Leamington council has given the green light to moving forward with an affordable housing project on the former Leamington District Secondary School property.
Dillon Consulting was hired to develop a concept plan for the 13-acre site which calls for three 6-storey apartment buildings with 216 units, 53 townhouses and commercial space.
Consultant Karl Tanner says it's a much needed project.
"These projects do not come along very often. I'm proud and honoured to be asked to assist with this initiative," he continued. "It really is a kind of once in a generational time and we have the opportunity here to do something fantastic for future generations of the municipality."
Councillor Paul Tiessen says he's excited to see how the project pans out.
"I understand that it's a concept and I look forward to the proposals that do come forward. I'm really glad to see that this project is finally coming to fruition and we can move it along. Very important to the municipality."
Councillor John Hammond says the proposed plan will fit nicely into the neighbourhood.
"I've looked at this all weekend long a number of times and it doesn't really infringe on the neighbours. I'd gotten a call from somebody from the north side who was worried that there's going to be apartments overlooking their backyard and that's been addressed. Overall, I think it's a great concept," he stated
The municipality will now put out a request for proposals for any developers interested in taking on the project.
The local Air Cadet Squadron is currently stationed at a building on the property, but council and administration are working on finding a solution.