New purchaser sought for former hospital site
The former St. Catharines General Hospital site on Queenston Street is up for sale again after its owners went into receivership.
Potential buyers for the more than 4.86-hectare site are being asked to submit offers by March 26, according to an information package published by Lennard Commercial Realty.
The Toronto firm was retained on behalf of RSM Canada Ltd, the court-appointed receiver of property owner 2807823 Ontario Inc.
“With a site area of just over 10 acres, this is a rare opportunity to develop a mid-rise community of 1,131 units only one kilometre from downtown St. Catharines,” a real estate flyer for the property says.
An ownership change is the latest twist in a development saga that’s been ongoing since the hospital closed in March 2013 and moved into a new complex in west St. Catharines.
Before moving out, Panoramic Properties Inc.-Butera Group signed a deal with Niagara Health to buy the building once it was empty. That developer had plans to turn the hospital into a residential apartment building and submitted a site plan agreement to the city in 2016.
Those plans fell through and the numbered ownership group, known as Queenston Oakdale, acquired the property in December 2016 with plans to tear down the hospital and build a townhouse community in a village setting.
The hospital was demolished starting in 2019 but the townhouseonly plan was scrapped for a higher density development.
The most recent proposal was for four mixed-used buildings 11 to 16 storeys tall and 40 townhouses, totalling 1,131 units, and 1,234 square metres of commercial space. The plan was discussed at a public open house in April 2023 to get feedback for zoning bylaw and official plan amendments and draft plan of subdivision.
In November 2023, Ontario Superior Court of Justice appointed RSM Canada Ltd. receiver of the 2807823 Ontario Inc. property and its assets, after money lender First Source Finance Management said the numbered company owed it more than $10 million and missed its deadline to pay.
The site is vacant, except for the historic stone archway from the hospital building and a newer real estate sign. There are still plans to move the archway to the hospital on Fourth Avenue to be used as a decorative feature.
The realtor’s flyer for the property said the property is zoned medium density but assured potential buyers the city is supportive of the additional density on the site.
St. Catharines city council endorsed a housing pledge for the province in March 2023 to get 11,000 units in the city built by 2031 and has been in favour of “building up.”