Havre de Grace officials are planning for the demolition of Harford Memorial Hospital to make way for “large, estate-style” homes in the surrounding area as part of a redevelopment project following the historic medical center’s closure in February.

Unofficial concept plans for the property — bordered by Stokes, Girard, Market, and Alliance streets — show dozens of new single-family homes.

According to the city’s director of Planning Planning and Zoning, Tim Bourcier, once the homes are built, they can be used as single-family homes, apartment-like dwelling units, or mixed-use properties with a business operating out of a portion of the home.

Bourcier said the idea stemmed from an initial consultation with a developer who planned to repurpose the existing hospital building by converting it into apartments. Due to the building’s age and other factors, that was not feasible.

Bourcier said the city received a lot of feedback from residents during community input meetings asking for more housing for the elderly, which sprouted the idea for large, single-family homes with a higher density bonus for properties that included senior housing.

Official plans have not been submitted as the property has yet to be rezoned from Residential Office to Neighborhood Mixed-Use 1 and 2 with the senior housing bonus in the two-block area bordered by South Freedom Lane, Revolution Street, South Lodge Lane, and Alliance Street.

The hospital is part of the city’s Residential Office zoning strip that spans 10 blocks from Giles to Green streets, between Freedom Lane and Lodge Lane. The thin, extensive zoning band — referred to as the “hospital district” — was initially established to support independent businesses such as florists and pharmacies when the hospital was in full operation.

“As the hospital slowly decreased its services over time, a lot of those businesses have left,” Bourcier said. “Now we see a lot of those former buildings being turned fully into residential.”

Bourcier noted that the new Neighborhood Mixed Use zoning will allow for higher density development that fits Union Avenue’s current identity of single-family homes.

City officials anticipate the rezoning to be introduced to the city council in January. Shortly after, Bourcier said the rezoning should be adopted and the process for redevelopment should start “moving quickly.”

As for the more than 100-year-old hospital, officials are working to secure up to $5 million for its demolition. A timeline for the demolition and plans for the immediate site’s future use have yet to be determined, Bourcier said.

During a city council work session Tuesday, Nov. 14, Katie Parks with the Maryland Economic Development Corporation spoke in favor of the zoning changes. Parks said MEDCO sees the former hospital property as being able to support the density and mixed use while respecting the scale of the current community.

Havre de Grace resident Jim Miller, however, did not share those sentiments and said he prefers the zoning remain the same to avoid overcrowding in neighborhoods in the area.

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