North Bay city council has approved the sale of the land hosting the Dionne Quints Museum, which must be removed from the property by June 1, according to the conditions of sale.
Council made the decision during an in-camera session following a regular Feb. 21 council meeting.
The property is being purchased by Grant Castle Corp., located in Maxville, Ont., east of Ottawa, for $1.68 million. The value of the land, located at the corner of Seymour Street and the Highway 11/17 bypass — a major North Bay intersection — had originally been estimated at just under $1 million.
Council revealed that Grant Castle plans to develop a service station and car wash on the site, and potentially a restaurant.
Should development not proceed along the timeline outlined in the agreement, ownership of the property would revert to the city, council noted.
A committee has been formed to determine the future home of the museum, which is the birthplace of the Dionne quintuplets, the first quintuplets known to survive infancy.
Though once a major North Bay tourist attraction, the home has seen fewer visitors in recent years, and the cost of upkeep to the building is becoming more burdensome for the city.
A plan is currently underway to move the museum to a new home, including to Strong Township, just outside the city, in addition to divesting the artifacts associated with the museum.
