Majority of Windsor council stands firm in fourplex decision, limits them to certain areas of the city

The majority of Windsor City Council has voted to stand firm on a previous decision not to allow fourplexes as-of-right anywhere in the city — a criteria of the federal government's Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF).

Instead, council will reapply to the HAF with a plan to allow fourplex development "along major thoroughfares and transit routes.” The plan was unveiled by Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens last week.

The topic of fourplexes in Windsor gained traction on Dec. 13, 2023 when councillors voted not to change zoning by-laws which would allow a property to contain four dwelling units inside.

Permitting fourplexes in the city was a necessary step to unlock tens of millions of dollars provided by the federal government program.

Renaldo Agostino, Fabio Costante and Kieran McKenzie were on the downside of the 11-3 decision.

The majority of councillors, whose rationale was expressed after comments from city administration on the ramifications of fourplexes, said they pose risks to the character of neighbourhoods, may back up the city's sewer system and could entice an influx of real estate in Windsor to be bought up by investors.

But Costante said there is no evidence to support that fourplexes would negatively impact communities, neighbourhoods and quality of life.

"And we certainly don't have evidence to support they will overwhelm our sewer system, especially in light of the fact that development patterns won't happen overnight," said Costante, who added there are more than 6,000 people on Windsor's affordable housing waitlist.

"We have a housing crisis that we all acknowledge is here, and frankly, I think it's going to get worse before it ever gets better,” he said.

According to Coun. Fred Francis, the city should not be in accepting federal funds which may go against the wishes of residents.

"We're somewhat fortunate that we're not in a desperate position now that we need that $40 million flexibility to say, 'This doesn't fit into what we want to do. This doesn't fit into what our residents are telling us.' So this is the proposal we can live with," said Francis.

Ward 6 Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac took issue with the HAF money being one-time funding.

"To come back and say 'We want you to eliminate your planning tool in terms of zoning as a minimum requirement for you to participate in this one-time funding' is ridiculous. It's beyond ridiculous," said Gignac.

But, according to McKenzie, fourplexes would have little impact on neighbourhoods, considering they are already being affected by other factors.

"It's a missed opportunity for leadership given what we're facing here in the community in terms of population increases. On the infrastructure side, as well as neighbourhood character, changes are already happening," said McKenzie.

He added, "From the federal government's perspective...they're putting dollars on the table to help us address these issues and our response is an effective no."

For Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens, however, the decision to stand against permitting fourplexes anywhere in the city is a sign of "leadership on full display."

"Leadership is about making sure that you're not letting money sway you into making a bad decision," said Dilkens, who added the HAF criteria is asking municipalities to "remove all of the consultation" surrounding high-density developments in a given neighbourhood.

"If someone wants to come forward and build a fourplex or any other type of dwelling in their neighborhood, there is an established piece of legislation that spells out what that process...and involves hearing from the people in the neighbourhoods who are going to be impacted and affected,” he added.