Residents have plenty of concerns over the state of the former Sarnia General Hospital site on Mitton St.
Over 50 people attended a public input session Wednesday, worried about mold and asbestos, declining property values, crime, aesthetics and skyrocketing security costs.
Neighbour Jon Bilagot wants to see some movement on the property.
"It's nice to see that they're motivated to sell or get rid of the property," says Bilagot. "But they're really non-committal about what they're going to do with it if it doesn't sell. They won't say that they'll tear it down, so that's a little disheartening."
Tom Hillis suggested a plan to deter people from entering the building.
"Probably the first thing that I would do is put a security fence around the whole perimeter of the building just to make it safer," says Hillis. "If you make it difficult to get at the building itself, then I think that temporarily solves the problem and buys the city a bit of time."
The city is opening up Requests for Proposals for interested buyers on February 10, with a closing date of May 31.
Depending on the submissions, rezoning of the property could be necessary.
Mark Lumley was part of a group that had initially offered to purchase the property and develop a $15-million medical campus. He says a contract with the city was nullified following a council meeting in March of 2015.
Lumley is hopeful this RFP process will be easier for potential developers.
"They need to try and look at the way the planning process works and make sure it doesn't involve potential pitfalls that the new developers are going to run into," says Lumley. "So, make sure that if the RFP is accepted, some guarantees for zoning are also implied within that or else it'll just be a money-spending operation and no one wants to see that. Everyone wants to see something done."
The development process could take a few years to complete, and demolition is not a condition of the sale.
Asbestos removal and demolition is expected to cost upwards of $9-million and the city says provincial funding is no longer on the table.
The land has been appraised as having no value, but if it were vacant it could be in the $1.7-million range.
Another public meeting is scheduled for February 28 at the Lambton College Events Centre.