LaSalle Announces Riverfront Plans

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The Town of LaSalle has unveiled plans to reanimate and expand the waterfront along the Detroit River.

The “LaSalle Small Coast Waterfront Experience” proposal will enhance the waterfront’s potential to develop a cultural hub and point of destination for LaSalle residents and visitors. The name originates from Petite Côte, or “Small Coast,” which was the original name of the region that became the Town of LaSalle.

Plans call for festival event lawn, event centre, recreational water feature, community centre, University of Windsor freshwater restoration centre, leisure zones and sports zones, natural preserve zone, enhancement and connection to the shoreline, trails, markers and beacons, a historic zone, and a relocated boat launch.

These components also offer a wide range of venue sizes for even greater programming and use potential.

To make this plan reality, the town now has ownership of the property north of Gil Maure Park (formerly Westport Marina). In addition, the town is in the process of acquiring four additional properties adjacent to the existing park. The application has been developed on the basis that the other properties will ultimately be incorporated into the overall area of the new activity hub. These lands are at varying stages of acquisition, and it is anticipated that all the lands will be in municipal ownership by mid-2020. However, if one or more of the properties remain in private ownership, the project would need to be amended accordingly.

In addition, the Town of LaSalle has submitted a grant application to the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. This program is intended to create long-term economic growth, build inclusive, sustainable and resilient communities, and support a low-carbon economy.

The cost-sharing formula for the program is 40% Federal; 33.33% Provincial and 26.67% Municipal. This intake in the Community, Culture and Recreation funding stream is intended to support projects that improve access to and/or quality of community, cultural and recreational priority infrastructure projects. Priority will be given to projects that are community-oriented, non-commercial and open to the public. All projects within the program must be completed before March 31st, 2027.

The town says that public consultation will play a significant role in the development of the site. The plans include the division of the area into numerous zones and how each zone eventually develops will be based on input that is received from the community. It is anticipated that the public engagement process will commence in the early to mid-part of 2020.