Fire-gutted building may soon contain apartments

The City of Windsor has moved a step further to help a $21-million project that would turn a fire-damaged commercial building in Walkerville into a large residential structure.

On Monday, the city's development and heritage standing committee unanimously approved an application by Duo Fratres Inc. for a grant on redevelopment of 1370 Argyle Rd., under the municipality's brownfield redevelopment community improvement plan.

Ward 3 Coun. Rino Bortolin, who chairs the committee, expressed gratitude and congratulations to Duo Fratres Inc., the owner of the site.

“You know, a lot of investors wouldn't touch this with a 10-foot pole,” Bortolin said. “This (project) will be a beautiful addition.”

The former factory is located next to Market Square at Ottawa Street and Walker Road. A massive fire in September 2018 destroyed much of the building, which was first built in 1944.

Duo Fratres Inc. is a company owned by Pierre and Yves Poirier, who also own the Market Square building.

The owners have plans to transform the site into an 81-unit apartment building. But doing so requires navigating the heritage status of the surviving building facade, and cleaning up decades of industrial contamination on the property.

“This is a spectacular project,” Ward 4 Coun. Chris Holt said at the meeting on Monday. “The neighbours are looking forward to the condition of this property changing to the better.

“This is exactly what a (community improvement plan) is meant to do. If it wasn't for the financial incentive offered by the City of Windsor, we wouldn't be here right now talking about this property's redevelopment.”

The application next requires the approval of Windsor city council.