LASALLE, ON A BLEND OF HERITAGE, INNOVATION, AND COMMUNITY SPIRIT WWW.LASALLE.CA
A BLEND OF HERITA AND COMMUNITY S LASALLE, ON AT A GLANCE TOWN OF LASALLE, ONTARIO WHAT: A historic yet growing community blending heritage with modern development through waterfront revitalization, mixed-use zoning, and recreational amenities WHERE: S outhwestern Ontario WEBSITE: www.lasalle.ca POISED FOR TRANSFORMATIVE GROWTH FROM WATERFRONT REVITALIZATION TO AMBITIOUS INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS Photo Credit: Davidson Photography 1 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 05
AGE, INNOVATION, SPIRIT Nestled along the Detroit River, LaSalle, Ontario, is a vibrant community where rich French heritage meets modern suburban living. As Canada’s oldest continually inhabited European settlement outside Quebec, the town takes pride in its bilingual culture and historic roots. Today, LaSalle is home to nearly 34,000 residents, a mix of families, retirees, and young professionals, who enjoy its scenic waterfront, 40+ kilometers of 2 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 05
trails, and easy access to nearby Windsor and Detroit. “We have a blend of cultural heritage, community engagement, recreational opportunities, and natural landscape that creates a dynamic, high-quality living environment for families, professionals, and retirees alike,” notes Mayor Crystal Meloche. Since Business View last featured LaSalle in 2020, the community has made significant strides, expanding upon its ambitious projects of revitalizing its downtown and waterfront, tackling infrastructure challenges, and hosting signature events that draw thousands. With major commercial developments underway and a focus on balanced growth, the town is poised for an exciting future while preserving the charm residents cherish. COMMUNITY LIFE: WHERE HERITAGE MEETS MODERN LIVING LaSalle’s appeal lies in its ability to blend smalltown warmth with big-city convenience.“We’re just minutes from the City of Windsor, which allows for an excellent work-life balance, offering peaceful living without sacrificing access to urban amenities,” says Meloche. “We have a varied workforce with residents working in manufacturing, healthcare, education, and retail. A lot of our residents who don’t work in the Town of LaSalle cross the border daily and work in Detroit, as well as work in the communities surrounding us,” she adds. Recreational amenities are a cornerstone of daily life. The 200-acre Vollmer Complex, with its 30 soccer fields and ice rinks, buzzes with year-round activity, while the Rotary Club of LaSalle-sponsored water feature and upcoming pickleball courts cater to active lifestyles. “Our sports teams are well-known beyond LaSalle,” Meloche emphasizes, citing the Turtle Club baseball team and regional figure-skating competitions that draw hundreds. “Sports tourism is really important in our community.” LaSalle’s calendar bursts with signature events that showcase its vibrant community spirit. The crown jewel is the LaSalle Strawberry Festival, drawing nearly 28,000 visitors each June over a four-day period. “It’s the first festival of the year,” notes Meloche,“so we see lots of people from neighboring communities come and visit us.” The Town’s newer Last Call Before Fall event, an adult-only craft beverage festival, has quickly become a highlight, featuring local wineries and distilleries. 3 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 05 LASALLE, ON
There are also seasonal events like Breakfast with Santa, which see roughly 600 attendees. “Even in the winter months we host markets. So, we get to showcase our local small businesses at those, whether they’re home-based businesses or even our vegetable growers. They come out to our markets and they sell their items to our residents and visitors,” Meloche explains. The waterfront offers beach volleyball and basketball courts, complementing the Town’s trail network.“The Town of LaSalle has quite an extensive trail network, it’s something that was established around 25 years ago, and it’s grown since,” adds Jonathan Osborne, Director of Public Works. The Town’s strategic location also attracts remote workers. Post-pandemic hybrid arrangements have 4 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 05
