Windsor moving ahead with $13M upgrade to Riverfront plaza

Windsor city council has approved the next stage of plans for the $13-million redevelopment of the Riverfront Festival Plaza project.

Many councillors applauded the latest vision for the site, which breaks the waterfront property into three sections and includes a treed area andmore grass than is currently included in theconcrete grounds.

Council agreed on Tuesday to move ahead with creating a more detailed design of the site, at a cost of nearly $150,000.

Parade Corporation pushed out

The decision was not without controversy with officials from the Windsor Parade Corporation arguing they will no longer be able to hold events at the festival site because of the new design.

"You can't put a bunch of trees and a park inside of the festival plaza and think that festival producers are going to be able to use that," said a frustrated David Gimaldi of the parade corporation.

The corporation hosts the Windsor Summerfest event on the waterfront every year, but that could change with the new design.Even if his group wanted to find a way to continue using thesite for their festival, they couldn't, according to Gimaldi.

"We were told that we have to relocate," he said outside of council chambers Tuesday. "No opportunity for dialogue. We have to relocate, end of discussion."

Windsor city councillor, Rino Bortolin, said he doesn't want to kill Summerfest, but the hosts ofother events will appreciate having some green space.

"Most festivals will find this a welcome change and basically adding to the experience of the festival-goer," he explained. "Changing that layout so that it potentially could accommodate the midway is one option, obviously. Any option is on the table, including having it back up on the road like it used to be in years past."

Detailed plans for the project are expected in June.