Jul 04, 2009 - 04:11 AM

By Jillian Follert

OSHAWA -- Durham Region's long-awaited cancer lodge has cleared a major hurdle.

On Monday night, Oshawa council unanimously supported a rezoning request to allow a cancer lodge in the residential area along Simcoe Street North.

Chuck Powers, president of the Oshawa Hospital Foundation which is overseeing the project, said his group is "ecstatic" and that this project has been too long in the making.

"It's been an excessive five years and we're very happy it's over," he said, referring to a political controversy that erupted in 2005, when the foundation applied to tear down a 92-year-old historic home known as Rundle House, to make way for a cancer lodge.

The move sparked outrage among heritage enthusiasts who demanded the home be preserved and argued alternate locations for a lodge could be found.

Council eventually got in on the action, but after years of debate and exploring alternatives, politicians stepped aside last year and Rundle House was demolished.

But the controversy didn't end there.

The neighbourhood brought concerns to two recent public meetings, saying the cancer lodge could pose parking problems.

Residents said without enough on-site spots, parking would spill over onto the surrounding streets or cars dropping off patients would clog Simcoe Street North.

With that in mind, City staff made some minor adjustments to the plan.

The cancer lodge will now feature a redesigned parking area with 17 spaces -- up from 14 -- that is laid out to be more functional than the original. The City's zoning bylaw requires 16 spots for the site, based on a formula for crisis care residences that calls for one parking spot for every four beds, as well as extra spots for the suites.

The new cancer lodge will be built just up the street from the R.S. McLaughlin Durham Regional Cancer Centre.

The two-storey, red brick building is set to include 38 patient beds in double occupancy rooms and five one-bedroom suites for staff and visiting physicians.

Out of town patients receiving treatment will be able to stay overnight at the lodge instead of at a hotel in Whitby, which has acted as a makeshift lodge since the cancer centre opened.

Mr. Powers said the foundation still needs to obtain a building permit, among other approvals. It won't be an overnight transformation. If all goes smoothly, he said it will still be at least two years before the cancer lodge is complete.

"We're trying to do it as quickly as possible. The most important thing is the needs of the patients," he said.