Jim Burton says the former hospital at on Wellington Street was built by the community, for the community — and he wants it to remain a place for the people of Niagara-on-the-Lake.
He’s chair of the James A. Burton & Family Foundation, which is proposing to turn the 2.32-acre site at 176 Wellington St. into a hub for the arts, culture and education, among other uses.
Right now, the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake owns the site, which currently houses Royal Oak Community School, a Niagara Regional EMS station and other leased uses, though council has yet to approve a long-term plan for its future, after the hospital shut down almost a decade ago.
Alongside making it a campus for the arts, culture and education, the foundation is proposing that it would have studio, exhibition and performance space for local cultural groups, space for Royal Oak, a planned preschool, Indigenous-led education, expanded parking and other community uses.
The foundation says it is strongly encouraged by the town-commissioned public consultation carried out by NPG Planning Inc., which presented findings to council in December.
That consultation found most of its participants want to see the building and site serve the public in some way, rather than be used for commercial development.
Neither Burton nor the foundation has commercial interests in the site, he said — Burton added that he himself is NOTL resident.
“I’m interested as a resident and committing to help grow this community that I consider to be my home,” he said.
Foundation materials say the project would be funded through a long-term lease, using donations, government grants and on-site revenue from tenants and parking.
It does not seek to own the property and would operate the site through a not-for-profit board under whatever ownership or lease structure the town ultimately chooses.
The foundation says it plans to submit a proposal if and when the town moves forward with a request for proposals for the old hospital.
Site should continue serving the public: Burton
Residents have been consistent, said Burton, about what they want to see happen at the former hospital.
“It’s a very rare public asset of our town and the community has been very clear,” he said. “Keep it public, community-serving and heritage-respectful — and let’s move forward through a fair, competitive process.”
He said the foundation respects that process and “will be ready with a serious proposal when the town issues its (request for proposals).”
Burton has seven children and 16 grandchildren and said, as a resident, he could imagine bringing them to the site during visits to see performances, learn about local history and take part in community activity beyond Fort George or downtown.
“I see having a tremendous use for this,” he said.
The foundation’s approach to transforming the site would continue to be shaped by resident feedback, he said: “We’ve been doing that for three years and we will continue to do that.”
That includes addressing practical issues such as parking, he said.
The foundation is in discussions with Parks Canada about increasing parking capacity near the site.
“That’s in a working process, but it’s certainly on our agenda,” he said.
A shared space for culture, learning and daily use
Burton said the proposed site would be a shared, flexible hub “where we can celebrate and showcase our heritage, our history and our culture,” with spaces such as classrooms and gyms serving different groups at different times.
The “gathering place” could offer studio, exhibition and performance space for local organizations such as Yellow Door Theatre, Bravo Niagara and Music Niagara, “to allow them to continue to be more actively involved and visible in our community,” he said.
The foundation lists other potential collaborators including Royal Oak, the Niagara Academy for Indigenous Relations, the NOTL Chamber of Commerce, the Shaw Festival, Parks Canada, the NOTL Museum, environmental, community and tourism groups, local wineries and culinary professionals.
“We’ve had significant relationships with a number of these organizations for a number of years as a major donor for them,” Burton said.
“They’re very excited about this project,” he added.
‘We see it as an incubator’
Burton said the site is intended both for daily use by residents and for visitors, especially those arriving at the edge of Old Town through nearby Parks Canada parking.
“There’s a lot of people streaming into town,” he said.
Residents frequently raise the need for more accessible seniors’ housing, Burton said, but added that seniors’ groups themselves have pointed to other sites.
“We think there is a need, but we don’t think this is the ideal site,” he said, adding the foundation has met with seniors and had “very productive conversations with them.”
The plans for a preschool in the proposal aim to address long waiting lists for early childhood care, he said.
The foundation also sees the site as a home for the Niagara Academy for Indigenous Relations’ work, an not-for-profit group with which the foundation has “a very committed relationship,” he said.
“We see it as an incubator,” Burton said. “An incubator for really taking all these wonderful component parts that, we feel, create a community.”
No formal name for foundation project, for now
The foundation’s proposal has been shaped by years of engagement, including meetings with local groups and individuals, an independent Abacus Data survey the foundation commissioned and a review of NPG’s findings.
Burton said that “between the work that we’ve done — meeting with over 140 groups and individuals in town —” plus, its study and the NPG findings, “over 1,200 residents have responded to what they would like to see in this site.”
“(People) really want it, firstly, to be kept as a public community-serving capability,” he said.
The foundation is not attaching a formal name to the project at this stage, referring to it simply as 176 Wellington for now.
“We look forward to giving much more detail to the town as we respond to the request for proposals.”
