Thunder Bay council has approved a set of guidelines that will look to beautify neighbourhoods and corridors across the city.
The majority of council voted in favour of the Image Route Guidelines and Implementation Plan at Monday night’s meeting as well as the Urban Development and Landscaping Guidelines. Both reports are part of the city’s Clean, Green and Beautiful Committee policy and are meant to give developers a starting point on how a project should be approached.
The Image Route recommendations came to council with four main areas identified. The first priority in the plan is Algoma Street, which is described as an area in transition.
That district has been increasing in popularity as a destination for living, shopping and eating.
Another priority in the plan is Arthur Street, where a major tree planting campaign is recommended as well as St. Patrick Square and Waverly Park.
Council also added the Simpson Street, Fort William Road and Water Street corridor to the Image Routes enhancement framework. It’s the fourth major route to be added.
The report recommended council set aside $300,000 a year for the beautification. The amount would come out of the Clean, Green and Beautiful Committee’s budget.
The report also recommends improvements to Vicker’s Park, the Neebing McIntyre Gateway, Memorial Avenue and High Street intersection and Red River Road from Cumberland to Water Street.
Northwood Coun. Mark Bentz, who voted against the Urban Design guidelines, said he was concerned that the amount of rules in the guidelines may scare development from happening and while they are guidelines, some members of city administration may follow them too closely and that concerned him.
While he and council support the Clean, Green and Beautiful Committee, he said he didn’t want them to become a runaway train.
City manager Tim Commisso disagreed and said that the guidelines are exactly what developers want to see.
“It really gives them the ability to submit plans, which they then know and will have better certainty and clarity about what will be approved,” Commisso said. “What this really gives them is the bible I guess they need that when they submit their plans they will be in the general framework.”
Neebing Coun. Linda Rydholm also expressed concerns because of the amount of money being put into Image Routes.
She said the cost for the original routes proposed in the report is estimated to cost the city about $4.8 million over the next couple of years and spending that amount on routes is a fair chunk of money.
“Right now we’re facing mega dollars for other needs in this city,” Rydholm said. “I’m just waving the flag of hesitation.”
McKellar Coun. Paul Pugh said just because they are approving these guidelines doesn’t mean they are committing to anything.
“Approving does not mean we’re taking money away from infrastructure,” Pugh said. “This is simply a guideline, which will mean we don’t have to spend extra money to these kinds of guidelines again. It’s a responsible fiscal thing. We do long term planning, which this is, that doesn’t bind us financially to anything.”
Brook McIlroy, the consultant who authored the report, said Image Routes was an economic development initiative that pays for itself.
He added the city has already taken steps to beautify itself.
“It attracts business and brings pedestrians and people to areas that are attractive and look like they are cared for,” McIlroy said. “I think the image of the city and the quality that you can see in city street is a big factor in people’s choice to either move here or for young people to decide if they want to stay.”
Later on in the meeting council directed administration to come up with a bylaw in order to create a community safety zone for Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School. Thunder Bay Mayor Keith Hobbs proposed the plan and hoped to have the new safety zone in place before the next school year.
In other business, council gave its endorsement of a new senior charter.
