Is Windsor becoming a 'small Toronto'? Some Windsorites think so — over a townhouse plan

Ian McGuire's south Windsor property backs onto a wooded area where an 86-unit townhouse development is proposed. 

He's lived there for roughly 25 years and says he never would've moved there had he known such a big development would eventually be in the works. 

McGuire says the original developer said single family homes would be erected at some point, which he was OK with — but not 12, three-storey structures overlooking the back of his house.

"We're looking at Windsor as a new, small Toronto, and everybody's trying to put up the biggest amount of homes in the smallest amount of area," he said.

And his stance isn't rooted in NIMBYism, he says. It covers all of south Windsor — because of its "population density" —  and the city as a whole, according to McGuire.

"If builders are really wanting to help in low income properties … to revitalize other areas … then I think they should maybe look at trying to get those types of properties built instead of just townhomes."

The two parcels of land being considered are 670 and 690 North Talbot Road.

McGuire is speaking out about the development plans on behalf of an online neighbourhood group known as the Northwood Lakes Neighbours — representing a community in south Windsor.

"The face of Windsor is changing, and it's all due to developments."

While the company behind the proposal says the project would help create new housing stock at a time when it's needed, the group's concerns cover things like sewer capacity, traffic congestion, noise disturbances and green space preservation. The proposal also includes a new thoroughfare. 

"I'm sorry, but Windsor is not Toronto. Do the right thing and keep to the planned subdivisions and not change it."

McGuire says Windsor has been known throughout the province as an affordable bedroom community that's prided itself on single family residences.

"We have backyards. We have communities that are quiet for kids to play in this neighbourhood. It was excellent when my two children were growing up. I would be afraid to have them play in one of the parks directly beside where they're putting in these townhouses and a through street … it's changing for the worse."

He says developers should focus their efforts on rural parts of the area — instead of filling up space in the city.

"Essex County has a lot of land to hook up into an area that already has existing infrastructure is cheaper. You don't have to develop. You don't have to add in sewers."

According to McGuire, he wouldn't have bought his property had it not been for the promise of a cul-de-sac being constructed behind him with single family residential homes.

"The type of homes is what we're questioning. It's going to tax the sewer system a lot for this area." 

Not quite Toronto, but housing diversity needed

Dorian Moore doesn't believe Windsor is in danger of becoming a small scale Toronto.

The Detroit urban designer and architect — who's also a professor at the University of Windsor — says the city could "definitely benefit" from a diversification of its housing stock.

"The benefits can range from a decreased need for extensive infrastructure extension that comes with horizontal sprawl to population centres that can justify investments in transit," said Moore.

As for additional traffic the development could bring into the south Windsor community, he says it's a typical concern for growing neighbourhoods.

"Gets to the root of the issue, which is our auto dependency and how we design our communities around the car."

Moore says with the increase in work-from-home for people, schedules are not typically aligned and traffic patterns are dispersed. 

"The idea that there will be this swell of traffic all at once is not well founded. It wasn't before the pandemic, and it isn't now when we are working in an entirely different manner."

Some neighbours are concerned about the height of the buildings in the proposal — allowing for clear sightlines into their backyards.

Moore says it's not uncommon and happens in many neighbourhoods where neighbours can see into each other's yards and homes.

"If you look at the proposed development site and its adjacent existing homes, you'll see that many, if not the vast majority, have raised decks in their backyards. Neighbours are already able to see into each other's backyards."

Developer meets with residents

David French is a planning consultant with Storey Samways out of Chatham, Ont., and represents the developer Seiko Homes.

While an official application to build on the land hasn't been submitted to the city, a town hall was held in April to give the neighbourhood an idea of what's being planned.

French says the price of the townhomes would remain a "moving target," because the developer wants to offer "attainable" prices.

"The market is unknown at this point," he said.

"Construction costs are unknown. But at the public information centre, the developer indicated that if you were to list these today, if these were ready to go, they would be somewhere between the $550,000 to $750,000 mark." 

According to French, the townhomes will be unique to the area but so are the lots themselves, compared to similar existing parcels.

"I'm not going to lie. Yeah … There aren't a lot of examples of townhouses in that specific area. However, you know, there are policies at a provincial level — and also a municipal level which speak to intensification, within existing settlement areas." 

He says the two subject lots will be merged into one, providing roughly two hectares of space to utilize.

French says the proposal assists the country and city's housing shortage.

"If you are in the market for a lower-priced alternative without a big yard and lawn to mow — this will be very attractive to that type of person."

High density applications increasing

People can expect to see similar developments across the region, says French.

He points to one in Chatham his employer worked on that was of a "much larger scale" with a mix of townhomes and single detached condos.

"Without question, you are going to see a lot more of these, moving forward."

French says provincial policies limit the ability to expand settlement boundaries, so developers have to take advantage of whatever land is available and fit what you can within those lands. 

"And the condominium model like this one effectively allows you to develop private streets or a private laneway, for instance, and not a municipal road. It just maximizes the ability to use available lands."

The city of Windsor says it's seeing a lot of applications for high density housing, which reflects market conditions.

Moore says the more diversity of housing types, the more it will help stabilize the market and lower the cost of housing.

He also believes these types of developments are best suited to be located as close to the city's core as possible — so as not to "exacerbate suburban sprawl."

"The issue, typically, is land assembly. The way these projects are set up you need large parcels. we should be developing strategies to incentivize scattered site opportunities for housing development within the core."

Moore says based on aesthetics and scale, the main issue is not the type of housing — it's the compatibility to their surroundings.

"If you take a look around the city, in most of the traditional neighbourhoods, you will see townhomes, stacked flats, multi-unit buildings, and single family homes all coexisting. And, they've been coexisting for almost a century, we just don't notice because we're used to them and in many cases they are designed to be compatible."

Windsor's deputy city planner Greg Atkinson says his office is seeing an increase in high density building applications because of construction costs and demand being up.

"Owners and developers are looking to make the best use out of the land that's available, and particularly land such as this, which has access to services," he said. 

"It's not something that needs to be extended into farmland area. It is a trend we're seeing and this is sort of on par with what we've been seeing the last couple years."

No matter the vacant land, whether it's a corner or where a building was demolished or land that's never been developed — it's citywide and a possibility, says Atkinson.

"Typically, best candidates for higher density would typically be along collector roads or arterial roads at major intersections. But we have seen in general folks who have owned land, who've purchased it for development or owned it for a long time, looking to propose something to make efficient use of that land."

Atkinson says the city's planning and building departments have been "quite busy" for the past three years.

Following last month's neighbourhood conceptual meeting, Seiko Homes needs to submit an official development application for a zoning change with the city. From there, it gets reviewed by city staff and external agencies — then it makes its way to the city's committee level and council for decisions.

And that whole process could take around three to four months, once it's submitted, according to Atkinson.