An 80-room $15.5 million senior’s housing development in Rimbey has moved one step closer to becoming reality.
Barry Architecture & Associates from Red Deer has been hired for the project.
Hiring the architectural firm involved extensive research as a building committee from Rimoka and the province reviewed candidates carefully.
“We went through a rigorous procurement process,” said Rimoka Housing Foundation board chairman Paul McLauchlin.
He is pleased with the selection.
“That architectural firm has a lot of experience building senior’s facilities,” he said. “I expect we can start seeing designs in the month of April. It’s exciting.”
McLauchlin said work on the project is expected to begin this spring and should be completed by 2017.
“”People can expect to see a structure up there next year.”
The proposed facility is to be approximately 480,000 square feet and is to be located on 8.64 acres of land south of the Rimbey Best Western Rimstone Ridge Hotel.
Ponoka County gifted the land, worth approximately $310,000, to Rimoka earlier. The province will pick up the tab for 80 per cent of the project, leaving Rimoka Housing Foundation with a bill of approximately $3.5 million.
Building designs could include a two-storey facility. Each of the 80 rooms are to be more than 600 feet and suitable for double occupancy.