Downtown Campus - Happy Days are Here Again
What an amazing announcement, seems like we’re killing a flock of birds with one stone.
Benefits to the city
1. The most wonderful adaptive reuse of heritage buildings important to any city.
2. Having those buildings never being a burden on the taxpayers again with help from the province
3. 9 out of 10 of the top midsize downtowns in North America have university campus within or adjacent to them, thats not a coincidence
4. Students who attend a downtown campus are more likely to reside in the downtown after they graduate as will instructors creating a new residence bas for downtown Windsor.
5. Basic Economics dictates that business will locate where there are customers, university students which then promises a new resident base will bring more economic spinoffs
6 (Last but far from least). Downtown buildings will now be worth more. This will lead to increased tax assessments of bldgs which mean a higher revenue base for the city of Windsor
Benefit to the University as told to me by the head of Guelph’s downtown school of architecture
1. Universities that have downtown campus find an increase in fundraising due to the increased prominence of a downtown campus location
2. Students that attend universities with a downtown campus find easier and better job placement, again due to the recognizable nature of a downtown university
3. Universities with Downtown Campus attract more students and students with higher grades raising the average of the student population
(I would assume this could lead to a stronger alumni association again leading to better university fundraising)
Downtown business
1. No longer will we have to perservere, now we can succeed. This will mean more ownership pride, hopefully leading to more reinvestment in our buildings and neighborhood”
IN CLOSING SING ALONG
So long sad times
Go long bad times
We are rid of you at last
Howdy gay times
Cloudy gray times
You are now a thing of the past
Happy days are here again
The skies above are clear again
So let’s sing a song of cheer again
Happy days are here again
Altogether shout it now
There’s no one
Who can doubt it now
So let’s tell the world about it now
Happy days are here again
Your cares and troubles are gone
There’ll be no more from now on
From now on …
Happy days are here again
The skies above are clear again
So, Let’s sing a song of cheer again
Happy times
Happy nights
Happy days
Are here again!
Post Feedback
i had to reread that article again because I was overloaded with all the information it contained! Correcting for the painfully obvious man-crush the author has for our mayor and his desire to cast him in the best possible light (warranted or not) if only half of what was written is true the benefits for Windsor are mind-blowing. Kudos to council for having the foresight for chasing these opportunities. I like to think they’ve been reading the discussions on SD and found their urban religion
Did you read VD’s column today? His verbal falatio given to Francis is getting embarrassing! Even though there is little to find fault with (though - the devil is in the details) this latest announcement so far, VD is simply crying wolf some more which leads to mistrust. The best thing Francis and gang can do is to tell VD and Henderson to cool their jets for a while. The only thing their cheerleading is doing is leading readers to mistrust the proceedings.
So what, who cares what Van der Doelen writes about it (I actually don’t mind his writing that much)
I say to all the Mayor haters that need to rationalize this success “I HAVE A REMEDY”
Since most critics of the mayor think he has evil intent while being at total screwup, just rationalize it like this
His latest plan to bring this city to its knees has met with its biggest failure yet”
You can thank me later
Mark
You’ve been to the International Downtown Association conferences.
All successful downtowns have university and college campuses- it is the key to a vibrant d .downtown in our strip mall/closed mall/lifestyle centre world that we live in
This announcement is huge-there is no question but that it will lead to the economic rebirth of the core
There is no downside to this- kudos to everyone involved
This is something to really look forward to and fits the Scaledown philosophy pretty darn well.
Call me a skeptic but I’ve been hearing about grandiose plans to revive downtown for 30 years. This is an election year and if Tim Hudak’s party wins, as most predict, what will happen to the funding for all this development? The PC’s owe Windsor Absolutely NOTHING and will probably cancel funding for this worthwhile development once they get in office.
George, George, George, why do u think the rush and the EXTREME level of preparedness come from???
These guys r gonna have contracts signed before Hudack ever gets a chance to be sworn in. I’ll bet he the cancellation clauses will actually use the term “infinity dollars”
Where is the Windsor Star going?
Starts with “C” and ends in “anderal building“! This is the rumour I’m starting today, Dorian
I’d stick with net to a channel, media megaplex with some some shared resources
4. Students who attend a downtown campus are more likely to reside in the downtown after they graduate as will instructors creating a new residence bas for downtown Windsor.
