10
Campus News
S
unset Avenue will be closed to vehicular
traffic and transformed into a lively
public space that connects points of
arrival, cross-campus pedestrian routes
and recreational activity, under designs for
phase one of the Campus Master Plan,
approved Nov. 26 by the UWindsor Board
of Governors.
Sunset Avenue will close this summer,
after California Avenue, one block east,
has been upgraded by the City of Windsor.
Cost estimates are still in the works for the
development of each zone, with completion
dates varying between 2014 and 2017.
“Phase one of the Campus Master Plan
re-imagines our physical spaces in ways that
will enhance the experience we want our
students to have,” says UWindsor president
Alan Wildeman. “The creative designs in
this phase provide new campus gateways,
and functional outdoor spaces that will offer
everyone places to gather and relax, enjoy
recreational activity, or celebrate an event.
I am grateful to the City of Windsor for
working with us to create campus spaces
that focus more on people and less on busy
internal roadways.”
An extensive consultation process with
University community stakeholders and +VG
Architects, the Ventin Group Ltd., resulted
in the plan, a visioning document which
identifies the civic spaces of campus life. It
calls for seven activity and access zones:
Zone 1 – Sunset Avenue Cul-de-Sac
Sunset Avenue will close just south
of the service driveway for Chrysler Hall
North.This allows a cul-de-sac to be created
as a large drop-off point while maintaining
access to the Education and Leddy parking
lots. Retractable barriers will be installed at
the entrance to the closed section of Sunset
for emergency vehicles to access the campus.
Estimated completion: 2014/15
Zone 2 – Fanchette Street Renewal
Located between the Toldo and the
Education buildings, Fanchette Street
will be transformed into a new pedestrian
gateway to campus, creating a diagonal
sightline to Chrysler Hall Tower.The
existing street, curbs and sidewalks will be
replaced with a grid pattern of paving, large
plantings, groups of benches, new lighting
and an expansive bicycle parking area. A
drop-off point for traffic will be created on
California.
Estimated completion: 2016/17
Zone 3 – Community Commons Park
A current parking lot and four houses
between the Odette and the Medical
Education buildings will be replaced with
a dynamic community park offering casual
seating, a stage structure, ball courts, green
space and new paving and lighting.This
small urban park will be used for various
staged events and will bring outdoor
recreational activity to the centre of campus.
A diagonal walkway will provide access
from the centre of campus to the corner
of Wyandotte and California.
Estimated
completion: 2014/15
Campus Master Plan
Birds eye view of Sunset Avenue.
