Howard Weeks insists he's not against progress, but a plan to build a four-storey canopy over the Riverfront Festival Plaza is intolerable.
Weeks, the son of former Windsor Mayor Burt Weeks, who acquired large swaths of land along the riverfront to turn into a public space, said the proposal threatens his father's vision and violates a city bylaw.
The bylaw prohibits the construction of any building that would block the view of the Detroit River from Riverside Drive.
"The way I look at it, it's a slippery slope," said Weeks, who launched a petition this week on Change.org against the current plan. "If they can do this one thing, how can they deny a developer that wants to put up something else?"
Over a year ago, city councillors deferred debate on the canopy and other improvements at Riverfront Festival Plaza. So far, it is not on the agenda, but Weeks believes it will come up soon.
Artist rendering of the canopy by Partisan Architects.
Construction on the $32.5-million project would move ahead in stages, according to a report to councillors going back to October 2021.
Landmark Engineers recommended the improvements saying while the plaza has become a premier location for events, it wasn't complete. Its report said a canopy would protect it from snow, rain, and wind while allowing festival-goers an unobstructed view.
"I want to make it clear that as far as any improvements to the riverfront plaza, I don't have a problem as long as they don't block our view," said Weeks. "If there's somehow they could build a canopy that doesn't break the bylaw -- this canopy is four-storeys high, which would definitely contravene the bylaw."
Weeks notes city council has tried to contravene the bylaw before.
The City council voted to move the Celestial Beacon after a resident filed an appeal to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal. The plan called for a building to house Streetcar No. 351. The resident objected because the roof of the building would be seven feet taller than Riverside Drive West.
Weeks predicts a big fight against the council's plans for the Riverside Festival Plaza ahead of him.