Medical centre planned for old Kingsway Hotel lot in Sudbury

The developer who bought the site of the old Kingsway Hotel in Sudbury is planning to build a medical centre.

The hotel had sat abandoned and boarded up on one of the city's busiest road ways since 2009 and became such an eyesore the city paid to tear it down.

John Hicks purchased the empty lot from the city earlier this year.

Hicks is in the early stages of plans to build a health complex complete with medical clinic, pharmacy, laboratories and maybe a restaurant and condo units.

He thinks the big empty lot on one of the busiest stretches of road in town would be perfect for a new medical centre.

"Started talking to a few doctors and pharmacies, got some positive response, so I'm currently looking for medical professionals, the labs, that want to be involved."

But Hicks said he isn't married to that idea yet.

"Not ruling out anything else though. It is Sudbury, it is The Kingsway. If we have to go with a Tim Hortons or a car lot, we'll do so," said Hicks, who doesn't have any timelines for his project.

Several new medical clinics planned for Sudbury

But his isn't the only new medical development in Greater Sudbury.

A new medical clinic recently opened in the Minnow Lake neighbourhood, as well as a walk-in clinic on Larch Street. There is also talk of another new medical centre for downtown Sudbury.

And in Chelmsford, the former bowling alley on Errington Street is being renovated into an urgent care centre.

Sergio Cacciotti is one of the businessmen behind that $1.8 million project, which would see six family physicians move in, as well as a type of a emergency department, with five urgent care doctors.

The Azilda man said his main goal, along with his partners, was to solve the doctor shortage that's gripped that area of Greater Sudbury for over a decade, highlighted by delays in opening a family health team clinic.

"I had an offer on the bowling alley and we put together the idea of opening a medical centre and having family doctors in Chelmsford."

Cacciotti says construction is underway and the new Chelmsford health centre is expected to open this summer.