Lori Santink expressed her disappointment but lack of surprise regarding the city council’s decision to rezone two empty lots for new housing developments in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Santink resides near 791 Arundel St., one of the properties sold by the city to Terralux General Contractors and Development Limited earlier this year. Thunder Bay faces a shortage of around 1,000 housing units to meet demand.
Pending approvals, the city could potentially see over 900 new housing units constructed, including 360 units in two apartment buildings at 791 Arundel St., 150 units in one apartment building at 144 Fanshaw St., and 400 units in two apartment buildings at 300 Tokio St. While the Arundel and Fanshaw street projects required rezoning, which received approval from the city council, the Tokio Street property was already appropriately zoned.
Santink criticized the Arundel Street proposal for conflicting with the city’s Net-Zero Strategy and Climate Adaptation Strategy. She leads the grassroots group TBay Greenspace Preservation, which amassed over 2,600 petition signatures against the development and organized a rally outside city hall with over 100 participants.
The group’s primary concerns revolve around the potential loss of green space, aging sewer infrastructure, increased traffic without adequate winter public transportation access, and threats to local species such as the yellow-banded bumblebee, Canadian warbler, and grey fox. The enactment of Ontario’s Bill 60 restricts residents from appealing municipal council decisions, including rezoning, through the Ontario Land Tribunal, as explained by Santink.
Devon McCloskey, Thunder Bay’s planning services manager, mentioned that the city is awaiting the developer’s applications for site plan control and building permits before commencing construction. McCloskey highlighted that the developer has made numerous adjustments to address public concerns, with several preliminary studies conducted on aspects like traffic, transportation infrastructure, and environmental impacts.
Councillor Andrew Foulds, representing the Current River ward where 791 Arundel St. is situated, opposed the property’s rezoning but applauded the unprecedented level of public engagement on the matter. Leia Minaker, an associate professor at the University of Waterloo specializing in urban planning, emphasized the challenges of achieving consensus on housing developments amid differing opinions within communities.
Minaker underscored common worries surrounding housing proposals, including traffic congestion, parking loss, privacy concerns, shadows from tall buildings, and alterations to neighborhood dynamics. She discussed ongoing projects aiming to integrate municipal data for better visualization of future neighborhood impacts. In light of Thunder Bay’s projected population growth, especially due to anticipated economic activities, Minaker highlighted the city’s impending challenges in urban growth planning.
Santink emphasized the importance of enhanced communication from the city throughout the development process to keep the public informed about the city-led initiatives.