7-storey retirement facility just around the corner in East Gwillimbury

Yorkregion.com
April 23, 2019
Simon Martin

A seven-storey retirement home appears to be just around the corner in Sharon.

At a public meeting April 16, more details emerged about the Revera retirement home that would be located at the northwest corner of Leslie Street and Mount Albert in Sharon.

“We are ready to go. We are excited to get moving on this,” Mike Briscoe vice-president of property development for Revera said.

The group told council they are planning to file a site plan amendment for the plan in the coming weeks with the hopes of getting a building permit for the facility next year.

Briscoe said the facility would provide people in East Gwillimbury with access to a variety of care levels that would allow residents to age in town.

The seven-storey, 206-unit facility is being developed through Wycliffe Thornridge Sharon Corners Ltd.

The Wycliffe proposal, located at 1420 and 1484 Mount Albert Rd. also includes plans for a 100-unit, seven-storey seniors' apartment complex and 68 townhouses.

Developer Spokesperson Murray Evans said the project has been a long time coming and told council they are anxious to get started.

“We would dearly love to get on the site for the retirement facility by the end of the year,” he said.

The intersection is set to become a local centre that will be part of a walkable community, Evans said. The seven-storey facility will be along the roadway with parking for the retirement tucked in behind the facility.

“Revera is very excited to have the chance to join the community in East Gwillimbury,” Briscoe said.

The retirement facility isn’t the only project planned for the central intersection in Sharon. On the south side of Mount Albert Road, there are plans to build a retirement residence with the 140 assisted-living units and 70 independent-living units.

The retirement building on the south side of Mount Albert Road, proposed by 2445085 Ontario Ltd., is part of the Shoppes of Sharon development.

The Shoppes of Sharon, located at 19086 Sharon also include a drug mart, coffee shop, bank, restaurant, child-care centre and a medical building.

Ward 2 councillor Tara Roy-DiClemente said there is a large need for facilities like this in the community. “This is something people need and want,” she said.

That being said Roy-DiClemente said residents have to understand that this will bring large change to the landscape. Having cranes building in Sharon might be a little shocking for some people, she said.

According to the 2016 census, seniors 55 and over make up more than 30 per cent of the town’s population. And that silver wave is only going to increase as the population ages.

A minor concern about the entrance for the retirement facility was raised at the meeting. Town staff said any decision about a traffic signal would be up to York Region as Mount Albert Road is a regional road. That being said there is a chance the entrance will be lined up with the entrance for the plaza across the road making signalization of the intersection a possibility.