The Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul have unveiled more detailed plans to transform their property at 1200 Princess St. into a “village” community that includes long‐term care and assisted living facilities.
A public meeting on the land rezoning application is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 3 during a virtual meeting of the planning committee.
The Sisters are partnered with Providence Care, the Kingston organization that oversees Providence Care Hospital, Providence Manor and a number of community services, to construct a six-storey, 320-bed long-term care home on the sprawling 9.6-hectare midtown property that will replace the downtown’s Providence Manor nursing home on Sydenham Street.
In addition, there will be a three-storey parking garage constructed for 299 vehicles.
According to consultants hired by the Sisters, the new Providence Manor long-term care facility and parking structure would be situated behind the existing Motherhouse.
“Their vision is to transform the lands around the Motherhouse by establishing a hub of uses that will support vulnerable individuals and families in the community,” according to a planning justification study submitted by Fotenn consultants.
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The study says the massing of the proposed development will be similar to other developments in the immediate area, which include a variety of mid- and high-rise apartment buildings ranging between five and 13 storeys.
“The proposed six storey long-term care facility is located to the east of the site to minimize potential impacts with the existing low density residential uses to the west.”
The existing Motherhouse owned by the religious order will remain in place and provide a visual buffer from Princess Street, maintaining the existing streetscape, the study notes.
The zoning bylaw application includes several technical studies that support the development. A traffic study of the area says it “would have a minimal impact on traffic operations on the study area road network.”
A portion of the site at the end of Phillips Street is currently intended to be developed into a residential hospice residence, which has received $1.4 million in provincial funding.
The Providence Village concept was first unveiled in 2015 and has received two key donations to move the project forward: $5 million from Britton Smith, a Kingston philanthropist and founder of Homestead Landholdings, and $4.5 million from the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul.
The Ontario government also announced support to increase the number of beds in Providence Manor from 243 to 320 beds at the new Providence Manor home.
A number of accessory uses, including four commercial units on the ground floor of the parking garage fronting onto the private driveway, are also proposed to support the development.
“The long-term plan is to continue to develop the lands with additional uses that honour the legacy of the Sisters and their mission to care for the vulnerable,” said the Fotenn report.
The report concluded that the development meets the criteria of the city’s Official Plan and intensification policies.
“The proposed development will contribute to the City’s goal of intensification while meeting the needs of users without incurring negative impacts.”
Following the public meeting, city planners will collect input and draft a recommendation for the planning committee at a future date.
Providence Care officials would like to get shovels in the ground sometime in 2021.
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