First year GIS and Urban Planning Students at Fanshawe College, Patrice Mitchell and Jasmin Brinovcar, were part of a team that won $2,500 for a pitch that would give the Western Fair District new features. The plan includes storm water draining systems and a six-storey hotel that would be attached to the casino.
Brinovcar says the hotel would “accommodate people going to the new concert venue, to the fair to the casino. Just a really good place for people to stay, because we know that people like to visit the Western Fair District, but the goal is to have them stay on the district. ”
Other plans include an incubator for artisans and farmers at the Farmers’ Market, where they can operate their business on-site, and a horse race track that can be used for a variety of events, from concerts to hot air balloon festivals. Mitchell says that it would be the best plan for the iconic London landmark.
“Anytime that you look at a map of London, it’s one of the first things that you notice, and so we didn’t want to get rid of it,” she says, “We wanted to respect the history that came with the horse racing on the Western Fair District, but the proposition of partnering with LiveNation is a huge opportunity.”
The winners must wait to find out if the board of directors at the Western Fair will bring the plan to life. “They saw our plan and our ideas. Obviously, they liked ours the best, but they also saw all the other ideas the other groups brought to offer as well,” says Brinovcar.
Mitchell adds that they are more than happy to talk to anyone involved in the next steps. “We are first years. We’ve got big ideas and we’re ready to make it happen. We believe we can make this happen.”
Ryerson University, the University of Toronto and nine other schools also entered.
