Expect some lively debate surrounding a proposal to turn the site of the former General Motors Transmission Plant into a giant parking lot for newly-built vehicles, but ultimately there may not be much Windsor City Council can do to stop it.
That from Ward Four Councillor Chris Holt, who has made his name on council championing greener, healthier communities.
Holt, like some others on council, would rather see new homes and commercial space on the 50-acre lot that used to be one of Windsor's centres of industrial activity.
"The plans do conform with the current zoning of the site. The site was zoned industrial, and this usage doesn't change that at all," says Holt.
Since the plant shut down in 2010, the factory stood vacant before demolition started last summer. Most of the debris has been cleared away now, and the Essex Terminal Railway wants to turn it into a way station for vehicles that have just come off the line and are awaiting transfer to dealers across Canada and around the world.
The site plan approval was included in council's communications package, which is usually put on the consent agenda garnering little if any debate at city council meetings.
"I'd be interested to see how the process works out on that issue," says Councillor Fred Francis. "I'm not necessarily sure if that requires a motion, or if that has to be pulled off [the consent agenda] and a further report has to come back."
If it did come to a vote, Francis says he would not likely commit one way or the other until hearing from his colleagues.
Councillor Joanne Gignac is of a different frame of mind, saying it would benefit one of the city's largest employers, the auto sector.
"I understand the importance of the auto industry for jobs, and we're talking about shipping those automobiles to markets across the country and probably around the world," she says.
Reluctantly, Councillor Hilary Payne agrees saying it does not mean a new development could not go up on the land later, and in the meantime, the city can collect property tax on it.
