Streetcar 351 to be located in Legacy Park
CBC
Windsor City Council has decided to locate the beacon housing Streetcar 351 in Legacy Park near the Caron Avenue Pumping Station. Council voted seven to four to follow the recommendations of the manager of parks development.
Administration suggested the new location after neighbours near the original location appealed to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal due to its height obstructing the view on Riverside Drive.
The historic streetcar was built in 1918 and later purchased by the Sandwich, Windsor and Amherstburg Railway.
"This will be, on a daily basis, the most well-used place along Windsor's waterfront, which is an absolute gem," said Mayor Drew Dilkens, who was among those who voted in favour.
Coun. Rino Bortolin, who represents the ward where the beacon will now be located, said it will serve to attract more people to the downtown.
"The fact that we've moved it basically into the downtown area is what I think makes it a better fit and a good fit for a few reasons," said Bortolin, who also pointed to the fact the height will be lower than Riverside Drive and not impede the view of the river.
Bortolin pointed out that that was one of the stipulations in the 20-year-old Central Riverfront Implementation Plan (CRIP).
But Coun. Kieran McKenzie opposed the location because he says the streetcar facility, which will be 4572 square metres., will be way bigger than the 610 square metres outlined in the CRIP, and it goes against the theme of that beacon location in the CRIP too.
"The theme of that legacy beacon being a return to natural processes," said McKenzie. "We're not tinkering around the edges of what it is that's being proposed here. We're doing fundamentally the opposite of what the Central Riverfront Improvement Plan outlined for us in the document that we're presumably following."
Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac also opposed the location, suggesting replacing the aging skating rink in Charles Clark Square with the streetcar facility. She said the rink is going to have to move and that means moving the concession stand there as well. But putting the streetcar there would mean they wouldn't have to move the concession stand.
"Not only would we achieve some kind of savings in terms of what that project is going to come forward as but we would move it to the downtown area," said Gignac.
At the beginning of the discussion, Mike Cardinal from the group Rally for Our Riverfront suggested locating the streetcar next to the Chimczuk Museum because the Legacy Park location should be left to recognizing the remains of an historic CP Railway station and control tower located there.
"And I think the public needs to have a kick at the can for this, to kick the tires to approve what's being offered here," said Cardinal.
The playground now on the site will be moved 300 metres east to Dieppe Park. The Legacy Beacon will not only feature the gallery with the streetcar but will also feature a terrace, washrooms and concession stands.
WARNING: This story details allegations of child abuse.
It’s been hard to keep track of how many legal challenges and active court proceedings the United Conservative government has tried to quash or pre-emptively block in the last six weeks, but let’s try to tally:
Margaret Walker, the emcee of a Waterloo vigil commemorating the victims of the Montreal massacre, doesn't feel enough is being done to reflect on the killings and address gender-based violence.
The P.E.I. Humane Society says it is doing far more fundraising than it used to, and rising expenses — including the cost of animal medications — are a big reason why.
Ottawa is staring down a court-ordered deadline to submit a new plan to reform the on-reserve child welfare system, as a group of First Nations leaders and children’s advocates prepare a competing proposal.
An underpass revitalization project that was meant to pay tribute to the people of Parkdale has instead deteriorated into “a garbage dump,” according to nearby residents.
A young man has been charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm after a fire at a frat party near Western University that injured five sorority sisters, including two seriously, late Tuesday night.
The massive deal to combine one of Hollywood's oldest studios with a streaming giant hasn't even been approved yet, but it's already riling multiple related industries and politicians concerned about monopolies and media concentration.
Mi'kmaq chiefs and a former Nova Scotia justice minister are criticizing the provincial government for directing police to crack down on illegal cannabis, saying the order undermines relations with Indigenous Peoples.
For years, there has been “glaring inequity” in the way the province has allocated the millions of dollars in its county roads budget, according to Department of Transportation Minister Chuck Chiasson.
Six months after passing a law aimed at making it easier for new grocery stores to open, Manitoba's premier says lower grocery bills could be on the horizon.
Timothy Smith was acting in self-defence when he punched Landon Waddell, and shouldn't be found guilty of manslaughter, his lawyer says.
Thoroughbred horse racing at Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse is ending after more than a century, with the operator announcing Friday it will no longer run a racing season at the historic facility.