Map showing the subject lands of 125 Peel Street

125 Peel Street - Community Campus of Care

Project Information

Application Type(s)

Municipal Project

Address

125 Peel Street, Thornbury

Current Status

Request for Qualification

On This Page
1. About 125 Peel Street
2. About The Community Campus of Care
3. Minister's Zoning Order
4. Frequently Asked Questions
5. Timeline & Project Updates
6. Documents & Additional Information

About 125 Peel Street

On February 22, 2021, the Town of The Blue Mountains announced the purchase of 125 Peel Street in Thornbury. The 32-acre property was identified as a property of interest and strategic location for a range of potential uses due to its proximity to Highway 26 and the Tomahawk Recreational Complex.

In a report from February 2021, Town Staff suggested potential future uses for the property, which could include:
- Potential location of a future Multi-use Community Hub (8 - 12-year horizon);
- Potential location of a range of alternate municipal uses; and
- Potential of providing area for an improved intersection at Grey Road 113, 10th line and Highway 26.
With the January 28, 2022 announcement of the Community Campus of Care project, the Town will be actively seeking a Minister's Zoning Order for 125 Peel Street to ensure that the property land use approvals support the Council's vision for the use of the Community Campus of Care project.

About the Community Campus of Care

Through an innovative and unique partnership, the Town is working with the Province of Ontario and the Ministry of Long Term Care to develop a new 160 bed long-term care facility within the Community Campus of Care.

The partnership was announced in January 2022 when the Province of Ontario, through the Ministry of Long Term Care, provisionally allocated 160 long-term care beds to the Town. When fully constructed, the Community Campus of Care project is expected to feature a 160 bed long-term care facility, retirement living accommodation focused on healthy seniors’ living, and
a variety of attainable housing units and dwellings to support the staff working at the Community Campus of Care.
The Community Campus of Care is proposed to be built on a portion of the Town-owned lands located at 125 Peel Street in Thornbury. Purchased last year, the 32-acre property has been long considered a key strategic property of interest by the Town with its proximity to Highway 26 and the Tomahawk Recreation Complex, providing future opportunities for both properties.
To ensure success, the Town has retained SHS Consulting to help guide the project forward. SHS Consulting will be responsible for working with the Town’s 125 Peel Street Task Force and Council to:
- Confirm Council's vision for the site and the key components that will be on the site.
- source a private sector partner (or partners) to develop, own, manage, operate, and maintain the various components of the Community Campus of Care.
The Town of The Blue Mountains is expected to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) in mid-2022 for proponents interested in developing and operating the different components of the campus, including the long-term care home, on municipally-owned land in 2022. This design competition will ensure a fair process that provides the private sector with the opportunity to present their best master plan for the site. Construction is expected to start by summer 2024 and the home is expected to open by the end of 2026.

Minister's Zoning Order

The Town will be seeking a Minister's Zoning Order to accelerate the design and construction of the Community Campus of Care at 125 Peel Street, Thornbury.

A Minister's Zoning Order (MZO) is part of Ontario's Planning Act. An MZO allows the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to decide how a piece of land is used, bypassing the traditional methods used in a municipality. Projects approved through an MZO must still abide by the Provincial Policy Statement. Site plan review and approval will remain under the jurisdiction of the Town.

For more information specific to the Town's MZO request, please refer to the MZO Frequently Asked Questions document.

More information about the MZO process can be found in Section 47 of the Ontario Planning Act.

Timeline & Project Updates

- February 22, 2021: Council Approved the Purchase of 125 Peel Street (Staff Report FAF.21.040)
- February 23, 2021: Purchase of 125 Peel Street (Press Release Issued)
- May 4, 2021: Council Approved Financing for 125 Peel Street Purchase (Staff Report FAF.21.071)
- September 20, 2021: Council Approval of Technical Studies (Staff Report FAF.21.171)
- December 13, 2021: Council Approved RFP for Development Management Consultant (Council Meeting Minutes)
- January 5, 2022: RFP Issued for Development Management Consultant (Link to Bid Opportunity)
- January 17, 2022: Council Directed Staff to Initiate the Formal Process to declare 125 Peel Street as Surplus (Staff Report FAF.22.016)
- January 28, 2022: Provincial Announcement and Allocation of Long Term Care Beds (Press Release Issued)
- February 4, 2022: Press Release Issued Regarding SHS Consulting as Development Management Consultant (Press Release Issued)
- January 17, 2022: Notice of Public Meeting Issued to Declare a Portion of 125 Peel Street as Surplus (Public Notice Issued)
- February 7, 2022: Public Meeting Held regarding Declaring a Portion of 125 Peel Street as Surplus (Recording of Meeting)
- March 2, 2022: Staff Report Regarding Follow up To Public Meeting (Staff Report FAF.22.047)
- March 2, 2022: Special Meeting of Council and Presentation by SHS Consulting Regarding Project Vision (Recording of Meeting) (Meeting Agenda) (SHS Presentation Slide Deck) (Post-Meeting Minute & Motions Passed)
- March 14, 2022: Council Meeting to further discuss the 125 Peel Street Campus of Care Project (Recording of Meeting) (Meeting Agenda) (SHS Consulting Follow-up & Response to Public Comments) (Meeting Minutes)
- March 15, 2022: Special Meeting of Council to discuss the 125 Peel Street Campus of Care (Recording of Meeting) (Meeting Agenda) (Staff Report for Single Source Engineering)
- March 29, 2022: Committee of the Whole Meeting to declare the 125 Peel Street Lands Surplus and a Process to Sell the Lands (Recording of Meeting) (Meeting Agenda) (Staff Report)
- April 11, 2022: Special Meeting of Council to discuss Options for 125 Peel Street Community Campus of Care Task Force Structure (Meeting Agenda) (Staff Report)
- April 29, 2022: Town submitted an application for a Ministerial Zoning Order to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing outlining the proposed use of the lands at 125 Peel Street.
- May 16, 2022: CAO Shawn Everitt provided a summary update at a Special Committee of the Whole Meeting on the progress that has been made on the proposed Community Campus of Care project. The report also outlined an anticipated timeline extension of two months. (Recording of Meeting) (Meeting Agenda) (Staff Report)
- July 6, 2022: The Town released the Request for Qualification (RFQ) document, which aims to pre-qualify prospective proponents based on the criteria eligibility for the Campus of Care development opportunity. The RFQ can be found on the Town's Bids and Tenders website.