The City of Owen Sound is looking for any organizations interested in making temporary use of the Rice House.
The request for expression of interest is now open for the property at 846 1st Avenue West in Owen Sound as the building is slated for demolition in the coming years.
The four apartment unit property is municipally owned and was converted into housing to support local organizations like the Ukrainian Village of Owen Sound.
The city says the future demolition of the property will support the future needs of the Tom Thomson Art Gallery, but its use has not been determined.
A city council report from July 21 says the property has been identified as a potential expansion site in the gallery’s long-term feasibility study, but the needed funding is putting the project on hold and the demolition will unlikely happen before 2028.
Any local organization interested in making use of the property must be either a non-profit which provides housing, a public sector entity governed by the Health Protection and Promotion Act, Education Act or other related Ontario legislation, is a government body like Grey County, or is a post-secondary institution like Georgian College.
The proposed lease term will range from one to three years.
Following the request for expression on interest, the city will launch into a request for proposal process, and will award the property possibly in the fall to allow people to move in by late 2025 or early 2026.
The deadline is Aug. 27 and more details can be found on the City of Owen Sound website here.
