THUNDER BAY — City council will consider a plan to renew Thunder Bay’s south core on Monday, with the blueprint suggesting the city move more aggressively to develop vacant and underutilized land in the downtown.
City and business leaders involved in creating the plan say it will set the stage for a revitalization of the area after the Victoriaville mall is demolished over the next two years.
The draft plan was recently approved by the city’s downtown Fort William renewal committee, created in 2021.
The 50-page document offers up a grab bag of ideas, from “big moves” like establishing a new development corporation for the area or luring a university or college campus to the downtown, to small steps like adding more planters and signage.
Its recommendations come without firm implementation plans, budgets, or timelines – elements city administration will flesh out in a follow-up implementation report expected in September.
Spurring housing development in the core was identified as the top renewal priority.
One city-owned parking lot on the east side of North Street “should be a priority for redevelopment,” the plan suggests, calling the land ideal for a demonstration housing project. The plan also points to opportunities to retrofit heritage buildings "to create apartments where office space is vacant."
Perhaps the most consequential suggestion in the plan is for the city to establish a community development corporation to help identify and pursue those opportunities.
The idea, which would bring new expenses for the city, did not win universal support from the committee.
Coun. Brian Hamilton, one of its members, said he supports the concept.
“I think the development corporation will be an integral part of the implementation strategy on not just programming the space right, but packaging property and real estate in a way that developers look and see that ultimately down here in the south core, you’re going to have some of the best business opportunities in the entire city," he said in an interview.
The McKellar ward councillor said the plan emphasizes the city can't simply count on tearing down Victoriaville as a "silver bullet for revitalizing the area."
However, he believes reopening Victoria Avenue, with plans for a pedestrian boulevard and new public spaces along the Syndicate Avenue right-of-way, can be a catalyst.
“We really have to capture some of the momentum that’s coming," he said. "People are going to come to see what it looks like down here when it’s all done, and businesses are going to get excited about it right away, because the first ones in are ultimately going to have the best success.”
The plan also suggests a number of relatively small investments meant to make the area more appealing for walking and shopping in the short term.
That includes revamping the area surrounding the Victoriaville Centre’s parkade, with ideas like public art for its blank walls, landscaping, and planters.
In the long run, the plan recommends the parkade’s ramp — which currently blocks much of the Syndicate Avenue right-of-way - be moved inside the parkade structure if possible, allowing the city to open Syndicate more fully to pedestrian and bike traffic.
To grow the area as a “culture and entertainment hub,” the plan suggests the city or the BIA provide items like outdoor seating, lighting, and public washrooms to help businesses attract more customers.
It also recommends the city apply for a blanket liquor license for a central area at or near the intersection of Victoria and Syndicate to allow customers of different establishments to gather in a common area.
Scotia Kauppi, an area business owner and chair of the Fort William BIA who served as vice-chair of the renewal committee, believes the city is belatedly giving the neighbourhood the attention it deserves.
“I’m very optimistic about this plan," she said. "The removal of Victoriaville will be a giant transformation down here.”
“There’s so much infrastructure and buildings that have not seen an update, have not been looked at, and have been left to essentially rot as other parts of the city keep getting development and ideas. So they’re finally paying attention to the Fort William area.”
She supports the idea of a development corporation, saying previous city plans have foundered on a lack of funding and follow-through.
"We really need that focus and expertise to get real estate developers down here to look at the area, to make more housing and businesses viable."
The plan focuses its energy largely on Victoria Avenue, betting that fostering more businesses and residences along that artery will bring economic benefits that spill into surrounding neighbourhoods.
The plan contains few major recommendations for the nearby waterfront along the Kaministiquia River.
It acknowledges accessing green spaces along the river is “currently a challenge,” partly thanks to dark, unwelcoming underpasses at the Kam River Park.
Short-term measures like more lighting and security are recommended, while in the long run the plan recommends improvements when the underpasses require upgrades.
Members of the downtown Fort William renewal committee that developed the plan include Kauppi, Hamilton, Coun. Mark Bentz, and citizen members Scott Bradley, Robert Frenette, Michael Larizza, and Stephen Margarit, with assistance from consultants Urban Systems.
Correction: A previous version of this article quoted a passage from the downtown renewal report suggesting the Chapple Building is an example of heritage buildings with vacancies. In fact, the building's landlord says it is at 100 per cent occupancy, and has remained near that level for several years.
