When Windsor city councillors meet again on Monday morning, they'll go over a recommendation to forego a canopy over Riverfront Festival Plaza altogether.
Councillors put the possibility of a full canopy over the event space on pause. Monday's report from city staff suggests moving ahead with improvements, minus a full or even partial canopy, and not looking back.
Since 2021, the cost of improvements, including a canopy, has more than doubled from $32.5-million to $67.2-million. A canopy half the size has ballooned to $48.1-million.
Going ahead with new sewers, electrical, lighting, landscaping, trees, shade features, and a water feature will cost a fraction of the cost at $17.3-million, and the city won't have to rewrite a bylaw banning structures taller than the elevation of Riverside Drive, said the administrative report.
If councillors adopt the third option, administrative staff will issue a Request for Proposals for consulting services to finish the final detailed design. The existing project budget will cover that cost.
Councillors will also view a report by Partisan Consulting Ltd. regarding consultations with the public and 39 different stakeholders, including the Windsor International Film Festival, Windsor Parade Corporation, World's Finest Shows, and the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association.
The report sheds light on what stakeholders want but also broad criticisms of the project overall.
Smaller events said the plaza wasn't conducive to smaller events, and the cost of renting their own washrooms, tents and lighting, along with the city's permits, was cost-prohibitive. In response, the report recommends utilizing smaller, temporary stages. Stakeholders also complained events hurt downtown businesses, so it suggested prioritizing downtown restaurants to provide food services during large events. Indigenous communities complained they couldn't afford to hold events on land that is culturally significant.
"We heard a lot of criticism and concerns about the City of Windsor building infrastructure only for it to be underutilized," and arguments about "funding being better spent on projects with self-evident public benefits [like roads and housing]."
The report suggests the city may have to do a better job making its case the Riverfront Festival Plaza contributes to its larger goals.