Reimagine Hospital Lands

• Rural community set to double in size with 3,500-home mega-plan. Read it on the London Free Press website: https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/rural-community-set-to-double-in-size-with-3500-home-mega-plan
• Plans in the works to redevelop former St. Thomas psychiatric hospital land into housing. Read it on the CBC London website:https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/plans-in-the-works-to-redevelop-former-st-thomas-psychiatric-hospital-land-into-housing-1.7527832
• Central Elgin council approves vision for new mixed-use community on former psychiatric hospital lands. Read it on 94.1 myFM News: https://www.stthomastoday.ca/2025/05/06/central-elgin-council-approves-vision-for-new-mixed-use-community-on-former-psychiatric-hospital-lands/
• Area municipality prepares for VW plant-driven population growth. Read it on the London Free Press website: https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/area-municipality-prepares-for-vw-plant-driven-population-growth
• ‘Transformative opportunity’: Central Elgin brainstorming plans for former Psychiatric Hospital land. View the video on CTV London website: https://www.ctvnews.ca/london/article/transformative-opportunity-central-elgin-brainstorming-plans-for-former-psychiatric-hospital-land/

May 6, 2025

Central Elgin Council has approved the Vision and Guiding Principles for the redevelopment of the former Psychiatric Hospital Lands. This pivotal decision marks the initial step in creating a comprehensive planning framework for a significant mixed-use community.

Over the next several years, Central Elgin is poised for significant new residential and employment growth following a historic investment by the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario to establish Volkswagen’s first overseas electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility. The facility, set to open in 2027, will create up to 3,000 direct jobs and as many as 30,000 indirect jobs across the region.

To support this economic opportunity, anticipated population growth and the accompanying demand for a full range of housing options, Central Elgin is proactively planning for a complete, mixed-use community that will meet the needs of current and future residents. The approved report, shaped by Council's priorities and best practices, sets a clear direction for the future vibrant and inclusive community on these unique lands.

Mayor Andrew Sloan emphasized the significance, stating, "This is an important moment for Central Elgin, laying the groundwork for a new, forward-looking community to meet the needs of a growing population and create a vibrant and inclusive community for generations to come."

With the Vision and Guiding Principles approved, the next phase will be community engagement, and the development of a Directions Report.

Central Elgin will continue working with the Province of Ontario and other partners to bring this new community to life.

Vision for the Hospital Lands:

Central Elgin’s newest community will be a thriving and inclusive place to call home. Designed for all ages and generations, it will offer a diverse range of affordable and accessible housing options. This community will promote healthy lifestyles and environmental stewardship, anchored by a traditional main street with vibrant local businesses. It will feature parks and community services that prioritize people and their day-to-day needs. The community will create jobs to support financial sustainability in Central Elgin.

This Vision is supported by four Guiding Principles, which envision the area as a distinctive, connected, liveable and sustainable community.

Guiding Principles:

• Distinctive Community: This new community will be a distinctive, vibrant community and neighbourhood providing a full range of housing, a commercial main street, and landscape and architectural elements that acknowledge the area’s history and agricultural roots.
• Connected Community: This new community will have a compact form that is transit ready and well connected to the entire new neighbourhood with a network of complete streets that safely and conveniently integrate active transportation with motor vehicle traffic and parking.
• Liveable and Affordable Community: This new community will include a range of housing at densities that are attainable for a diversity of families by size, life-stage, and income, as well as support desirable community services, a network of safe and attractive public spaces (including parks), and mix of uses, including local retail and commercial services.
• Sustainable Community: This new community should contribute to the financial sustainability of Central Elgin and be planned and designed to efficiently use land and resources, have regard for the natural landscape, have a robust urban tree canopy, and incorporate green development standards to ensure the community is climate resilient.