I was happy to read recently that Councilor McGuire is going to look into the (apparently abandoned) townhouse project on the corner of Prince St. and Lancaster Ave., formerly the site of the DVA (Dept. of Veteran’s Affairs) Hospital. Evidently he has received calls from residents about what has unfortunately turned into an eyesore. I pass by the site frequently and the once promising development has obviously run into serious problems. I can recall the anticipation when then-Mayor McFarlane made the announcement on the development, way back in 2006, I think, maybe it was 2005. It’s a shame it didn’t pan out, the location is really good.
A sign on the Prince Street side says “Rockingstone Estates – Development Opportunity – For Sale / Mawhinney Real Estate”. I checked the Rockingstone Estates website and it looks like nothing has been added since the project was a few months’ old, and the Mawhinney site appears to be selling some of the properties.
Minutes from the Planning Advisory Committee March 22, 2005 meeting record the presentation from Fulton Surveys Ltd on behalf of Norm Ganong to develop the site. In a TJ article three years later - March 11, 2008 the developer, Norm Ganong, said the amount of paperwork was much more than he anticipated and he had to halt work in the fall of 2006 because he hadn't completed a developer's agreement with the city. Apparently the plan was to build 74 units on the site, to sell for between $225,000 and $250,000, and he hoped to resume building in April 2008. Seems to me that’s way too many for the site, however, I would like to see some housing on the site; we certainly need it in the city.
Just across Prince Street is a nice redevelopment of the former Red Cross Lodge. I am not sure if it houses condos or apartments, but they are on the pricey side. The owner has done a great job.
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