Bayside Mall (File photo by Meghan Bond)Bayside Mall (File photo by Meghan Bond)
Sarnia

High-Rise Planned For Bayside Mall Property

Repurposing a mall will be a first for Seasons Retirement Communities.

The new owner of Sarnia's Bayside Mall discussed preliminary development plans with Sarnia council Monday.

CEO Rick Smyth says they plan to build a high-rise to accommodate a retirement residence with 140-160 independent and assisted living suites on the 8.5 acre site.

He says it's truly a unique opportunity.

"We searched for other locations and there really weren't any suitable locations," says Smyth. "We need 3 to 4 acres for our primary retirement community. While we can find that kind of acreage, we're going to be on the outskirts of the city or we may not be near services, we might not be close to the hospital. So, the size and the location turned out to be perfect from our perspective."

Smyth says historically downtown locations are very difficult to find.

"You can't typically assemble that much land in a downtown," he says. "The fact that not only is the market demand there, this type of a central location that already has the majority of the amenities right at its doorstep is ideal."

Smyth says the building's principle use will be for the retirement community and says announcing any other plans for the building would be premature.

He says they have interviews scheduled with three major architects who specialize in master planning.

"As soon as we've made a selection, we'll make sure that both the city and the county is aware of who we're dealing with and again, we'll follow the lead of being collaborative and working together," says Smyth. "We don't want any surprises, so the best way to avoid that is to keep all the stakeholders, that have an interest, involved in the process."

The Oakville-based company closed the deal to acquire the property, in cash, April 18, 2017.

Given the magnitude of the proposed site improvements, Seasons expects one year will be spent planning the project with construction beginning as early as 2018.

The company has 11 retirement communities in Ontario, including the 120-suite Seasons Strathroy Retirement Community.

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