Seniors’ care home to be converted into student housing

When international students with A&L Royal Academy come to Moose Jaw for school, some will live in a boarding apartment that was once a seniors’ care home. Oxford Place Inc. recently submitted a discretionary use application to city hall to change the operation of Oxford Place at 1007 Main Street North to a room rental apartment from a Type 3 residential care home. City hall has zoned the property as CS — Community Service/Institutional District, which it uses to provide various institutional and community activities and limited residential uses.

The building initially began as a war-time hospital after the Second World War, before transitioning into a care home for the elderly.

During its July 13 regular meeting, council voted unanimously to approve the discretionary use application, as long as the academy provided eight off-street parking spaces for its students and city administration was satisfied with the modifications. If more students move into the building, the academy will have to reapply for additional parking as part of the discretionary use application.

The zoning bylaw says that boarding apartments should be located in high-density areas that are also near personal services and amenities, a city council report explained. The bylaw also lays out four criteria that applicants must meet when submitting a discretionary use application.

After review, city hall determined the application met those criteria. Boarding apartments are required to provide off-street parking of one parking space plus one space for every three rental units, the council report said. The building has 20 rental rooms, so it requires eight off-street parking spaces. The owner of Oxford Place has said the site could accommodate six parking spaces. Oxford Place has entered into a long-term lease with the academy — located at 52 High Street West — to support its students, the application form explained. The academy will maintain the building with a livein caretaker looking after the property.

Brent Boechler, owner of Oxford Place Inc., and Jeff Matheson, principal of the academy, gave a presentation by video during the July 13 regular council meeting. Boechler pointed out off-street parking won’t be a big deal since these students don’t have licences and will get to school by foot or transit. Since 15 students will live there to start, the building would need only six parking spots.

While some area neighbours have concerns with the building turning into student housing — it will not be a men’s club, as some think — those concerns are unwarranted, he continued. The academy is a professional institution that will monitor the students strictly. Moreover, these students are paying $30,000 a year to attend school here and won’t want to jeopardize their education.

Besides being a language institution, the academy will also be a high school starting this fall, said Matheson. He and two new educators have years of experience and they will teach 10 students to start.

The number of language students they will have is unknown since the federal government stopped issuing visas to international students during the pandemic.

Once pandemic restrictions lift, the school expects to have 100 students and 15 teachers.

“Their parents invest heavily in their education. They are here to study and not anything else,” Matheson added. “If they get in trouble, they can lose their study permit and be deported. The people we are bringing in are good people who contribute to our community in different ways.” Oxford Place can accommodate up to 35 students, but academy leaders believe the building will house 25, Matheson told council. While 30 per cent of the 100 students will require housing, others will live with their parents; some will live with home-stay families to experience Canadian culture; while other youths will live in dorms at the Church of God South Hill campus.

The next regular council meeting is July 27.