Proposed east Windsor hotel one step closer to approval

A new hotel is in the works for east Windsor. CTV Windsor’s Chris Campbell has details.

A new hotel project is moving forward in the Windsor’s east end.

On Monday afternoon, the Development and Heritage Standing Committee reviewed a report regarding a rezoning request for the 7100 block of Cantelon Drive, proposing a change from manufacturing to commercial use.

The rezoning would allow for the construction of a four-storey hotel and a separate one-storey public hall.

Located near the intersection of Cantelon Drive and Lauzon Parkway, the hotel would include 71 guest rooms and more than 300 parking spaces, while the hall would span nearly 20,000 square feet.

Ward 10 Councillor and committee chair Jim Morrison expressed enthusiasm for the project, calling it a positive development for the area.

“There’s really no residential [zoned property] right around the whole property and it’s out in the east end, and we’ve talked about a hotel out in the east end for a long time. So, this is great to see it come forward,” said Morrison.

“If there’s a big event at the WFCU, this is where people can stay, and there’s a hall.”

“It is certainly an area that needs a hotel,” said Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island CEO, Gordon Orr. “It certainly speaks to supply and demand and the demand is there for hotel occupancy. We’re very, very excited for the fact that there is a proposal that council will consider that will make it look like there will be an east end hotel, that will also have banquet space.”

Orr noted that the Holiday Inn Express in nearby Lakeshore has done very well and that another new hotel in the Town of Tecumseh is coming soon.

He said he believes a new hotel within close proximity to the WFCU Centre would be beneficial to the sports tourism market, suggesting teams would spend less on bussing costs and have more opportunity for friends and family to join.

“It shows is that the overnight market in the Windsor-Essex region is growing, without question. We are seeing more hotel development happen in our region than we have in decades and the hotel flags that we have on our hotels are some of the best and major hotels have gone through major renovations and new hotel product is coming and sprouting up across the Windsor-Essex region.”

Orr added, “It shows that there is demand in the marketplace. It shows that developers are willing to build new infrastructure and also renovate current infrastructure. And it shows that our overnight visitation is driving more traffic and more visitation to our region.”

Councillor Morrison also noted there were no concerns regarding infrastructure.

“It’s in the right place, and you know that comes up on every development — ‘can this infrastructure support it?’ The first thing every development that comes forward to the planning department, they look at that infrastructure,” he explained.

“So, it’s always going to be a question, but I can tell you there’s never going to be a recommendation where we can’t support the infrastructure.”

Although the hotel and hall are separate buildings, Morrison believes they will complement each other.

“I think there’s going to be some usage where you’re using both facilities, there may be a lot of times where it really has no connection to the actual hall,” he added.

“But I can see big events, and I can see tournaments over at the arena, and then having small conferences out that way. So, I think there will be some synergy between the two.”

The committee unanimously approved the report, which will now go to city council for final approval.

City administration confirmed there are no concerns regarding the existing sanitary sewer system, and no significant traffic or parking issues are expected.

- With files from AM800