Iain Angus says balancing economic growth with green space will be key to the city’s official plan.
The at-large councillor said as the community changes its official plan, last adopted in 2002, needs to reflect that. As it grows, the question will be to expand up in existing space within the city or out, increasing the city’s footprint. While the province wants to see increased urban infill, Angus said that’s not always easy to do.
“It’s one thing to say in Queen’s Park ‘we’ll draw a line around your town and you can’t expand past that’ but if you don’t have areas within that boundary where you can develop new housing stock and if the only option is to tear down existing housing that people are living in in order to build up that’s a real challenge and that’s not something that I think that we would easily come to decide to do,” Angus said Tuesday during an open house on the city’s official plan at West Thunder Community Centre.
But Angus admits the past two city councils he’s sat on have typically sided with private developers who want to build on existing green space in the city rather than residents who oppose the development.
“Too often people who live in homes that used to be bush are arguing against more bush disappearing it’s a little bit late for that,” he said.
Kel Stratton moved to the city almost 40 years ago from Toronto because of the natural beauty Thunder Bay had to offer. Since moving, he’s seen some of that beauty disappear. Stratton points out recent development of land across the street from the new EMS headquarters as an example of encroachment fo the city’s urban forest. Stratton doesn’t want the city to become a concrete jungle like Toronto. He came to the meeting to suggest the city embrace its natural environment from planting more trees along major streets to maintaining the green space it has.
“Trees provide a tremendous benefit not only naturally but for the infrastructure such as sewers,” he said. “I think people underestimate the importance of maintaining simple things like trees.”
Stratton credits the city for allowing grassroots ideas into its plan by having open houses like the one on Tuesday rather than leaving it solely up to decision-makers.
“Just the fact that they’re providing it is possibly going to go a long way,” he said. “I can’t say that I’m confident (they’ll listen) but it’s much better than operating in a vacuum.”
John Susin is co-founder of Opportunity Thunder Bay. The organization looks to improve faith and civic pride in the city. He said the plan needs to look at many areas in the city. While green space is important, private development must be included.
“We also need to look at where we’re bringing in our tax dollars and our economic development options. If we keep saying no to these (developers) then no one’s ever going to want to invest here,” he said.
The city also needs to get the right blend of people and business together to revitalize areas like Simpson Street Susin said.
