Wyandotte West Streetscaping

In 2009 Windsor City Council authorized the construction of a new storm sewer and sanitary sewer to replace the deficient combined sewer in Wyandotte Street West between Askin Avenue and Partington Avenue, new concrete sidewalks, curbs and gutters and an asphalt road.

At its meeting held June 14, 2010, Council Question 53-2010 was posed:

Asks that the City Planner determine if Planning staff can be made available to meet with residents and business owners in the general area of Wyandotte St. West to look at options for streetscaping consistent with the Official Policy which states, "Council will promote the design of public spaces to define and complement the image of Windsor and its neighbourhoods".

A public meeting facilitated by Planning Department staff was held on July 28, 2010 from 7-9 p.m. at Knox Presbyterian Church, 2320 Wyandotte Street West. Eighteen members of the public signed in their attendance.

The summary was accepted by City Council in 2010 as information. Consequently, Council directed administration to continue preparing plans for streetscape improvements along Wyandotte Street west from Sunset to Campbell.

In addition, Council directed that funds from the 2011 Capital Budget be directed to fund the streetscaping improvements along this section of the Wyandotte Street West, to allow for construction to take place simultaneously with the roadwork.

Several meetings were held with University of Windsor to review the proposal concept. At the meeting held on February 6, 2012, the administration of the University of Windsor supported the streetscaping concepts.

A Public Information Session facilitated by the Planning Department and Engineering Department Staff was held on February 8, 2012 between 5-7 p.m. at Adie Know/Herman Recreation Centre. Twenty-six members of the public signed in their attendance. An exit survey was distributed. Results of that survey are included with positive endorsement by the public in attendance.

This website includes links to the Draft Plans as presented at the February 8, Public Information Session. Please note that we continue to collect and analyse the responses from this meeting and will be further refining the details of the streetscaping along Wyandotte Street West. Information regarding the extensive public consultation process including links to public notices, meeting minutes, and public information sessions are also included on this site.

The Concept

The Wyandotte West Streetscaping is a collaborative effort of several departments of the City, also incorporating input from the University of Windsor, business owners and area residents. Following the initial public meeting, the Planning Department drafted several preliminary concepts to facilitate the need for a pedestrian-oriented environment while supporting Wyandotte Street West as a commercial corridor that supports the University and the surrounding neighbourhoods.

In order to provide safe pedestrian movement, the streetscape incorporates bump-outs at each of the intersections from Josephine to Sunset. The proposed bump-outs will address the need for pedestrians to cross Wyandotte Street by reducing the amount of time that is required for a person to safely cross the road. The bump-outs will vary in their design to provide "sense-of-place" along the corridor. Three basic node types were established:

At heavily crossed pedestrian intersections, raised planters have been proposed that can support two trees and some low perennial plants. At these intersections, it is also proposed to use Light Columns to provide illumination in artistic configuration in order to facilitate a greater "sense of place".

At corners where bus stops are required, the bump-out has been elongated to support the longer buses. As the busses will no longer be pulling off and then back into traffic, it is important to provide a safe and virtually unobstructed pedestrian path for those accessing and exiting the buses. This facilitates shorter wait times as the overall concept utilizes a single lane concept for vehicles travelling east and west along Wyandotte Street West. At these bus stop locations there will be a bench and leaning rail to provide a place to rest while users are waiting for buses. A single tree in a structural pit will help to provide shade during the hot summer months.

At other corners along Wyandotte Street, the bump-outs will be shorter in length and support a smaller planter that can accommodate a single tree. The streetscaping will further reinforce a pedestrian-oriented environment by providing benches, bicycle racks and trash receptacles. Co-ordination of these bump-outs with the area businesses is important to ensure that the abutting use is supported by the streetscape elements.

The streetscaping between Sunset and California has been developed to address the density of pedestrians that are expected to be crossing Wyandotte Street from the existing University buildings to the new Centre for Innovation and the proposed parking deck. In order to deter mid intersection crossing, the raised planter will extend through the entire centre of a block-long bump-out. The Light Columns and landscaping in these raised planters have been designed to provide a sort of Gateway to Wyandotte Street West from the University and the Ambassador Bridge. The bus stops in this location have been designed with benches and leaning rails to accommodate the greater volumes of people waiting to access buses from the University.

Streetscape elements have been selected to complement the materials being used with the new Engineering building at the University. Benches and leaning rails will be artistically engineered and combine metal and wood surfaces, that are resilient to the intensive use that may experience. Colour for all site furnishings and paving material integrates the colour palette being used by University. Paving will consist of one metre wide dark gray bands at the bump-outs to reflect the grade level treatment at the Engineering Centre for Innovation, while providing visual cues to pedestrians that they are approaching an intersection. This detail will be carried through the entire length of the Wyandotte Streetscaping.

Designated bike lanes were considered for this section of Wyandotte Street, however, due to a very narrow profile along Wyandotte West with the existing built infrastructure, it was not feasible to provide designated bike lanes without either restricting Wyandotte to one-way traffic or losing too many parking spaces. An alternate method, employed by other municipalities, was used to facilitate cyclists along this section of Wyandotte Street. Cycling “sharrows” are being used, which results in a wider vehicular travel lane that identifies shared use between vehicles and bicyclists. Paint markings on the road will alert drivers and cyclists to this shared relationship.

July 28, 2010 Public Meeting

Green Bean Café, 2320 Wyandotte St. W.

August 23, 2010 Council meeting

February 8, 2012 Public Information Session

Adie Knox/Herman Recreation Complex, 1551 Wyandotte Street West – East Wing

Results of the Public meeting held March 6, 2012 are as follows:.

  • A healthy cross-section of respondents inclusive of residents, businesses and University of Windsor affiliated person in attendance.
  • 92% of respondents expressed met or exceeded expectations.
  • Nearly three quarters of the respondents felt the proposal will improve pedestrian and vehicular traffic while 2/3 believe the design will improve bicycle traffic. The latter is partly due to a perception that designated bike lanes are required.
  • Over 70% expressed that the quality of the design will positively impact the area

Of the biggest concerns is a lack of designated bike lanes (people may not understand the "sharrow" concept), and some form of traffic control is required at the Rankin/Wyandotte intersection.

For general information, call 311. For detailed inquiries, contact us at:

Planning & Building Services Department
Planning Division
Suite 210, 350 City Hall Square West
Windsor, Ontario, Canada N9A 6S1
Phone: (519) 255-6543
Fax: (519) 255-6544
Email: planningdept@citywindsor.ca