The name 'Grace' could be going back up at the corner of Crawford Avenue and University Avenue West in Windsor.
Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare has unveiled plans for a multi-million dollar residential and health care development at the site of the former Grace hospital.
"We're coming up to Grace's 100th anniversary and a big part of the Hotel-Dieu Grace legacy is the Grace hospital and what a better opportunity to get into the community development side of what we're looking at," says CEO Janice Kaffer.
The former Grace hospital closed in 2003. The building sat vacant and was the target of vandalism for nearly a decade until 2012 when it was demolished.
CTV News has learned the HDGH plan, with Amico Infrastructure, is among six applicants which filed an expression of interest with the City of Windsor to develop the vacant lot.
Kaffer tells CTV News the plans have been in the works for several years.
"It's not a hospital, it's not a health-service delivery agency, it really is a new way of thinking about community," says Kaffer about the plan.
The $250-million proposal calls for 650 residential units, retail space and space for health and social services including assisted living options.
"Someone my age, 60 to 65 could say you know we want to give up the big family home and we want to live in an apartment but we want to be able to go somewhere where, when one of us doesn't do so well, and we need some help, we'll be able to purchase that help," says Kaffer.
City Council is expected to review the applications in November.
Kaffer tells CTV News if their plan is approved, it would take five to ten years to complete.
"2020 is the 100th anniversary of Grace and we would very much love to be able to put a shovel in the ground at a new legacy for Grace," adds Kaffer.
