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Agreement means former school will become seniors housing

A local developer has reached a compromise with Sudbury's planning committee to reduce the city's charges for redeveloping the former Jessie Hamilton School in Lively into seniors apartments.
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Greater Sudbury's planning committee approved a rezoning application Monday allowing the construction of two, one-storey apartment buildings slated to be built on Harrison Drive in the city's South End.
A local developer has reached a compromise with Sudbury's planning committee to reduce the city's charges for redeveloping the former Jessie Hamilton School in Lively into seniors apartments.

Kevin Seeley, president of Seeley Homes, plans to redevelop the former Jessie Hamilton Public School in Lively to create a 29-unit seniors home. He also plans to build a separate 26-unit building, also for seniors, plus five single residential homes.

As part of the approval he received in 2013, Seeley had to upgrade nearby Jessie and Patricia streets to an urban standard, improving drainage and building sidewalks. That added $188,000 to the cost of his plan. Along with $547,000 the city was requiring as a deposit, the pre-construction tab was so high, Seeley said the bank wouldn't extend the financing he needed to proceed.

When he appeared at planning committee May 11, he said it made no sense to force him to build sidewalks that wouldn't connect to anything. It will be decades before the surrounding area will be built up with other residential housing, he said. And by that time, the sidewalks would need to be rebuilt anyway.

As part of the agreement approved Monday, city staff not only reduced the deposit Seeley must pay up front to $188,020.14, it also agreed to an option that would see him spend $33,900 to pave the shoulders of part of the road up Jessie Street past where it turns into Hillcrest Drive up until the intersection with Mikkola Road.

Seeley said a consultant estimated the work would cost $33,900 and would cause no disruption to people on the street. The shoulder would be 0.9 metres wide, allowing the shoulder to extend as far as possible.

“It doesn't not include ripping up anyone's driveway,” Seeley said, adding “we wanted to get it as far as we could.”

Ward 10 Coun. Fern Cormier, who chairs the committee, wondered what would happen if actual costs exceed the estimate.

“Am I wrong in the assumption that the developer assumes the cost of the work?” Cormier asked.

City planner Eric Taylor said that as long that's specified in the resolution, “then it would be with the developer.”

The city also agreed to halve the performance guarantee for that work. Normally, developers have to pay the full cost for upgrades to ensure that if the work isn't done for some reason, the city has the money on hand to complete it. If the work is completed, the deposit is returned to the developer.

Ward 4 Coun. Evelyn Dutrisac said councillors were willing to compromise because the project addresses two priorities: redeveloping properties like the former school into tax-generating properties, and the need for seniors housing.

“This is a great project for the seniors of that community – and all the seniors of the City of Greater Sudbury,” Dutrisac said. “We've done that in Azilda … at St. Agnes School, where they built apartments. It's a need in our community.”

Ward 9 Coun. Deb McIntosh said the compromise made more sense than forcing the developer to build sidewalks outside the residence. Since linking sidewalks likely won't be built for several years, giving future residents a way to link up with existing pedestrian infrastructure made more sense.

“Having a sidewalk in front of the building is nice, but it (wouldn't) go anywhere,” she said.

While approved by the planning committee, the agreement won't be official until passed at a full city council meeting next month.

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Darren MacDonald

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