By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
Bishop’s University is set to demolish two long-vacant student residences on College Street in Lennoxville, citing ongoing safety concerns related to flooding and the cost of repairs. The buildings, located at 2848–2850 and 2856–2858 College Street, have been empty since 2020 and 2021, respectively.
“They’re in an advanced state of disrepair,” said Kylie Côté, Vice-Principal of Finance and Administration at Bishop’s. “We did undertake some studies to see about making them viable again for students to live in,” she said, but the findings showed it would be prohibitively expensive.
Côté explained that the homes are located in a flood-prone area—one in a 0-to-20-year flood zone, the other soon to be reclassified to the same level. Even with extensive renovations, including waterproofing the foundations “similar to waterproofing the outside of a boat,” student safety could not be guaranteed.
“There was actually one instance back in October–November 2019 where we had to evacuate the students,” she said. “Even if we waterproofed the houses, the access still becomes inaccessible in the case of a flood when everything else around it is flooded.”
The combined capacity of the two buildings was 13 beds. According to Côté, the university’s current focus is expanding on-campus housing instead. Construction has already begun on a new wing of the Paterson residence that will add 63 additional beds.
“These just didn’t seem like a viable option or an interesting option for our students going forward,” Côté said.
The university does not plan to rebuild on the site. “No final decisions have been made about what that space might become in the future,” said Côté. However, she emphasized that any future use of the property “will take into consideration a long-term and lasting positive impact for the community.”
Before receiving the demolition permit from the City of Sherbrooke, the university was required to commission an architectural study to determine whether the houses had any historical or heritage value. “The study came back saying that there was not,” Côté said. “We aren’t taking anything away from the Lennoxville community that would have some sort of significance in terms of historical impact.”
The demolition aligns with the university’s broader housing strategy and its efforts to prioritize student safety. “Our mission, our focus is really more on-campus housing anyway,” said Côté.
No timeline has been announced for the demolition itself, but the process is already underway administratively. Bishop’s continues to evaluate the best long-term use of the property in consultation with stakeholders.
