Pearson Dogwood Redevelopment moving forward

Plans are moving forward for the Pearson Dogwood Lands, benefiting seniors and severely disabled residents currently living onsite through the replacement of obsolete facilities with new and innovative housing options that will provide the best possible level of care for clients.

The announcement last week of Onni Group as the development partner for the Pearson Dogwood redevelopment will help VCH move one step closer towards making the vision a reality.

Through the new partnership, VCH will sell much of the underutilized site (22.14 acres) to Onni Group that’s currently home to two aging facilities approaching the end of their useful life. Funds generated from the sale will be reinvested into the site to develop new care and community facilities, as well as health care infrastructure needs across VCH.

VCH will retain 3.2 acres  which will incorporate a new 150-bed residential care development to replace Dogwood Lodge, a community health centre, YMCA and a new therapeutic pool to replace the Stan Strong facility currently at Pearson Centre.

The current 113-bed Dogwood Lodge was built in 1974 as an intermediate care facility for persons with far lower levels of cognitive and physical impairment than the residents who live there now. With the reinvestment of funds, the new Lodge will house 150 beds and allow staff to better provide for current residents’ level of health care needs.

Plans for the current 114-bed George Pearson Centre (built in 1952) will see clients move out of the current setting and into a variety of housing options offered across the site as well as into supportive housing in Vancouver, offering greater independence and integration into the community.

To this end, VCH has been consulting with Pearson residents and their families to determine individualized transition plans. As part of this process, a proposal call was issued late last week to explore supportive living options for residents who want to move out into the community prior to the start of redevelopment.

“We had a group of Pearson residents who wanted to move out together and, in order to support them, we wanted to look at what was currently available in the community and also what could be creatively developed to accommodate and support these requests,” said Bonnie Wilson, Director of Home Support and Mental Health & Addiction Housing for Vancouver Community. “This proposal call is just one of the ways we will continue to support Pearson residents and their families at each stage of the proposal and transition process.”

In terms of impact on current residents coming out of the redevelopment news, Bob Chapman, Director of Residential Care and Assisted Living for Vancouver Community says,”Operations of the Dogwood Lodge and George Pearson Centre will not be affected by the land sale until new facilities and housing units are built for residents.”

Next steps in the redevelopment process for VCH and Onni Group are as follows: