North York councillors have given their blessing to the next round of development surrounding North York General Hospital's Branson division on Finch Avenue west of Bathurst Street.
The Seventh Day Adventist Church's Advent Health Care Corp., which owns the site at 555 Finch Ave. W., is developing the 8.2-hectare (20.2-acre) site into a seniors' campus over about 20 years, York Centre Councillor Mike Feldman said.Building began about three or four years ago but North York councillors approved the overall plans for the location Nov. 10. The project must now go to Toronto Council for approval in December."There was a secondary plan for the entire Branson site. The Branson hospital was part of the Seventh Day Adventist (church). Their mandate was health. You can't use (the property) for anything but health-related programs," Feldman said,"On the site, there is a church and a school, a public school that is religious-based and they have a large 20-acre site. Now, it has three buildings on it. It is a 20-year build-on. There is a seniors' care building on the site already and a couple of buildings related to that. What we approved was a plan for the build-out."The project will see the site surrounding the Branson hospital developed into a continuing care retirement community and health care campus for seniors. The project integrates Branson and an existing long-term care facility with seven new structures.The proposal features independent living and assisted living units including affordable housing units, medical offices, a child care centre, recreational amenities and retail space."The proposal is organized around a new public road and trail system connecting internal open spaces to the ravine system at the rear of the property," a report to community council said.A spokesperson for North York General Hospital, which leases space from Advent Health to operate services at its Branson location, said medical programs and clinics in Branson will not be affected."Whatever we've got in there now will stay. That is our understanding at this point," Courtney Sorger said. "We have an ongoing rent agreement with Advent Health."Feldman said the community was upset when the former Mike Harris government switched Branson from a hospital to a medical and urgent care centre. But residents are pleased it will remain a site dedicated to health care and long-term care of seniors, he said. "The community is aware of what is going on (with the development project). The community isn't in favour of losing the hospital and neither am I. There have been community meetings. The community was in favour of what is being built there. They didn't want condos or highrises so this was a much better use of the lands and the church was willing to go in this direction," he said."I'm pleased we're getting affordable housing, which is what we need, especially for seniors. We're getting long-term care without going into a nursing home per se. I think it is great and it is great the church is willing to go into this kind of facility. They could have sold it for a lot of money for condos."