cemented LaSalle’s reputation as a place where careers thrive without sacrificing quality of life. This blend of cultural richness, recreational opportunities, and accessibility delivers what Meloche describes as “modern living, with an active and inclusive environment,” making LaSalle a magnet for those seeking community connection and room to grow. DOWNTOWN AND WATERFRONT REVITALIZATION LaSalle’s urban identity revolves around two distinct hubs: the bustling civic core, anchored by commercial and residential growth, and the historic waterfront district undergoing a carefully planned transformation. “We have our main center of our Town, which is where our civic facilities are located, and we’re seeing a lot of the community build up with the condos. It’s a very commercial area. The waterfront area used to be known as our downtown and we’re in the process of revitalizing that area,” explains Meloche. The Town’s ambitious waterfront revitalization took flight in 2020 with the purchase of 60 acres of riverfront land.“Since that purchase, we’ve renovated the boathouse, with 21,500 square feet of interior space that we’re able to offer trade shows, events. We’ve done festivals, weddings, everything inside this building,” Meloche adds. Current projects include a multi-use trail for spring and summer recreation, which will convert into a skating path during winter months, a dual-purpose feature set to open later this year. Looking ahead, a Community Improvement Plan aims to spur private investment along the waterfront.“The waterfront development is a 25 to 30 year project, but every few years we’re looking at the next phase of that project. We’re looking at the waterfront district in general and how we can improve our 5 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 05 LASALLE, ON
At JPTA, we strive to create meaningful architecture - that is, conceptually rich design work that is intrinsically linked to the uniqueness of site, program and budget. We believe architecture has the opportunity to begin a dialogue with the character and culture of its locale, with the particularities of its immediate site, and with the interaction of its end-users. Over the life of our firm, and through the combined experience of all of our employees, we have developed strong relationships with municipal leaders, building departments and active community members, through a wide range of public and private projects. Moreover, our network of industry resources proves advantageous on any project, as we are able to draw information and insight from the best of regional, national and international construction manufacturers and suppliers. Working with the Town of LaSalle provides a unique opportunity to develop functional and pragmatic design solutions for all types of community needs – large and small. Whether the goal is to envision a state-of-the-art heritage riverfront masterplan or to integrate new accessibility features for community spaces – the Town creates an environment where leading-edge thinking merges with a genuine appreciation for its citizens, its staff and visitors.
waterfront development, but also the investment from the community in those lands to create a new downtown,” Meloche shares. This phased approach demonstrates LaSalle’s commitment to making the waterfront a year-round destination while laying groundwork for future private-sector partnerships. INFRASTRUCTURE AND GROWTH: PAVING THE WAY FOR THE FUTURE LaSalle’s ambitious Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan prepares for transformative growth across 940 hectares, projected to accommodate 22,000–32,000 new residents and jobs. This Secondary Plan will integrate housing, commercial spaces, and a parkland system, supported by a redesigned transportation network. “The plan helps drive development and direction for what we see coming and establishes the goals, policies, and outcomes for the land use directives that the municipality is looking for,” explains Gudrin Beggs, Director of Planning and Development. “We went through a fairly lengthy series of studies and environmental assessments to come up with a solution that would help us unlock that Howard Bouffard area for development. It’s been a bit of a challenge over the history of that area, we have a plan in place that we’d like to move ahead with, but it’s just very costly. If we’re able to move ahead and create a big drainage outlet, it helps give an outlet for development. That will really help us get to where we want to be with future growth and creating some housing supply,” adds Osborne. Critical to the plan is Sandwich West Parkway, a future east-west collector road. “That is a piece of the transportation network that will, once a drainage solution is in place, will fall into place as development progresses,” says Osborne. The Town faces funding challenges for a major stormwater outlet to service the area, as much of the water originates from upstream municipalities.“We’re receiving other people’s water, and it adds to the MADE IN CANADA 1-450-568-7020 thibaultfiretrucks.com Design Manufacturer 7 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 05 LASALLE, ON
