Windsor Kicks Off Environmental Review for New Business Park Access

The City of Windsor has started the environmental assessment process for a new entry and exit point for the Twin Oaks Business Park, which is home to the Next Star Energy battery plant.

A public information session will take place at the Forest Glade Community Centre on Thursday at 4 p. m.

Coun. Kieran Mc Kenzie expressed his excitement about the project’s progress, crediting ongoing support from local workers and residents for keeping it on the city’s radar.

“This was originally unbudgeted, but you know, the mayor and administration and council ultimately supported … allocating the funds to be able to … make this project go forward,” Mc Kenzie said.

“Once it was clear to everybody that we had a situation that wasn’t sustainable.. this project moved very, very quickly.”

Mc Kenzie anticipates that the new access will be finished by 2027.

Previous access route closed to make way for battery plant

The city closed E. C. Row Avenue to Banwell Road in 2023 to allow for construction of the Next Star Energy battery plant. Since then, access to and from the park has been limited to Twin Oaks Drive off Lauzon Parkway.

Businesses in the area have reported that this change has caused heavy traffic, making conditions unsafe for both workers and customers.

“We all think something needs to be done,” business owner Mark Parete said in 2024 when he initiated a petition.

In January 2025, a woman lost her life after being struck by a pickup truck while trying to cross Twin Oaks Drive near Munich Court, according to Windsor Police Service at that time.

Windsor’s Ward 9 councillor Kieran Mc Kenzie. ( )

This past January, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens used his strong mayor powers to instruct city staff to explore options for an additional access point from the park – including timelines and costs.

The council subsequently approved a motion during its Jan. 26 meeting aimed at starting plans for this new access point with an estimated budget of $1,475,000.

While work is underway, an agreement with the battery plant owner will temporarily reopen the former access point from E. C. Row Avenue to Banwell Road in emergency situations, Mc Kenzie explained.

A report presented to city council in February 2025 noted there had been two emergency incidents within the business park since closing off that road.

“During both occurrences, traffic within the business park was blocked from exiting the area for an extended period of time while emergency services responded to the emergencies,” said the report.


“On both occasions, Next Star Energy agreed to open up E. C. Row Avenue East in order to allow an alternate exit from the business park.”


The report also indicated that accidents at Twin Oaks Drive and Lauzon Parkway had risen due to increased traffic levels.


Mc Kenzie expressed gratitude towards those who voiced their frustrations about these issues as it helped keep things moving along more quickly than expected.

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