Four acres at 265 Edinburgh Rd. N. was set to be home of two seven-storey apartment buildings after 2022 council approval
Two and a half years ago, it was set to be the future home of a pair of seven-storey residential buildings along a busy stretch of Edinburgh Road.
Fast forward to 2025, and the four acre land at 265 Edinburgh Rd. N., south of Willow Road, remains vacant and waiting for a new owner.
The former home of White Rose Nursery and Meadowville Garden Centre is listed on Realtor for $15,570,000 through a power of sale process.
The housing proposal first came up in 2020. In December 2022, city council unanimously approved plans to build the two buildings, featuring 139 residential units and 188 square metres of commercial space on the bottom floor of one of the buildings.
It’s actually been on the market for a year and a half. But after it was previously listed for almost a year at $18 million, it was moved to a new realtor after the listing expired in April.
“I already have offers on it,” said Jasdev Singh, salesperson with Brampton-based Homelife Silvercity Realty, adding he put it back on the market 30 days ago.
Singh said market conditions were tough, and the previous land owner fell behind on payments.
So what tasks face the new owner?
“Whatever is approved, they have to go with the same plan,” Singh said, adding an environmental assessment would need to be re-done because the previous one expired.
The property is just south of Willow Road, and backs onto Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic High School. To the north is Lourdes’ soccer field, and to the south is Royal City Automotive.
The land was first developed in 1952. A large metal sintering plant operated there until 1992, when it was bought by the Wellington Catholic District School Board, primarily to construct a running track.
After doing that, the WCDSB deemed the rest of the property surplus and sold it to a developer.
Along with the nursery and garden centre, the building along Edinburgh Road was even home to the annual giant book sale put on by the Friends of the Guelph Public Library in 2014.
The store structure was demolished in 2017 after sitting vacant for a number of years.
At one point, it was eyed for development of a commercial retail plaza, but that never came to fruition.
Walking by it Thursday, the grass has grown quite a bit where the building stood and the property is surrounded by fencing but there are no signs posted.
The concrete parking lot remains, with grass growing through the cracks that have developed.