price tag, so to speak,” Osborne notes, complicating cost-sharing efforts. “Then the development is in our municipality so that adds a layer of the challenge in trying to fund something that isn’t 100% our kind of issue to deal with. So that’s part of the reason we’ve pushed hard for trying to get funding from upper levels of government,” he explains. While the Province prioritizes housing, securing support for enabling infrastructure remains a hurdle. “We have a lot on the go,” Meloche acknowledges, “we’ve listened to the Province and we’ve listened to the need for homes, but for us to open up this land, we will need some assistance to be able to get to that mark. We have not been successful to date on that initiative, but it’s not going to stop us from trying.” COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH LaSalle’s economic landscape is poised for transformation with the upcoming Shoppes at Heritage development, a $200 million project set to break ground in spring 2025. This ambitious venture will deliver roughly 150,000 square feet of commercial space across nine buildings, featuring a grocery store, retail outlets, fast-food chains, and potential future hotel.“It’s probably one of the largest developments we’ll see for commercial use in the Town of LaSalle,” says Meloche, noting its strategic location near the growing Howard Bouffard area. The project carries deep local significance, with developers whose family roots in LaSalle span generations. “Their fathers were the ones who purchased the land and started developing in our Town,” Meloche explains. This development addresses a pressing need for more local amenities. Residents currently travel to neighboring areas for weekend dining and entertainment, but this development will help ensure residents stay local. “They want more opportunities to stay home on weekends to eat and go out and have recreation,” Meloche observes.The commercial valenteinc.com | info@valenteinc.com | 519-735-4476 25 Amy Croft Drive, Unit 23B | Windsor | Ontario | N9K 1C7 | Canada COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION LAND DEVELOPMENT RESIDENTIAL RENOVATION NEW HOME BUILDS COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT 8 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 05
expansion complements ongoing residential growth while alleviating pressure on existing infrastructure in the Town center. Looking ahead, LaSalle continues working with developers to balance economic growth with community character. THE ROAD AHEAD: GROWTH WITH CHARACTER LaSalle stands at an exciting crossroads, balancing ambitious development with the preservation of its cherished community identity. The Town’s 25–30-year waterfront revitalization continues its steady progress, while the $14 million DMAFfunded stormwater upgrades prepare the ground for transformation in the Howard Bouffard area. “It’s a work in progress,” acknowledges Beggs, “it really boils down to effective communication and consultation at the outset.” The coming years will see critical milestones: finalizing plans to unlock housing in Howard Bouffard, completing the waterfront’s multi-use trail system, and welcoming the first phase of the Shoppes at Heritage commercial development. 9 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 05 LASALLE, ON
PREFERRED VENDOR/PARTNER n JP Thomson Architects Ltd www.jpthomson.com Our corporate mission statement is to provide an open, fair, intellectually stimulating and dynamic environment within which our employees can deliver industry-leading solutions for clients. Word of mouth remains our best form of advertising and our long list of repeat clients stands as a testament to our commitment to high quality work. n Camions Carl Thibault www.thibaultfiretrucks.com Carl Thibault Fire Trucks, run by the fifth generation of the family, excels in individualized production and continuous improvement. Employee loyalty and expertise ensure highquality builds. Their commitment to quality and after-sales service is deeply ingrained in the company culture, promising continued success for decades. n Valente Contracting www.valenteinc.com Valente Inc. is a trusted Southwestern Ontario contractor specializing in restaurant, retail, commercial, and automotive dealership projects. With over 25 years of experience, we offer design-build, general contracting, and construction management services. Known for delivering value and world-class shopping environments, we serve top national brands. Our proven track record and client-focused approach make us a go-to choice for high-profile construction needs. Yet amid this growth, maintaining LaSalle’s essence remains paramount. “We want to preserve those things that people love about our community,” Meloche emphasizes, citing green spaces, trails, and recreational facilities as non-negotiable.“It’s all those things that we’re going to continue to work on as a team to make sure that we can stay in LaSalle, the community that everyone loves.” Infrastructure challenges persist, particularly in securing funding for regional stormwater solutions, but the Town approaches these hurdles with determination. As LaSalle evolves, its leadership remains committed to thoughtful progress that honors the past while building for the future. As Meloche reflects, even as the Town evolves, maintaining “that small town feel, even though we’re not a small Town any longer” remains a priority. With strategic projects serving both current residents and future generations, LaSalle is crafting a model for sustainable suburban growth that celebrates community at every turn. 10 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 05
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