Plans are in place to turn the former Sacred Heart Catholic School on Lecaron Avenue in Sarnia into a rental townhouse development for seniors.
The former elementary school officially closed its doors last year.
During Monday's meeting, city council unanimously approved a zoning by-law amendment for Gold Leaf Properties Inc. to proceed with its project.
The single-storey townhouse development proposes seven buildings, totaling 37 units, geared toward retirees.
Renters and visitors would be able to access the site from Charlesworth Drive and Lecaron Avenue.
Strik, Baldinelli, Moniz Ltd. Project Lead Jamie Robertson, who represented Gold Leaf Properties, said all of the units will be accessible and will have three parking spaces.
"So if you do have an accessible vehicle, you are also able to park in your particular driveway without any issue or without any extra walking," Robertson said.
The proposal received praise from multiple councillors.
"I hope I don't jinx it, but welcome to Sarnia," said City/County Councillor Brian White.
City/County Councillor Bill Dennis called it a "fantastic" project.
"I spoke to a representative from [Gold Leaf Properties], and apparently, every single one of these units is spoken for. Congratulations," Dennis said. "She tells me there's a waiting list for about 400 -- 400 people on the waiting list. That's fantastic! That just shows you the high demand for these units."
Councillor Anne Marie Gillis also called it a "remarkable" project.
"I'm really excited about this infill project," Gillis said. But she questioned what traffic would be like during the construction process.
Robertson said there won't be a lot of material removed from the site since the townhouses will not have basements.
"So the general dump-load traffic you would expect with lots of developments doesn't actually happen with this one," Robertson said. "That's not to say there won't be heavy trucks. Absolutely, there certainly will be. Every construction project does. But it is a little bit more limited in this particular style development."
A traffic impact brief also suggests there will be less traffic during peak morning and afternoon hours with the proposed development than there was with the school.
Although a timeframe for the project is unknown, Robertson said the goal is to have everything ready to go by the end of 2026, if not earlier.
Lecaron Avenue resident Don Livingstone raised a few concerns about the project's size, how the site will be serviced, and water pressure issues in the area.
Robertson said servicing details such as snow storage and garbage or recycling collection would be dealt with during the site plan process.
As for water pressure concerns, Robertson said a hydrant flow test showed that the water pressure in the area is above average. General Manager of Engineering and Operations David Jackson said staff were unaware of this concern before seeing it in the council agenda, but it's something they can now look into.
Councillor Adam Kilner questioned the cost of renting.
Roberston said although it is a senior development, it is not specifically affordable housing and is meant to be a "luxurious" option for retirees.
"It helps alleviate some of the other pressures. So if there are places for a retired senior individual to go to and they're excited about getting out of that empty nest ... and they're looking to go to that next size but not downgrade in quality, this provides that option," Robertson said. "We know there's an aging demographic, we want to ensure there are lots of options going forward."
Gold Leaf Properties currently owns nine senior townhouse developments in areas such as Petrolia, Forest, and Parkhill. This would be Gold Leaf's first build in Sarnia.
