An Owen Sound committee is recommending the old jail and courthouse properties be listed for sale again, after a request for proposals process attracted no bids from developers.
The city’s community services committee approved a staff recommendation at its July 7 meeting to list the properties for sale or allow for direct sale, while requesting that offers address several criteria relating to redevelopment.
Owen Sound has owned the courthouse since 1960 and purchased the jail from Grey County in 2013. Both properties located on 3rd Avenue East have sat vacant since 2014 and continued to deteriorate.
The courthouse is designated under the Ontario Heritage Act; while the jail property is listed on the city’s heritage registry.
This is the third time the city list them for sale. Most recently, they hit the market in 2017 for $99,000 and the city then extended that listing.
Twice in the past there have been buyers lined up for the properties that backed out: Southbridge Care Homes and the Tom Thomson Art Gallery. Both ended up walking away because the buildings ended up being unsuitable for their purposes.
In 2018, the city retained Taylor Hazell Architects to complete a Cultural Heritage Evaluation Report and Heritage Impact Assessment. A report by the city’s Director of Community Services Pam Coulter explains the preservation and adaptive reuse of the heritage designated 19th century courthouse has been set as the highest priority.
The city is now taking steps to make the properties more attractive to developers.
Last year, council resolved to proceed with the demolition of the governor’s residence and miscellaneous outbuildings on the jail property at an estimated cost of $370,000. That removal work still requires formal budget approval in 2022.
Coulter told committee members last week the replacement of the courthouse roof — which is expected to cost around $120,000 — will be completed sometime this fall.