Baie-D’Urfé accepting proposals to build new senior’s home

BAIE-D’URFÉ – There’s a vacant field in Baie-D’Urfé that sits covered with snow drifts and mature trees.

But the small West Island town is hoping to change the landscape of the 11,000 square meters of property, located on the north side of Surrey Road just west of the local shopping centre.

The town has opened a call for proposals to build a three-storey senior’s home for residents who need advanced or assisted care.

“It would be to offer the next step in care,” Nathalie Hadida, Baid-D’Urfé town manager told Global News.

Hadida says there is a growing need for a senior’s home in the community.

Almost 21 per cent of the town’s residents are 65 or older and some of them need more help as they age.

“Council decided that it would be to address the needs of the citizens,” said Hadida.

“We have a lot of citizens that come forward and don’t want to leave the town. They grew up in Baie-D’Urfé.”

The proposed residence would be privately run and will hold between 80 to 125 units.

The building can’t exceed three stories, which is the maximum height allowed under the current by-law.

Baie-D’Urfé already owns part of the land and has an agreement to purchase the balance from Transports-Québec for $733,000 as long as a proposal to build the home is satisfactory to council.

“We’re extremely excited about the process of this project. We’ve been working on this actively since 2012,” she said.

The city hopes to issue a construction permit by summer 2015, with work slated to being in the fall or next spring.

The deadline to submit proposals is March 27.