There may soon be a new themed neighbourhood in Windsor.
Mayor Drew Dilkens wants to create “Asian Town” along Wyandotte Street West near the University of Windsor.
“I've been to many China towns or Asia towns in many places around the world, and they're very exciting places,” says Dilkens. “Active and dynamic places, and that's what I'm looking to replicate here in Windsor."
The area has become a hot spot of all sorts of Asian cuisine and other businesses, from Indian to Chinese to Korean and Japanese.
According to the Multicultural Council, nearly 10 per cent of Windsor's population speaks either Mandarin, Punjabi, Urdu or Vietnamese and many live or work near Wyandotte West.
“They tend to migrate to that area,” says Dr. Gary Ing, a resident of the area and the Chief of Staff at Windsor Regional Hospital. “It's an interesting area and it's an opportunity for everyone to flourish."
It would be similar to other designations Windsor, such as “Via Italia” and “Old Sandwich Towne.”
The mayor believes the 'Asian Town' idea is very conceptual, and might include special entrance archways.
"It's about economic development, creating a theme and creating a district that I think would be very attractive for the people who live here, that could create economic opportunities for that area" adds Dilkens.
Many people in the neighbourhood, merchants and residents, support the idea.
Ernie Piunno owns and operates the Teaory. He tells CTV Windsor it’s time the Asian culture is celebrated.
“It's so diverse,” says Piunno. “There's so many restaurants, so many cafes, there's a lot of everything for university students to see and the whole city to see, and I think it will be a great concept."
"We should take advantage of what we have in terms of different cultures" adds Dr. Ing.
Dilkens will present this idea formally at budget time, where he'll ask for a financial commitment from council.
Last year, the mayor set aside $250,000 in the enhanced capital budget to theme Walkerville 'The Distillery District.'
Dilkens adds he is not done, and wants to look at a theme for many other parts of the city.
