Delray Visions

I am not sure why Councillor Halberstadt is complaining. Eddie spent only $10,000 for 3 artists' renditions of Venetian errrr Windsor canals. A mere pittance in the scheme of things. http://www.alanhalberstadt.com/index.php

The engineering feasibility study also will only cost $65K and it is underwritten by the private sector. I wonder what that money is going to be used for. Eddie never mentioned that did he? And if it is financed by private sources, do they control its release?

My objection is that this is small town thinking, not the THINK BIG or GO BIG OR GO HOME-type approach that this City has come to expect. AND demand.

Come on now----we have a $65M and counting arena, we want to do a $75M Tunnel deal, we have a feasibility study for a $40M Concert Hall, we are proposing an almost $2B Greenlink road project, $30M Tunnel Plaza improvement, $800M for new watermains etc etc etc. Which town of 200,000 can boast this!

This is Windsor after all. We deserve the best and are entitled to it.

Oh don't look behind the curtain and see one of the highest unemployment rates in Canada, the declining downtown, lowest housing starts in 24 years, the decline in investment in non-residential building construction in the second quarter of 2008 of 16.5%, plants being shuttered and the increase in consumer bankruptcy filings of 18% in 2007.

I want the best. I want to see a movie showing what our Western Super Anchor site will look like just like the pretty movie that DRIC made for "Context Sensitive Solutions " above.

I want print-outs of the movie too so I can show my friends in other cities and make them jealous as you can see here http://www.scribd.com/doc/4747621/delray2split

I want to see more than 3 pictures for heaven's sake. Look at the ones created for Delray, a whole bunch of them. Below is just one. Now those got the hearts of residents beating quicker. You can see them at http://www.scribd.com/doc/4747145/delraypicssplit

And they are to have a Marina and canals too. Must be a popular feature these days for the local folks on both sides of the river. I wonder if the people in Delray and West Windsor can afford big boats.

There is just one thing that bothers me about Windsor's plans and visions and concepts. It was what was said in Delray after showing these pretty pictures and movies. I just have this sinking feeling in my stomach that we may hear something similar down the road after everyone has become so excited, say after the next Municipal election:

• "C. Another community member asked about the surrounding neighborhoods and revitalization of those neighborhoods.
  
  R. Joe Corradino spoke about the conceptual plans to revitalize the area. He noted such plans need a partnership among government agencies and the private sector to succeed.
  
  C. Bob Benson noted revitalization of the community is not MDOT’s responsibility. MDOT will make recommendations; it will be someone else’s responsibility to implement those plans. Some people may have the impression that MDOT is going to lead the revitalization of the area.
  
  R. Mohammed Alghurabi noted MDOT is responsible for the DRIC study. And MDOT will be responsible to build the new bridge, plaza and interchange, if the project is approved. He noted MDOT will need partners to revitalize Delray.
  
  Q. What will it take to implement the conceptual land use plan for Delray that the DRIC Study Team proposed?
  
  A. It will take a partnership among many units of government, including the City of Detroit, and the private sector. MDOT and the Federal Highway Administration can serve as a catalyst and make some but not all the investments. And, the DRIC Study Team believes it will take 20 to 25 years to fully revitalize Delray as portrayed in the conceptual land use plans.
  
  Q. Are there funds allocated/budgeted to make the plan a reality?
  
  A. No. Action on the plan, even by MDOT and FHWA, requires that it be approved. That is not scheduled to happen, if it happens, until the latter part of 2008."