- The proposed residential redevelopment located at 3321-3327, 3331-3337, 3341-3347 Bloomfield Road will provide an opportunity to improve the appearance of the area and create new housing units in the Sandwich CIP area. This development addresses the Sandwich CIP Urban Design Guidelines.
- The incentive program application meets all of the eligibility criteria as identified in the Discussion section of this report.
- There are sufficient funds in the Sandwich Community Development Plan Fund to provide the Development & Building Fees grant amount, which has been applied for by the applicant for this project with the Revitalization Grant portion funded through the municipal portion of the annual tax levy.
- Administration recommends that the application request by the owner of 3321-3327, 3331-3337, 3341-3347 Bloomfield Road for incentives under the Sandwich Incentive Program be approved.
Windsor
Brownfield Redevelopment Community Improvement Plan (CIP) application submitted by 1762643 Ontario Inc. for 669 Tuscarora Street (Ward 4)
Brownfield Redevelopment Community Improvement Plan (CIP)
- Brownfield sites are properties that may be contaminated due to previous industrial or commercial uses such as a manufacturing facility or gas station.
- City Council approved a Brownfield Redevelopment CIP at its April 19, 2010 meeting for the purpose of encouraging the study, clean-up, and redevelopment of contaminated properties.
- The approval of the CIP was the result of nearly five years of study and consultation, which began in October 2005.
Importance of Brownfield Redevelopment
- In 2009 the City’s Planning Department identified 137 brownfield properties (i.e. 226 hectares or 559 acres) that are candidates for redevelopment. While the inventory is not exhaustive, it illustrates the significance of Windsor’s brownfield stock and the need to work with land owners to put these properties back into productive use.
- Based on approvals to date under the Brownfield CIP approximately 50 hectares (123 acres) or 22% of the inventory has been or is planned to be redeveloped.
- Historically, there has been little interest in redeveloping brownfield sites due to the uncertainty surrounding the extent of contamination and the potential cost of clean-up.
- The Brownfield Redevelopment CIP provides financial incentives to undertake the necessary studies and remedial work necessary to redevelop brownfield sites and reduce the potential negative impacts to the City’s environment and neighbourhoods.
- The benefits associated with brownfield redevelopment go far beyond the boundaries of the property. For example, they are often strategically located within existing built up areas of the City where services and other infrastructure, such as roads, schools, community facilities and public transit are already available, therefore additional infrastructure costs are not incurred to service these areas.
- The redevelopment of these sites also remove the negative stigma often associated with brownfield properties, which increases the value of the subject property and adjacent properties.
- Brownfield sites also represent a significant underutilization of the land base. According to the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (2003), every hectare redeveloped through a brownfield project saves up to an estimated 4.5 hectares of greenfield land from being developed (i.e. agricultural land on the edge of the City); and for every dollar invested in a brownfield redevelopment, it is estimated that $3.80 is invested in the economy.
Amendments to the Building Facade Improvement Program and Urban Design Guidelines for Main Streets CIP
- In 2018, Council approved the Building Facade Improvement Program and Urban Design Guidelines CIP. Since its approval several owners have taken advantage of the program and improved their storefronts and building façades throughout many of Windsor’s Business Improvement Areas (BIAs). Since 2018, City Council’s has approved policies and strategies (identified in the discussion section of this report) to encourage the retention of main street buildings, preserve the unique character and walkability of these areas, to prohibit the creation (and expansion) of surface parking areas abutting traditional commercial streets, and to encourage improvement on vacant and underutilized property in these Main Street areas.
- Given the success of other CIPs (Downtown, Ford City, and Sandwich) that include programs aimed at not only building facade improvement but also the creation of new residential units and the redevelopment of vacant or underutilized land that support both the main street and surrounding neighbourhood Administration felt that this was the right time to recommend amending the Building Facade Improvement Program and Urban Design Guidelines CIP. There are sufficient funds in Reserve Fund 156 to provide funding for the proposed changes to the existing program, the new grant programs, and expanded eligible areas adjacent existing Main Streets as identified in Recommendation 1. i., ii., and iii, and in the discussion section of this report
- Currently, Downtown Windsor, Sandwich Town, Ford City, and the University Avenue Wyandotte Street West CIPs include programs aimed at not only building facade improvement but also the creation of new residential units and the redevelopment of vacant or underutilized land that support both the main street and surrounding neighbourhood. The recommendations of this report are consistent with the approach taken to encourage the redevelopment on Main Streets and neighbourhoods in other CIP areas of the City.