Windsor's prime riverfront showcase space will soon look radically different.
City council approved a plan this week to allow developers of the Riverfront Festival Plaza project to move forward with their upgrades.
The project, as of now, includes a $3-million canopy-like structure on the west side, near the stage.
Dan Krutsch of project consultant Landmark Engineers said they have heard a lot of comments in support of having some kind of a covering in that space.
"A lot of users really expressed a lot of interest in having some kind of a large shade structure over that part of the stage area," said Krutsch.
Landmark was hired by the city of Windsor in 2015 to examine ways to give the large open space a makeover. Visitors had complained at the time about inadequate washroom facilities as well as a lack of green space in the plaza, which is roughly the size of two NFL football fields.
The proposal calls for the space to be split up into three main zones stretching from the stage to Glengarry Ave. on the east. A new east entrance would be able to accommodate the large trucks that support bigger events.
The planned centre zone would address the lack of green space, though Krutsch recognized this would probably provide a challenge to some of the bigger events, like Summerfest and BluesFest.
"Obviously the site is open and unconstrained now, and this will be partitioned into smaller areas," said Krutsch. "Those users will have to realize that some changes are going to have to be made in terms of how they use, program and lay out their festival, but it's intended to still accommodate them."
The public was invited in February to view the proposed plans at an open house.
The final cost of the project is expected to be around $13-million. About $5.5-million is already committed through 2020.
