The Municipality of Lakeshore is taking another look at a potential partnership with the University of Windsor.
At its meeting last week, councillors asked the administration to look at teaming up with U of W's Centre for Cities.
The proposed partnership would focus on housing, with the creation of a Housing Production Systems Approach.
The Centre for Cities, at the university's law school, supports collaborative research, teaching and public engagement on issues facing municipalities, as well as creating tools for maintaining inclusive and sustainable communities.
Centre for Cities Director Anneke Smit said a potential memorandum of understanding (MOU) would be ideal as the Municipality experiences significant development.
"We all know how important of an issue housing is," said Smit. "This area is seeing record growth and Lakeshore is truly in a unique position to add more housing at a faster pace. But what’s great about this approach is that it’s not just about getting housing built faster, it’s about building up their communities in a way that’s better for the environment, economically sustainable, affordable, while not touching farmland."
Lakeshore Mayor Tracey Bailey said a partnership will streamline the development process.
"This initiative will make it easier for builders to build by cutting red tape while ensuring our communities develop in ways that reflect what our residents want," said Bailey. "We are lucky to have an incredible local asset in the Centre of Cities and I look forward to seeing this partnership develop so Lakeshore can lead the way in improved planning processes throughout the region, as well as how we can work with the University to improve how we serve our residents."
Any MOU would be the first of its kind in Windsor-Essex, and it will need to be approved by Lakeshore Council at a future meeting.
