THUNDER BAY — The City of Thunder Bay is initiating a planning and environmental study to guide the development of over 300 hectares of land in the Parkdale area.
The Parkdale Gowth Area is bounded by Arthur Street, Highway 61, Highway 11/17, and Mapleward Road.
The Parkdale Estates subdivision, in the southeastern section, was approved for development in 1994.
The Williams Bog comprises about half the area covered by the current Parkdale Community Plan and is designated a Provincially Significant Wetland subject to environmental protection.
In 2021, a developer expressed interest in building up to 350 homes on property at the western limit of Parkdale, which would require a three-kilometre extension of the existing sanitary system west from Parkdale Estates.
To provide for intervening development, city officials estimated the city would have to over-size the sanitary sewer to the developer's 52-hectare site, at an additional cost of $1.1 million.
Some city councillors questioned the value of the project last year, even though the developer offered to pay the full cost.
Much of the intervening land is fragmented and privately-owned, meaning that an easement corridor or the acquisition of private lands would be needed to facilitate the extension of services.
Currently, the city does not impose development charges, and does not have reserve funds for infrastructure expansions of this scale.
Given the significant public expenditure that would be required in this instance, the upcoming study will include identifying a funding method and/or a way to recuperate the city's costs.
City council directed administration to undertake completion of a Secondary Plan for Parkdale to properly plan for the extension of the sanitary trunk sewer system and to address other matters including land use, transportation connections, environmental protection and density.
In the preamble to a recent request for proposals from consultants to conduct an integrated Planning Act and Municipal Class Environmental Act study, the city noted Thunder Bay's population is expected to grow modestly over the next 20 years, and that its demographics will continue to evolve as the population ages.
"It is projected that individuals over 60 years of age will comprise a larger proportion of the population in the future and it is expected that this aging trend will create a demand for new and different housing types," the RFP states.
Another goal of the study is to develop policies that support meeting density targets and promote a mix and range of housing forms while protecting sensitive natural heritage features and wetlands.
The consultants will also be expected to identify any transportation problems as well as opportunities for active transportation within the study area.
Public consultation will play an important role in the study, including a "visioning exercise" which the city says will engage area resident, land owners and other stakeholders in developing a set of guiding principles to direct the overall development of the study area.
The study is expected to be completed by Aug. 31, 2023.
