Leamington Not Proceeding With Proposed Attainable Housing Development

A proposed development with attainable and affordable housing on the old high school property is not moving forward.

In a news release late Thursday, the Municipality says that despite the extensive efforts to finalize an agreement with Amico Properties Inc. (Amico) for the proposed development, the Municipality was unable to reach terms that would be in the best interest of Leamington taxpayers.

In August 2023, Leamington Council accepted Amico’s proposal for the project, subject to the terms of the request for proposal process and the necessary statutory approvals. However, after ongoing negotiations, the Municipality says the parties could not reach an agreement that would be in the Municipality’s best interest while ensuring the project’s long-term success.

“This project represented an exciting opportunity to expand attainable housing in our community, and we did everything we could to make it work,” said Leamington Mayor Hilda MacDonald. “We are proud of the bold and innovative approach we developed to tackle our local housing crisis despite the fact that housing is not a lower-tier municipal responsibility. While it is disappointing that an agreement could not be reached, we must move forward in a way that best serves Leamington taxpayers. Our commitment to supporting attainable housing remains strong, and we will continue to explore partnerships and opportunities to address Leamington’s housing needs.”

Moving forward, the Municipality will immediately consider options to demolish the former school and explore future development options.