More amenities wanted along Windsor’s riverfront

Some people are calling for more waterfront amenities in Windsor. CTV Windsor’s Bob Bellacicco checks in with locals.

From railways to natural beauty, the city’s waterfront is one of Windsor’s most scenic spots.

“This to me is our Niagara Falls.” contends city councillor Renaldo Agostino.

The riverfront is a draw for residents from near and far. “There’s so much to see in Windsor,” said Richard Burton who was visiting from London. “Windsor has a lot of potential, I think, for sure.”

Burton enjoys driving the 401 to the Rose City and riding the trail between the Ambassador Bridge and Walkerville but, like many, feels there could be more to offer visitors in that stretch.

“I just think more places to stop, have a drink or a, you know, something to eat..burger places and that. Anything just to bring the people down. It’s so beautiful.”

In fairness, there are places to stop for a beverage or bite to eat but options are limited to the stretch between Janette and McDougall.

Renaldo Agostino asked a council question earlier this month looking for a review on the food truck bylaws. The ultimate goal is to have some scattered in the downtown core and along the riverfront.

“This would make a great space to have like a food truck village where maybe once or twice a week or maybe on the weekends, or maybe it’s a fixed thing where people could come, different vendors, could come and use preexisting, trucks that are here.” said Agostino while at the parking area near the Spirit of Windsor.

In other parts of the Riverfront, Agostino says temporary solutions possibly involving shipping containers may work like he has seen in other cities. “Imagine having a shipping container that is, for example, a coffee shop, and then you have a couple shipping small market retailers that are available to anybody in the city to use.” Agostino said. “Something like this will generate money, which means we can generate tax dollars, which means we could generate rent. People are going to want to be down here.”

Courtney Fischer has cycled the riverfront paths on both sides of the border, as have many others, and agrees there are improvements that could be made.

“On the Detroit side, they have a lot of, stations where if you run into trouble or you feel uncomfortable, you can call for help, like emergency buttons.” Fischer said while also pointing out attention to trail cleanliness is prevalent in Detroit, security is visible and there’s even a splash pad. “Even somewhere to grab water, or if you’re walking your dog more stops to, like, have dog water stations. Those are really helpful.”

Agostino would like to see more happening along the riverfront. “You could do games. You could do fun. You could do so many different things. A beach volleyball court down there would be fantastic.”

Agostino says there is no timeline for administrations report but feels getting approval for food trucks is the first move in opening up more opportunities. “Hopefully administration comes back with a positive report and then we move forward from there.”