The land once occupied by Sarnia General Hospital has been listed for sale for $3.5 million.
Oakville-based Taylorwood Realty Advisors is representing GFive Inc., a group of local businessmen, on the sale.
Broker Bob Drizis believes the 3.3 acre site at 320 George Street has multiple opportunities.
"The zoning, which is public information, has literally 20- to-30 types of uses that are permitted," said Drizis. "There is crisis care, retirement/seniors (homes), commercial uses and a multi-family mid-rise is one of them."
Mid-rise, 146-unit residential building concept for former SGH site. Image courtesy of Bayview Design Group - 397 Exmouth Street, Sarnia.
Drizis is promoting the idea of a mid-rise, 146-unit residential building for the site, but he said there's no mandate or obligation for any purchaser to follow through with the suggestion.
"I think Sarnia is in need of new construction for rentals. I also think that I'm an advocate of the CMHC-RCFI program, where a purchaser can make an application and get some very favourable financing, as long as they meet the federal level affordability requirements, but that's not a mandate of the seller, that's something I'm happy to work with any buyer on."
Drizis would not confirm a portion of the site was being held for Bluewater Health's long-planned residential withdrawal management facility.
"In terms of confidentiality, I can not tell you whether the owners had submitted to an RFP [Request for Proposals], that actually I had run on behalf of Bluewater Health a couple years ago. We would know though, in the marketplace there was limited available sites that were close to the new hospital, and so it is plausible that the site would have been a site that Bluewater Health would have been interested in."
Drizis said up to $800,000 in development charge credits are included in the purchase price.
GFIVE Inc. principals -- Charles Dally, Alex Jongsma, Mark Lumley, Kenn Poore and the late Marty Raaymakers -- purchased the land from the city for $1,000 in 2017. The city paid them $5.4 million, in stages, to raze, remediate and redevelop the site into a mix of new housing and low-rise commercial buildings.
Parts of the site are already being developed.
There are 11 serviced lots along the south side of Essex Street and three on the north side of Bright Street that were sold for residential development last October. Construction got underway early this year.
Construction on Essex Street 5 March 2021. (BlackburnNews.com file photo)
Medical suites were also being created at the former health unit building on George Street.