Protecting Land Uses and Assets

As discussed in the section of this CIP regarding Allowing a Flexible Mix of Uses, stable land uses existing along both corridors from Huron Church to Campbell such as the University of Windsor institutional buildings and stable commercial along Wyandotte Street West and stable multi-unit residential along University Avenue are present. There areas should be protected by retaining the existing zoning provisions requiring ground floor commercial. Additionally, the public realm improvements discussed in the Placemaking and Public Realm section of this CIP discuss the streetscaping features that are context specific to enhance the existing context zones we want to preserve. In addition to protecting the commercial along Wyandotte Street West near the University of Windsor and the multi-unit residential along University Avenue near the University, this CIP also highlights the importance of heritage preservation and adaptive reuse.

Historical Preservation and Adaptive Reuse

The historical preservation of buildings is, in part, the physical manifestation of character and sense of place. Therefore, one of the objectives of this plan is to promote Windsor’s heritage buildings by placing an emphasis on the historical preservation.

The conservation of historic buildings and places often makes solid economic sense, but more importantly, historical preservation is the foundation for revitalization. The historic buildings and places are what distinguishes core neighbourhoods from the suburbs and contribute to the all- important “sense of place” and “authenticity”.

The Provincial Policy Statement as it relates to Cultural Heritage and Archaeological Resources states that significant built heritage resources and cultural heritage landscapes ”shall be” conserved. The City of Windsor’s Official Plan defines heritage resources as including “buildings, structures, archaeological and historic sites, landscapes and landmarks, either individually or in groups, which are considered by Council to be of architectural and/or historical significance.” 

The City of Windsor has committed ensuring that secondary plan studies, community improvement plans and other planning studies identify heritage resources that may exist in the areas under study and propose means to protect and enhance those heritage resources. There are over seventy- five properties located in the study area that are either on the City’s Heritage Register or designated under the Ontario Heritage Act.

The Official Plan also encourages the adaptive re-use of historic buildings. This plan encourages the conversion of obsolete commercial and office buildings in Windsor to other uses. Along with the many benefits of historical preservation, there are risks and associated costs that result from the adaptive re-use of older buildings. There are environmental concerns often associated with older buildings depending on when they were built, including asbestos, lead paint, and underground tanks. All of these problems can be resolved, but addressing them may have significant financial impacts on the feasibility of the development. Also, adaptive re-use projects are often more expensive to construct because there are higher costs associated with working with an existing structural framework and remediating any unanticipated issues that arise during construction. In order for adaptive re-use to become a financially viable, and more importantly, a competitive alternative to building new, these challenges will have to be addressed. To do its part, the City of Windsor can encourage, in the appropriate locations, the adaptive re-use of obsolete commercial and office buildings to new uses.

RECOMMENDATION: Provide financial incentives for façade improvements to buildings listed on the municipal heritage register for the purposes of heritage preservation of original building materials and heritage features.

RECOMMENDATION: Provide financial incentives through tax increment grants for the purposes of building improvements to buildings on the Municipal Heritage Register to promote heritage preservation and adaptive reuse of heritage buildings.