Roseland residents want city to have change of heart

A resident in the Roseland area for 41 years, Catherine Archer, feels the city didn't offer neighbours a choice when unveiling plans for a proposed 38-unit condo building at Roseland Golf during an open house March 7.

“I came away from it feeling like, ‘What? We didn't have any say,’” said Archer, who has started a petition to stop the process and allow the community to have a say on what accompanies a new clubhouse when it is built. “Everybody should be able to enjoy this. Not 38 people that can afford to enjoy this. “

A public discussion Thursday night at Roseland, hosted by Coun. Fred Francis, produced healthy discussion, something Archer feels the city didn't offer.

“The other councillor should look at this as well saying, ‘Okay, they're devoting all of this energy to this space that really doesn't need development and we're not developing areas that really could use the development,’” Archer said.

Roseland resident Kipp Van Kuren worries about the precedent being set, “We have a historical facility here and once that gets rezoned, it opens a can of worms for continued development in the area.”

Van Kuren is also president of Windsor Minor Hockey, whose association is affected by the move of Roseland's curling rink to the Capri Recreation Complex.

“It's a beautiful facility that just needs a bit of a facelift, maybe some structural improvements but the curlers seem to be very happy here and we have been very happy with the Capri arena that they'll be moving to,” Van Kuren said.

Francis said public spaces like Roseland, Willistead, and the waterfront should remain public.

“If the city is really interested in getting public input, the public input it's getting right now is in opposition to what the proposed housing development is,” said Francis, who feels it's not too late to change course and says he'll present the petition to city council in the near future. “Then council can decide right there and then saying, ‘Okay we're not going to move forward in selling this piece of land that we're going to use it for public space for other alternatives.’ Council can make that decision at any point they wish.”