Central Elgin calls for developers for former hospital lands

The second round of public engagement for plans to build over 3,500 homes for about 9,000 people on the former St. Thomas Psychiatric Hospital lands concluded on March 2 as Central Elgin council issued a request for proposal (RFP) seeking private sector development partners.

CE council is now expected to approve the hospital lands official plan amendment (OPA) in June, with Elgin County’s approval expected soon after, and the first signs of physical construction may appear as early as 2028.

While the land is currently owned by a Government of Ontario agency – Infrastructure Ontario – the province is considering divestiture, and has meanwhile agreed to allow the municipality to manage the planning and redevelopment process.

The OPA will formally establish the hospital lands as part of what’s known as CE’s Norman-Lyndale Settlement Area and officially designates the 168-hectare (416-acre) site as an area for urban growth in housing and employment. It will also implement a land use framework, setting out the distribution and location of land uses, development densities, and community structure.

For the full story, see the March 4 edition of The Aylmer Express.