Final parcel of old Oakville hospital property put up for sale

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Published March 31, 2022 at 12:27 pm

Oakville Town Council voted to market the property between Reynolds St. and Allan St., which includes the old Oakville Trafalgar High School building, through the Oakville Municipal Development Corporation (OMDC), a town-owned subsidiary. INSAUGA PHOTO

The last three-acre parcel of the former Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital site is now for sale, but not without conditions attached.

At a meeting on March 28, Oakville Town Council voted to market the property between Reynolds St. and Allan St., which includes the old Oakville Trafalgar High School building, through the Oakville Municipal Development Corporation (OMDC), a town-owned subsidiary.

The deal will require the purchaser follow the parameters approved in the 2017 master plan for the old hospital site.

That includes a seniors’ oriented housing development that involves the refurbishment and preservation of the former OTHS building with a new civic square with consideration for the heritage character of the former OTHS building and the surrounding neighbourhood, which includes the Trafalgar Road Heritage Conservation District.

The Master Plan outline:

Seniors-oriented Housing Block

It was clear through the consultation process at the time of the creation of the Master Plan, that there is a desire for some provision of seniors-oriented housing in the area. There is no pre-determined layout, built form, provider or assumed density for the area identified as the Seniors Block in the Master Plan. This area is reserved for seniors-oriented housing and the parameters shaping the future development are set out in the Official Plan which designates the property as Medium Density Residential and restricts the height of any development to four storeys. This development could be delivered as either an independent living project, assistedlived, or a combination thereof.

Oakville Trafalgar High School

The former OTHS building is designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. The building has been vacant for more than 20 years and is currently home to a chimney swift colony who roost in the school’s four chimneys. The birds are listed as a threatened species under both provincial and federal legislation. The building is in poor condition and will require substantial renovations. This would make any Town use or use by a community group cost prohibitive. The building could be used for a variety of initiatives. Such uses could be commercial or office related as accessory to the adjacent seniors development or residential units. Regardless of what the building is ultimately used for, the re-use of the former high school building will require: – Town approval of a heritage permit; and – Documentation, prepared to the satisfaction of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, regarding the alterations to the chimneys and the maintenance or replacement of the chimney swift habitat.

Civic Square

The Master Plan envisions a publicly-accessible civic square fronting on Reynolds Street with pedestrian connections to Wyndham Parkette, Oakville Trafalgar Community Centre and Reynolds Park. The civic square was contemplated to be privately owned but publicly accessible open space through a public easement. Some public consultation has already been sought for a preliminary design of the civic square, but the final design will be determined through the site plan process. In 2018, staff sought feedback from the development community through an expression of interest for the Property (the “EOI”). Four proponents responded to the EOI suggesting there is some interest in achieving Council’s vision for the site. The responses were mixed on whether the Town should retain ownership of the civic square and OTHS Building or whether they could be privately owned and incorporated into the Seniors Block.

The remainder of the 2017 master plan for the old hospital site has been or is being implemented.

Council voted that the OMDC will be paid a management fee of 1.5 per cent of the purchase price for its work marketing and securing a buyer for the property upon successful completion of the transaction.

 

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