Fairmount Properties hints at design plans for Grace Hospital site in Windsor
Plans to transform the former Grace Hospital site in downtown Windsor are taking shape.
Developers Fairmount Properties LLC announced earlier this month that they have signed affiliation agreements with St. Clair College and the University of Windsor, while also planning to include retail, healthcare and commercial services on the site.
Specifically, it said will work with the college and the university to create housing on the site that can accommodate as many as 500 international students so that they remain in the community after graduation.
Fairmount has also signed a letter of intent with an unspecified, major operator of healthcare practice groups that will lease 14,000 square feet of space on the site.
It is also in advanced discussions with two grocery operators – one from Canada and one from Michigan – to host one smaller-format store of up to 12,000 square feet on the site, and has held preliminary discussions with operators of restaurant, fitness and other retailers.
It anticipates making final decisions in the next six to 12 months.
“This is not a simple strip retail project or freestanding apartment building,” said Fairmont founder and principal Randy Ruttenberg. “The Global Village is a complex, multi-faceted mixed-use district which requires significantly more planning.”
The hospital site, located at the corner of University Avenue West and Crawford Avenue, has sat vacant since 2013. Fairmount’s vision is to transform the lands into a $100-million Global Village project.
The company says it has engaged Washington, D.C.-based architects Callison RTKL to lead the site design. It also expects to engage a local architectural production partner.