As London pushes ahead with redeveloping the site of the former London Psychiatric Hospital, a community in Elgin County is on the cusp of doing the same. After years of talking, the mayor of Central Elgin is hopeful that site work could begin as early as the end of the year to develop the lands immediately surrounding the former St. Thomas Psychiatric Hospital. It would be the first phase of a massive development that could take nearly a half-century to fill. “I think people will see in 2026 that things are happening” said Central Elgin Mayor Andrew Sloan in an interview with CTV News. Central Elgin is now days away from issuing a request for proposals (RFP) to developers. They will be tasked with creating a community of homes and support services for thousands of future Volkswagen Power Co. and Vianode employees. Time however is ticking. With an agreement with the province to transfer all but approximately 50 acres of land to the municipality anticipated in the coming months, Central Elgin is preparing to move forward. Sloan has called the project a “blank canvas” that gives his community a chance to paint a portrait of its future. “We saw from the open houses that people want to see a mix, and they want all kinds of housing, they want to see multifamily, they want to see commercial,” he said. In Thursday’s calm before the storm, St. Thomas and Elgin developers are eager to support or be a part of the construction. Brandon Collier is among them. While his smaller firm Collier Homes cannot bid big on the project, he is excited to see it commence. “We clearly need the housing. So, I think it’s great timing. Hopefully, our municipalities and our provincial government can get things rolling, and we can have this thing, you know, fire on all cylinders,” he said. Collier is hopeful local developers will lead the redevelopment. Sloan wants the same but concedes interest in the project is significant. “It’s sought after, and I think that it will be the beginning of an exciting chapter for Central Elgin,” he said. The RFP process will last only 60 days. Sloan expects the next steps in the process to follow quickly. If all goes to plan, the first site work will happen on the north side of the property, with the first homes complete in time for the opening of the PowerCo. Plant. Predictions are that this new community could one day house between 15 and 30,000 people.
