Central Elgin Council has taken a significant step toward the future of the former Psychiatric Hospital Lands by approving the Final Policy Directions and Land Use Plan, along with the Draft Official Plan Amendment (OPA) for public consultation. This milestone sets the stage for creating a vibrant, inclusive, and connected new community on the site.

The approved Policy Directions and Land Use Plan reflect Council’s Vision and Guiding Principles and incorporate feedback from residents and stakeholders. They provide a clear framework to guide future planning and form the policy foundation for the draft OPA.

The draft OPA introduces a new policy section to the Central Elgin Official Plan specific to the Hospital Lands. It establishes the planning framework to guide the long-term, phased development of a new mixed-use community.

“Council’s approval of the Policy Directions and Land Use Map marks an important step toward creating Central Elgin’s newest community as a thriving and inclusive place to call home,” Mayor Andrew Sloan. “I’m pleased that the feedback we received from the community has been incorporated into these plans. I encourage residents to remain engaged as the project moves into the next stage of the planning process.”

Resident and stakeholder feedback has played a key role in shaping these documents. Input received during Round 1 Engagement in fall 2025 helped clarify heritage direction, strengthen parks and public space planning, and improve overall policy precision.

• Heritage: Heritage-related policies were updated to provide clearer guidance for conservation and commemoration and to strengthen recognition of the site’s cultural and institutional history.
• Parks, Public Spaces & Community Facilities: Adjustments include clearer identification of a public plaza within the Downtown Mainstreet area, refinements to park locations, and a broader framing to community facilities to reflect a wider range of potential public uses.
• Housing, Servicing & Phasing: Policy direction was clarified to improve certainty and readiness for implementation, while maintaining the overall land use structure and community framework previously endorsed by Council.

Have Your Say: Round 2 Community Engagement

With Council’s approval, the Municipality will now proceed with consultation on the draft OPA. Residents have another opportunity to provide input and help shape the future of the former Hospital Lands.

Upcoming Engagement Opportunities:

• Public Open House: Tuesday, February 24, 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. Masonic Centre of Elgin, 42703 Fruit Ridge Line

• Statutory Public Meeting: Monday, March 2, 6 – 8 p.m. Central Elgin Council Chambers, 450 Sunset Drive

The draft OPA is the next key step in the statutory planning process for the Former Hospital Lands. Residents are encouraged to share input to help inform the final OPA for Council’s consideration.

Project information, engagement materials, and updates are available at letstalkcentralelgin.ca/ReimagineHospitalLands.

Between September and November 2025, the Municipality of Central Elgin conducted extensive community and stakeholder engagement to gather input on the future development of the former Psychiatric Hospital Lands. Residents, local organizations, and stakeholders provided valuable feedback on the Draft Policy Directions and Land Use Plan, helping to shape a vision for a complete, inclusive, and sustainable community.

Round 1 of engagement included:

• One in-person Public Open House
• An online survey
• Four virtual stakeholder meetings.

In total, 453 participants provided input.

The project team has reviewed the feedback received through engagement on the draft Policy Directions and Land Use Plan and has considered that input in preparing the final versions for Council consideration in February 2026.

View the Phase 1 Engagement Summary Report

• Public weighs in on large redevelopment of hospital lands south of St. Thomas. Read it on CTV London website: Redevelopment of hospital lands St. Thomas
• London Free Press PHOTOS: A look inside the long-closed St. Thomas Psychiatric Hospital | London Free Press
• Planning for the Future: Central Elgin Sets Vision for Transformative Hospital Lands Redevelopment. Read it in Ontario Professional Planners Institute Y Magazine's Fall/Winter 2025 issue: Issues | OPPI
  
• 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/

The Municipality of Central Elgin is inviting community members to share their feedback and help shape the future of the former Psychiatric Hospital Lands—a 168-hectare (416-acre) property with a rare opportunity to create a complete, thriving, and inclusive community.

This week, Central Elgin Council approved the Draft Policy Directions and Land Use Plan for public engagement. Building on the Vision and Guiding Principles approved by Council in May, these draft documents outline how the lands could evolve into a new community that supports municipal goals for affordability, sustainability, and growth. They identify key planning considerations such as housing mix and density, commercial and employment opportunities, mobility and transportation, parks and open space, and climate resilience.

“This site represents a unique opportunity to create a complete, connected, and sustainable community,” said Mayor Andrew Sloan. “We want to hear from residents to ensure the plan reflects the needs of our community—both today and for generations to come—as we plan for housing, parks, transportation, and employment opportunities that will serve Central Elgin well into the future."

A Vision for a Complete Community The proposed plan envisions a walkable, transit-ready community built around four key elements:

1. Sunset Institutional Corridor: A zone of institutional, health, education and/or civic uses, contributing to economic resilience.
2. Downtown Mainstreet: A mixed-use area for retail uses and public life, designed to serve day-to-day needs and to grow with the community.
3. Residential Neighbourhoods: Compact, diverse housing options with integrated parks, community centre, schools and trails.
4. Connected Street Network: A transit-ready and active transportation-friendly grid that supports phased growth.

How to Get Involved

Residents are encouraged to review the draft plan and share feedback during the engagement period:

Public Open House

• Wednesday, October 8, 2025
• 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
• Central Elgin Municipal Office 450 Sunset Drive, St. Thomas, ON N5R 5V1

Online Survey

Residents unable to attend the open house or prefer to share feedback online are invited to complete the survey: www.letstalkcentralelgin.ca/reimaginehospitallands

Input collected during the engagement period will be used to refine the directions and land use plan and inform the final Official Plan Amendment, ensuring that the redevelopment aligns with provincial, county, and municipal planning policies.

For more information and to view the Draft Policy Directions and Land Use Plan, visit www.letstalkcentralelgin.ca/reimaginehospitallands.

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.