Windsor talk

[north 42]

Sunrise Bakery is reopening their DT location after a short time being closed. This is great news for core area residents and a vote of confidence for DT in general. It looks like they are adding to what they were offering before, bringing in more sandwiches and such, obviously catering to the university students that will soon be plentiful across the street at the new U Windsor Arts campus!

[Symz]

I 'think' there's some ongoing site prep at Ouellette & Tecumseh for a possible future Wendy's.

[north 42]

Originally Posted by Symz

I 'think' there's some ongoing site prep at Ouellette & Tecumseh for a possible future Wendy's.

Too bad it can't be a new fast food restaurant that the city doesn't already have, oh well.

[north 42]

Windsor housing market still on fire!

http://windsorstar.com/business/loca...hest-in-canada

Out of town home buyers like what they see.
http://windsorstar.com/news/local-ne...see-in-windsor

[Symz]

The guy that built The City Market on Walker in Walkerville owns a few other properties in the area and is ready to begin building some brownstones on Walker and eventually a few 5-6 story buildings along St. Luke, south of Edna.

Source:
http://windsorstar.com/news/local-ne...dreds-of-homes

[north 42]

Originally Posted by Symz

The guy that built The City Market on Walker in Walkerville owns a few other properties in the area and is ready to begin building some brownstones on Walker and eventually a few 5-6 story buildings along St. Luke, south of Edna.

Source:
http://windsorstar.com/news/local-ne...dreds-of-homes

I love this idea, more brownfield infill in the parts of the city that really need it!

[north 42]

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[Nil]

I thought I'd update you on the University of Windsor's Science Research building:



and here is what the finished product will look like:

[Symz]

The university has been spending a lot of money updating the look of it's campus, but it has a looooong way to go. It still largely consists of many outdated 60's design buildings and there are still a lot of small homes used on the campus as well.

[Nil]

The university's president sucks. He only cares about building new things rather than fixing what we already have. I'm glad he's leaving this year. The next person to take office is going to inherit a huge mess with his new downtown campus...

[north 42]

Originally Posted by Nil

The university's president sucks. He only cares about building new things rather than fixing what we already have. I'm glad he's leaving this year. The next person to take office is going to inherit a huge mess with his new downtown campus...

That's not true at all, he's invested a lot, especially with this new building, a complete renovation of the science and biology buildings that are planned to take place soon, the Sunset Ave closure and reconstruction and other upgrades and green spaces.

Why do you expect a huge mess with the new DT campuses? I think they are exactly what the university needed to do to grow its offerings and reputation. Please enlighten us, I'm very interested to hear your reasoning!

[north 42]

Originally Posted by Symz

The university has been spending a lot of money updating the look of it's campus, but it has a looooong way to go. It still largely consists of many outdated 60's design buildings and there are still a lot of small homes used on the campus as well.

Many of those houses have already been demolished though, with plans to tear down even more. I think the university is doing a pretty good job at trying to modernize its main campus and make it more attractive for future enrolment increases.
They also have plans to completely renovate the science and biology buildings, which are original 1960s buildings, which will be attached to the new science research building currently going up.

Although they still have a long way to go for the main campus, I think they are doing a pretty good job right now, especially along Wyandotte St. and adding extra green spaces throughout campus. I don't think there has been so much change on the campus, ever, since it's inception!

[Blitz]

Originally Posted by Nil

The university's president sucks. He only cares about building new things rather than fixing what we already have. I'm glad he's leaving this year. The next person to take office is going to inherit a huge mess with his new downtown campus...

That is blatantly false. I'm an employee at the university and he is the best president the university has had. The campus has been completely transformed over the past 10 years and that's exactly what needed to happen.

[Nil]

Originally Posted by north 42

That's not true at all, he's invested a lot, especially with this new building, a complete renovation of the science and biology buildings that are planned to take place soon, the Sunset Ave closure and reconstruction and other upgrades and green spaces.

Why do you expect a huge mess with the new DT campuses? I think they are exactly what the university needed to do to grow its offerings and reputation. Please enlighten us, I'm very interested to hear your reasoning!

All of those buildings should have been built on our main campus. We should have bought the neighbouring residential houses and started to build towards the river and away from the Ambassador Bridge. UWindsor had most of its campus taken away from that bridge back when it was Assumption College. I'd love to see the campus start to move away from that graveyard/border crossing, they're a blight to a university campus.

There is no excuse to have the new stuff downtown. It does more for the city than the University if anything and that's why most of those properties were sold for $1. All of the money spent downtown could have greatly benefitted the main campus with new arts buildings. Those students won't feel apart of the university any longer. The only way the University will be able to improve its reputation is when it stops becoming a local school and more of a provincial school, only ~20% of students aren't from Windsor.

[north 42]

Originally Posted by Nil

All of those buildings should have been built on our main campus. We should have bought the neighbouring residential houses and started to build towards the river and away from the Ambassador Bridge. UWindsor had most of its campus taken away from that bridge back when it was Assumption College. I'd love to see the campus start to move away from that graveyard/border crossing, they're a blight to a university campus.

There is no excuse to have the new stuff downtown. It does more for the city than the University if anything and that's why most of those properties were sold for $1. All of the money spent downtown could have greatly benefitted the main campus with new arts buildings. Those students won't feel apart of the university any longer. The only way the University will be able to improve its reputation is when it stops becoming a local school and more of a provincial school, only ~20% of students aren't from Windsor.

Bullshit! Universities everywhere are building urban downtown campuses, with great results for both the cities they are in and also for their university's reputations. Those students will have their own university experiences and will enjoy the urban settings that they are in. It's fine if you don't agree, but many many others have a very different opinion than you!
The university is on the right track, expanding and modernizing their main campus as well as developing cool urban campuses in the core, it's a win-win situation!

[Symz]

A recent columnist article talking about Schmuel Farhi's uselessness and the stranglehold he's gaining on prominent and strategic properties in the city and doing NOTHING with them, even after 12 years.

I knew not to hold my breath with this guy.

Source: http://windsorstar.com/feature/undeveloped-dreams

[north 42]

I agree, I wish he would have stayed up in London, instead of coming down here. I had hopes that maybe he would have been able to get some development going in this city, but obviously he just sits on properties. Oh well, at least he doesn't own half of DT like he does in London!

[Nil]

He's probably waiting for property values and population to rise up in Windsor and London so he can cash out.

[north 42]

Originally Posted by Nil

He's probably waiting for property values and population to rise up in Windsor and London so he can cash out.

I wouldn't doubt that, but this guy just seems like such a slimey, power hungry control freak. Time will tell, I guess!

[Blitz]

Look at all of the new residential towers being proposed right now in London. How many of them are on Farhi land? Zero. He can't keep blaming the economy anymore. I wouldn't call him a slumlord (the vacant properties he owns in London are relatively well maintained) but he does nothing with his property. He loves plastering his name all over the place both on his buildings and those damn truck trailers which he uses to get around sign bylaws.