Fogolar Furlan selling 10 acres of land after COVID-19 fallout

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Windsor’s Fogolar Furlan club is selling off 10 acres of land as it struggles to stay afloat after COVID-19 restrictions forced an indefinite end to the wedding and banquet business.

The move is part of a rebranding plan — including a new multi-use sports facility — to entice younger members, attract the general public and stay viable through the pandemic.

“We’re having difficulty paying the bills because there’s no revenue coming in,” board vice-president Mark Mattiuz said Tuesday when contacted by the Star. “That’s basically it. You take a 27-acre property with multiple buildings, and there’s no revenue coming in, you need a source to pay for them. The selling of the property is going to allow us to put reserves in place so that we can get through the COVID period and allow us to be ready to open on the fly as soon as COVID rules allow us.”

The listing for the property at 1800 North Service Rd. E. went live Wednesday on realtor.ca.

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The chunk of vacant land will be severed from the larger property where Fogolar’s main complex sits. The asking price is $3,999,900.

The realtor listing describes the property as a “very rare 9.98 acre parcel of land located in a very good central Windsor neighbourhood.” It also states the land can be turned into lots for single-family homes or developed for high-rise condominiums, but advises the buyer to verify the zoning and available services.

“The opportunity, because of the real estate market, is there for us to maximize the property and get a financial footing so that we’ll be able to do some improvements and be ready when we can go with business full speed ahead after COVID,” said Mattiuz. “The whole idea of selling the land is so we can be in a position to move our business forward with the rebranding. And when we can do weddings and banquets again, we’ll be in good shape.”

The club, established in 1961, is one of Essex County’s most popular venues for weddings, banquets, conferences and corporate events. But with COVID-19 restrictions, the Fogolar has only been able to offer takeout.

“If all we were was a takeout business, we could support it,” said Mattiuz. “But you can’t support 27 acres on a takeout business, and the buildings and everything else. It’s just impossible. And we know we’re at least a year, maybe more, away from going back to big banquets and stuff like that.”

Organizers starting pivoting last year to create new revenue by renting out a hall for pickleball and serving people on the large outdoor patio.

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“We opened up the patio last year and people responded very well to it,” said Mattiuz. “It’s sort of unique because of its location. Nobody else really has that. It’s tucked away there in the forest.”

Work on the next step of the rebranding plan — turning the bocce courts into a multi-sport turf facility with a bar and grill — has already begun.

“What we’re trying to do is rebrand and maximize the use of our facilities,” said Mattiuz.

He said sale of the land and the other big changes required approval from the club’s membership.

“We went through the membership and we’ve had the members invest back into the club to help us start this.”

twilhelm@postmedia.com