OAK BAY, B.C. -- Any further talks about Oak Bay Lodge being repurposed to house Greater Victoria’s homeless population have now been silenced, as the former seniors’ care home is slated for demolition starting in January.

The Capital Regional Hospital District is moving ahead with plans to redevelop the almost-four-acre site with a request for proposals for a construction manager. The successful candidate would award contracts for the removal of hazardous materials from the former care home and its deconstruction.

“Whatever development happens here will be a bare site development,” said Oak Bay Mayor Kevin Murdoch. “We are going to start from scratch, which gives us a lot more flexibility on the land.”

As the COVID-19 pandemic saw the growth of tent encampments throughout the region, the former seniors’ care facility was being considered to house some of the region’s homeless population.

“It’s been looked at a few times, but any care services for the site have to have both the building be appropriate and safe and then it also has to have the services component to support it,” said Murdoch. “That didn’t work out in this case, but we are looking forward here because it’s a great opportunity for us to see the health services and housing on that space.”

Also part of the district’s redevelopment plan is a public engagement process that will begin in January. The Capital Regional Hospital District will a be looking for input from Island Health and the public to decide what will be built on the property. It is expected that the consultation with stakeholders will continue while the demolition takes place.

“Island Health has to determine what services will be appropriate for the site,” said Murdoch. “We also want to engage with not only Oak Bay residents, but the broader region to see what other health care services may happen here.”

Murdoch says that some of the uses being considered for the site could include housing and elder care services.

“We would like to see this move along fairly quickly (because) we would like to see it redeveloped,” said Murdoch. “The more we are moving these steps forward, the closer we are to seeing new housing and new health services on the site.”

The demolition of the former care home is expected to take nine months and cost roughly $1.4 million.