construction starts on lasalle $200m 'type of project that transforms a community'
4 minute read
we apologize, but this video has failed to load.
try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
with the first steel girders of the $200-million shoppes at heritage plaza rising from the ground as a backdrop, an official groundbreaking was held thursday for what is believed to be the largest commercial development in the history of the town of lasalle.
“it’s truly the type of project that transforms a community,” said d’amore group president scott d’amore.
located at the corner of heritage drive and sandwich west parkway, the 25-acre development by d’amore group and petretta construction will contain just over 250,000 square feet of retail, including a food basics grocery store and, eventually, a major brand hotel.
“this is a huge announcement for the town of lasalle,” mayor crystal meloche said. “we’re excited to be breaking ground and hopefully, in less than a year, we’ll be cutting a ribbon.
“it’s one of the largest commercial developments we’ve ever had in lasalle. we’re seeing so many different things coming to the site.
“it will all be here, so that residents have the option to stay here instead of having to travel outside of the community to get their essentials.”
digging in. at thursday’s ground-breaking ceremony for the 25-acre shoppes at heritage development in lasalle: mayor crystal meloche, left, petretta construction president davide petretta, d’amore group president scott d’amore, and mpp anthony leardi (pc — essex).
dan janisse
/
windsor star
meloche noted the town is reviewing plans for new homes in howard-bouffard development area that will add another 20,000-plus town residents next to the new plaza, immediately west of windsor’s municipal boundary.
among the businesses included in the first phase will be the food basics, a shopper’s drug mart, dollarama, mcdonald’s, pet smart, tim hortons, taco bell and an osmow’s shawarma. the developers say negotiations are in the late stages for a national brand name hotel, a financial institution and gas bar.
the commercial project is part of a grander vision for the area that has already seen significant residential construction take place over the years in partnership with barrie rubin (head construction), which contributed the remainder of the over 280-acre development.
thursday, july 10, 2025, saw the official ground-breaking ceremony for the shoppes at heritage development in lasalle, but construction work is already underway.
dan janisse
/
windsor star
advertisement
‘the goal is, if you live in this area, you’re going to be able to walk to get everything you need,’ says scott d’amore, president of the d’amore group, shown at thursday’s ground-breaking ceremony in lasalle.
dan janisse
/
windsor star
when the two-phase project is completed, it’s expected to create over 400 new jobs. the development is expected to take a little over two years to complete, generating hundreds of construction jobs by the largely local building companies involved.
“things (in the economy at large) are slowing a little right now, so the timing of this project is good for local contractors,” said davide petretta, president of pretretta construction inc. “it will keep a lot of people busy.”
the price tag for the first phase of the project, adding over 150,000 square feet of retail space, is just over $125 million.
d’amore group president scott d’amore said the first tenants are likely to move in before the end of the year.
“it’s kind of going to be staggered,” d’amore said.
“you’re going to see a couple of things hopefully open before the end of the year. you’ll see the quick service restaurants, the mcdonald’s and tim hortons open first.
“the majority of things here in phase 1a will be opened in spring next year, leaking into summer. then the remainder of phase 1 you’ll see through the remainder of 2026.”
‘hopefully, in less than a year, we’ll be cutting a ribbon.’ lasalle mayor crystal meloche is shown during this week’s official ground-breaking ceremony for the 25-acre shoppes at heritage development.
dan janisse
/
windsor star
the second phase of the development, worth another $75 million and adding over 100,000 square feet, will feature a hotel offering facilities for both overnight and longer-term guests. petretta said talks with a hotel operator are in the late stages now.
“phase 2, you’ll probably see us before the town with stuff to review in 2026 and our goal would be to have ground broken in 2027,” d’amore said.
“we have a great tenant mix. the goal is, if you live in this area, you’re going to be able to walk to get everything you need.
“you’ll have medical, you’ll have services, a mix of sit-down and quick-service restaurants, the grocery store, the drug store … everything you could need.”
though it’s not technically part of the new plaza, d’amore also confirmed a dairy queen and stacked pancake and breakfast house will locate in the lasalle heritage plaza adjacent to the development. the d’amore group also has a stake in that already-established plaza.
the shoppes at heritage developers are hoping to launch construction of phase 2 of the massive lasalle development by 2027.
dan janisse
/
windsor star
advertisement
despite the changing economic environment created by u.s. president donald trump’s constantly changing tariff policies, d’amore is confident the project will come in around the $200-million estimate announced last fall.
“with all the uncertainty we’re dealing with, stuff from the other side of the border, it can throw your whole project upside down,” d’amore said.
“one of the things we’ve done is we’re really proactive with subtrades and vendors to get creative, and let’s see how much of the materials we can get made in canada.
“if it’s made in canada, none of the crap they’re spewing affects us.”
for products that weren’t available domestically, the group has opted to be aggressive and ensure price certainty even if the materials weren’t needed immediately.
“we have stuff in storage we won’t need for six months because the price was right and we can lock it in,” d’amore said.
“i think the $200-million budget, which encompasses everything here on the site, including the stores, is a good target budget. it’s going to be pretty close to being on target.”
twitter.com/winstarwaddell
share story
