The local Royal Canadian Legion branch let the 'cat out of the bag' on its housing plans Monday, announcing it has signed an offer of purchase for the River View Hotel on Wood Street at First Avenue.

The offer has been accepted.

The formal announcement came at an afternoon press conference after weeks of speculation on the whereabouts of the proposed seniors' residence.

The project will see the renovations of the former Regina Hotel to create 50 units that will be more open and accessible for seniors.

The renovations will focus on the bathroom and kitchen areas.

However, no architect has yet been selected and design possibilities are still being looked at, said David Laxton, second vice-president of the Legion and co-chair of the seniors' housing committee.

'But it's not going to be a small hotel room,' he said.

The Legion isn't saying how much it's paying for the River View, but indicated the budget for the entire renovation project is in the $4-million range.

The possibility of opening a new seniors' residence began about 10 years ago, said Don Knutson, president of the Legion and co-chair of the seniors' housing committee.

Providing seniors' residences is a venture taken up by Legion branches across the country.

Knutson said during officials' research it became apparent that there is a need for housing for seniors who are still mobile but need a little extra help.

'People come to a time where they are no longer able to live in their own home, but they aren't ready to go into a care facility,' he said.

The residence is being defined as a 'supportive living' facility.

It will provide meals and likely a bit of housekeeping, as well as a laundry area , common areas, scooter parking and a garden. However, anything above and beyond those needs, especially in regards to health, would have to be provided for by territorial home care personnel, said Knutson.

Red Grossinger, first vice-president of the Legion, said it's trying to fill the 'in-between gap' that exists in seniors' residences that provide either no care or full care.

'They are on their own, but are living full lives,' said Knutson. 'They just can't quite make it in their homes anymore.'

The units are available to the entire public, not just Legion members, said Laxton. However, the facility will be owned and operated by the Royal Canadian Legion.

The Legion will in a way become the 'social directors' for the residents, said Laxton.

The current Royal Canadian Legion building on Alexander Street is for sale. The new Legion lounge will move into the Backwater Lounge, which is attached to the River View.

Laxton said he hopes the lounge will be able to serve as a social centre. However, he added assurances that though residents will be able to access the lounge, visitors at the lounge wouldn't be able to walk into the residential area.

He also said the structure of the building means residents wouldn't be disrupted by any noise coming from the lounge.

'We're trying to encourage people not to hole up in their rooms,' said Knutson.

Ed Festel, the current owner of the River View, said the hotel's sale will provide him with the opportunity to move on and do something else.

Festel added he supported the opportunity to open a seniors' residence in the building because he strongly believes seniors should be able to live in the downtown core.

'They can do everything in a few blocks, and that's very important to these people,' he said.

The Legion has been in negotiations with the River View since last December.

Last week, the Legion missed out on funding from the Canada-Yukon Affordable Housing Agreement. It gave $1.4 million to two private developers for building seniors' facilities in Takhini and Copper Ridge.

Some seniors the Star spoke to last week criticized the developers for trying to push seniors out of the downtown core.

Grossinger said he's confident the downtown location of the Legion's residence will 'trump' the other ones 'time and time again.'

Though not getting the funding was disappointing, it was not surprising, said Laxton.

'Their affordable housing program was more geared towards new construction,' he said.

He added that some of the requirements in the affordable housing program would have meant that the units wouldn't have been affordable from the Legion's point of view.

Despite the lack of funding, Laxton said the Yukon Housing Corp. remained supportive throughout the process.

'They continue to and have been quite supportive all along,' he said. 'They've been very encouraging.'

The River View will officially close its doors in October. Laxton said he expects to have it reopen as a seniors' residence by June 2006.

'The sooner we get it renovated, the sooner we can get people in,' he said.

Normandy Manor, which will begin building in Takhini this June, will offer similar services as the Legion's new facility.

'We feel there will be waiting lists at both doors,' said Laxton.

As a non-profit project, the Legion has had to depend on the help of several volunteers up to this point and has received financial advice and contractor suggestions on renovations.

A $20,000-seed fund from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corp. is also helping the project move forward, Laxton said.

The Elks of Canada's Whitehorse Lodge has also expressed an interest in the project and may like to participate in some form of joint venture.

However, no committment or further details have yet been made, Laxton added.

The Legion moved into its current quarters in the early 1980s. The facility has frequently been used as a community meeting place as well as a venue for Legion events.

In November 1983, for instance, Brian Mulroney, who had won the leadership of the old Progressive Conservative party five months earlier, used the Alexander Street facility as a meet-and-greet site with members of the public.

The Legion was formerly housed in a building at the corner of Second Avenue and Strickland Street. It was destroyed by fire several summers ago after it had been made into a fitness centre.