The City of Grande Prairie is keeping mum on a recent development at the site of the Coordinated Care Campus. Earlier this week, several portable trailers were erected in the parking lot of the former Stonebridge Hotel surrounded by fencing.
The building on 100 Street was purchased in July 2021 to be turned into a facility that offers supportive housing and services related to mental health, physical health, and addiction, as well as houses social service organizations. The $15.5 million price tag was intended to cover both the purchase of the property and its renovation. It has been running with residents since last year.
The project has been a divisive one since the proposal was first made public in May 2021, and become a major talking point during last fall’s municipal election. City officials argue it plays a big role in their plans to address homelessness issues while some stakeholders expressed concerns about the effect on surrounding businesses and neighbourhoods.
Multiple city directors refused to comment to MyGrandePrairieNow.com about the situation at the site Friday, with one noting it wouldn’t be discussed with the media until Tuesday’s Protective & Social Services Committee meeting. The agenda currently includes establishing the terms of reference for a Coordinated Care Campus Advisory Committee, intended to be a link between the facility and the community.
That meeting is slated for March 1st at 9:30 a.m. It will be available to the public via livestream.
