A petition against a proposed development near the Roseland Golf Club will be presented at the next meeting of Windsor City Council.
Ward 1 Councillor Fred Francis will deliver the petition, which asks the council to reconsider plans to develop on the site of the current Roseland Clubhouse and parking lot at 455 Kennedy Dr.
Francis says residents are concerned about the impact on traffic, speeding, and the use of this public space.
"This is a public space on a heritage golf course; that you're breaking the precedent and you're setting the precedent to build houses here. Once that precedent is set, that precedent is set, and then more housing, more condos can go up in the area. If rezoning is allowed in one spot, you can't really say no to it in another spot down the road, a few blocks away.," he says.
The proposed plan would include a 38-unit condo building with a green roof, underground parking, tiered levels, glass railings, balconies, and sports courts, along with a new clubhouse for the golf course.
The city did host a community meeting to allow people a chance to voice their opinion on the project, and also conducted an online survey to gather additional feedback.
Francis says the petition, signed by residents living around Roseland, asks for other options for the property, such as recreational, park space, or public usage.
"They're saying they want to be part of the process; they want public consultation to be actually true public consultation," he says. "They don't like how the decision was made in camera, how they weren't able to have their voice heard before the decision was made."
Francis says the people who signed the petition are those who want to have a say on what happens in the neighbourhood.
"We're concerned that this opens the door for further condo development around the golf course, hopefully never on the golf course potentially," he says. "These are the concerns residents are bringing to me. It's a grassroots initiative at this time, they wanted to do the petition and let council hear them. Hopefully, council does hear them."
The city has said the proposed development would have no impact on the historic Donald Ross-designed golf course.
City council next meets Monday, April 22, at 10 a.m. at Windsor City Hall.