This southwestern Ontario municipality is ready to build 3,500 new homes
CBC
The tiny southwestern Ontario Municipality of Central Elgin is gearing up for an increased housing demand, as Volkswagen's first electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing plant in neighbouring St. Thomas gets closer to reality.
The municipality announced in a news release on Wednesday that it's seeking "experienced development partners" to deliver a complete community that includes "a mix of homes, park space, a vibrant main street and a connected transportation network."
Mayor Andrew Sloan said it's a very exciting time for the municipality, noting that this is the first time Central Elgin will have a redevelopment where "it's creating a community."
"It's sort of a game changer for Central Elgin," Sloan told CBC London on Thursday, adding that "housing is a crisis here ... as it is in other parts of the province."
He said the development will provide "affordable and attainable" housing, seniors homes, as well as a commercial complex and a main street.
"There will be everything from trails, to parks, to a downtown, so it's essentially a whole new community," Sloan said.
The initiative will take 370 acres of unused land at the former site of the St. Thomas Psychiatric Hospital and turn it into the largest planned community expansion in the area’s history. It aims to create space for more than 3,500 new homes for 9,000 residents and many local businesses.
The Ontario government announced in 2023 that Volkswagen's first EV battery manufacturing plant will be built in St. Thomas, in the area of Talbot Line and Yarmouth Centre Road, near the city's airport.
At the time, the German auto giant said production is set to begin in 2027, calling it its first overseas "gigafactory" for battery cell manufacturing.
“Thank you to Central Elgin for seizing the opportunity to manage a Request for Proposal for the potential redevelopment of the surplus hospital lands on Sunset Road," Rob Flack, MPP for Elgin-Middlesex-London and Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, said in the release.
"Recent investments in St. Thomas, through businesses like Vianode and Volkswagen, have emphasized the need to get shovels in the ground for more homes in a growing community.”
Sloan said the St. Thomas region is getting tremendous investment coming forward with the new battery plant and some other businesses, and it gives Central Elgin the opportunity to plan a community to respond to the need for housing.
Jared Zaifman, CEO of the London Home Builder's Association, described the announcement from the municipality as "quite exciting."
He aid there are lots of great, local developers who "could do an excellent job" redeveloping the site.
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