Former General Amherst High School could become home to new Amherstburg Town Hall – Valente Homes

Fill out our online form for a full information package, pricing and floorplans.






    By clicking this box or by completing this Registration Form for Valente Home Development Corp., I expressly provide my consent to receive electronic messages from Valente Home Development, retroactively, today and in the future and for any Valente Home Development projects. I understand that I may withdraw my consent by unsubscribing at any time.
    Menu
    Register Now
    Rental Application

    Former General Amherst High School could become home to new Amherstburg Town Hall

    Amberstburg council is being asked for direction on a proposal that could see a new town hall developed within the former General Amherst High School.

    An administration report going to the upcoming meeting of council recommends that a proposal from the Valente Development Corporation to embed a new town hall into the former school be approved in principle and that public input be sought to gather feedback on the proposal.

    Deputy Mayor Chris Gibb calls it an exciting opportunity for the town to partner with a developer and see if they can come to an agreement for a new town hall as they’ve outgrown the current facility.

    “It provides the opportunity to bring our staff all into one building and increase the efficiency of the whole operation. It allows us to have a building that’s ADOA {Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act} compliant because currently our town hall was built before accessibility was an issue,” he says.

    The report from administration says that the developer is open to a lease, own, or lease-to-own model for the inclusion of the town hall into the property redevelopment.

    Gibb says this is still early in the process, and they’ll need to examine the best financial option for the municipality.

    “I think it’s very innovative to look at a lease option or a lease to own. If we can avoid issuing debt, this could be something that works for the municipality. If you look, a lot of companies don’t own their buildings; they lease them,” he says.

    Valente Development is targeting 2025 to complete all necessary planning approvals for the property with the hope of beginning construction in 2026.

    Gibb says there’s a lot of opportunity for more than just a town hall but also having a facility that can be used all day.

    “Right now we use our town hall from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; what can we do after that? I know there’s a proposal that the council chambers can also be used as a small community theatre. So there’s a lot of opportunity here,” he says.

    The Valente Development Corporation completed the purchase of the former school property in April 2024.

    The Greater Essex County District School Board put the former high school at 130 Sandwich St. W. and the parking lot on Fort Street on the market in late December 2023.

    Amherstburg council next meets at 6 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 23 in the council chambers in town hall at 271 Sandwich St. S.

    09/19/2024 – Former General Amherst High school could become home to new Amherstburg Town Hall – Am 800’s Rob Hindi & Rusty Thomson

    Photo by AM800’s Kimberley Johnson