‘This is what urban living is all about’: The Hive on Pelissier Street first of many housing developments coming in downtown Windsor
After years of construction, ‘The Hive’ on Pelissier Street in downtown Windsor is officially opening, making it the first new residential project to rise downtown in nearly a half-century.
“It’s pretty amazing to be a part of it too, hopefully we’re trailblazing a path that’s going to have others jump on board,” said Brent Klundert, the vice president of BK Cornerstone, one of the partners who built the condo, touting 24 luxury units and three ground-floor commercial spaces at 531 Pelissier St.
“A really nice amenity space and of course, this second-floor patio that kind of overlooks the Pelissier Street and Maiden Lane area,” said Klundert, whose team took advantage of the city’s community improvement plan (CIP) tax incentives to help bring the project over the finish line.
About half of the units are still available, according to Klundert.
The project was so successful, BK Cornerstone is announcing the next project, a 68-unit condo at the corner of Pelissier and Wyandotte streets at the former Music Cafe.
“Downtown is going to have a resurgence and it’s going to be pretty cool to be a part of it,” he said.
“We’ve been saying it all along: Downtown needed people, people, people,” Ward 3 city councillor Rino Bortolin said. “And to get those people, you need to have somewhere to live.”
Bortolin said The Hive and other proposed residential projects are exciting for the core, because they will spur more business opportunities and support existing enterprises, including the downtown Farmer’s Market, which happens every Saturday at the doorstop of the condo.
“What you have is you’re building in hundreds and into the thousands of new people new customers that are here every day who need services from breakfast to dinner and everything in between,” Bortolin said. “This is actually what urban living and living downtown is all about.”
And it’s just a few of many other projects in the pipeline, including at the former YMCA building on Pelissier St. and 13 more a few doors down at a former bar.
Rhys Trenhaile and his team of investors will be adding hundreds of units at the Canada Building and the Former Knights of Columbus Building, but are still waiting on final approvals and permits from the city.
“Windsorites have to keep the faith there are all of these projects in the downtown core in the pipeline. But it takes years, and it really shouldn’t take years,” he said.
Trenhaile says red tape created by overbearing provincial regulation gets filtered down to the municipality, where bureaucrats “dot every I and cross every t,” which he says is stifling development.
Until the process is smoothed out, he says the hundreds of proposed new units will take longer than hoped and the housing crisis and downtown Windsor’s resurgence will only be delayed.
“It’s taking more time than it should,” Trenhaile said, hoping the province tackles the problem in short order.
“Once you get through all that, builders can build, renovators can renovate and you can start solving this housing crisis.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Trump's lawyers grill ex-tabloid publisher as 1st week of hush money trial testimony nears a close
After prosecutors' lead witness painted a tawdry portrait of “catch-and-kill” tabloid schemes, defence lawyers in Donald Trump's criminal trial on Friday sought to dig into an account of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election.