The above while correct for larger cities; it just isnt’ and won’t be the case for Windsor. Widnsor is relatively easy to get around and can be crossed within 15 minutes. I highly doubt students will “flock” to live downtown if they, like most of their fellow students live in their parents house. They will also live closer to the main campus where they will probably want to live with their cohorts and their other classes.
Will they destroy the last few remnants of neighbouhoords like they have surrounding the the campus now?
I am not saying this isn’t a good idea but it certainly isn’t the panacea for the ills of downtown. I will give you an example below that is too far common in Windsor:
6 (Last but far from least). Downtown buildings will now be worth more. This will lead to increased tax assessments of bldgs which mean a higher revenue base for the city of Windsor
Ummm…it will also lead to higher rents which will scare off potential investors considering many building owners downtown already ask far too much for rent (one reason for empty stores) and taxes will eat up a large portion of their income.
I still believe tax abatements for the entire core are needed because the missig ingredient is still cohesive neighbourhoods.
The above while correct for larger cities; it just isnt’ and won’t be the case for Windsor.
Sorry to contradict you but “it just is and will also be the case for Windsor. The cities I’m talking about are Boulder Colorado, Ann Arbor michigan, Chapel Hill North Carolina. When I try to make comparisons to Windsor, I always try to use similar size cities. 9 out of the 10 most successful midsize cities have campus’ in or adjacent to them
“Will they destroy the last few remnants of neighbouhoords like they have surrounding the the campus now?”
THE GRADUATES???? Age 22-35 people? these our the best demographic to lure retailers to downtown. They are not part of any problem, they are the solution to the cohesive neighborhoods and bringing retail back downtown
6 Bldgins worth more being bad???
WHen was the last large residential development investment made in Windsor? We have WAY, WAY to far to go before gentrification becomes a problem in Windsor. We’re still the highest vacancy rate per capita in Canada. We’re still the lowest occupancy rate for hotels.
Bring on some gentrification and you’ll get landlords being able to maintain their properties and you’ll get homeowners able to invest more into beautification of their homes.
Widnsor is relatively easy to get around and can be crossed within 15 minutes. I highly doubt students will “flock” to live downtown if they, like most of their fellow students live in their parents house. They will also live closer to the main campus where they will probably want to live with their cohorts and their other classes.
“I am not saying this isn’t a good idea but it certainly isn’t the panacea for the ills of downtown.
This is and will be the best announcement for downtown that you or I will ever see in my lifetime. This means a chance at repopulation of the core, higher density, sustainability etc…
This is great news, maybe somebody will build a sports arena complex in the core. When is the Spits lease up at WFCU?
40 event nights a year with massive blank walls adjacent to where you want residents. Requirements for money losing parking garages or massive parking lagoons
F*&^ it, east end can have it
Boulder also has a large military/weapons sector and the University is much larger andmore centralized than Windsor’s. Also they are unique in their geography whereas Windsor is surrounded by bigger Universities and larger metropolises.
Ann Arbor, has UofM and is a University city. Windsor? Not even close. the same can be said for “rich kids” Chapel Hill.
I am also not saying this isn’t a good thing. It is just yet another “this will fix it all” mentality that doesn’t fit.
I am also NOT talking about gentrification. What I am talking about is the rental rates these building owners currently charge. Is it any wonder why they are vacant? Not to mention the absentee landlords (or the disgusting speculators, which we have to many of) whose buildings look terrible. Many of the buildings downtown could look much nicer but the owners want “someone else” to do the leg work and then they can capitalize on it. The facts and the eyes prove me right.
Now imagine buildings being worth more….they will ask for obscene amounts of mone and people will continue to move their new and older businesses to the suburbs. There is a reason most of the retail went to Manning Rd.
What I would like to know is how many of the students will actually BUY downtown? Renting is one thing (no obligation to the existing neighbourhoods, absentee landlords which Windsor has many and are local right Spiro?? Who do nothing with their property but ask enormous amounts ofmoney to buy them.) but buying is what will change the neighbourhoods.
First off,
I disagree with your assessment of Windsor and its University’s potential. I chalk it up to my incurable optimism.
Second your question “how many students will actually BUY downtown?” was deserving of its own post here http://www.scaledown.ca/2011/06/07/how-many-students-will-actually-buy-downtown/