along the eastward stretch of Cabana Road corridor as it turns into Division Road is on the horizon.
Recommended from Editorial
Phase 5 — from Provincial Road east to Walker Road — is currently in the design phase. The city plans to expropriate portions of roadside properties and relocate hydro poles this year. Construction is tentatively scheduled for 2025, subject to budget approval.
Advertisement 4
Article content
The municipality has also acquired land where the former Leisure Motel sits, a narrow, triangle-shaped property on Cabana at Division. The city would not divulge the purchasing price, stating the dollar figure is confidential under a purchasing agreement, according to city spokesperson Jason Moore.
Dilkens said Phase 5 of the corridor project is expected to cost around $25 million.
As Phase 4 continues, Cabana Road and connecting streets will be reduced to one lane in each direction for surface asphalt paving in four locations: Cabana from west of Dominion to Highway 3; approximately 100 metres of Glenwood Avenue north of Cabana; approximately 50 metres of Roxborough Boulevard north of Cabana; and Richardie Boulevard from its cul-de-sac to the Santo Drive intersection.
Article content
