City council heard from opposition on rezoning several potential development sites before passing them Monday night.
In a first big step to find Mary J. L. Black Library a new home, council had to rezone three potential sites for the new $4.1 million facility.
The Thunder Bay Public Library Board’s preferred site is the Northeast corner of the West Thunder Community Centre parking lot. WTCC president Barbara Clara said while she is not opposed to a new library being built in the Westfort area, she’s frustrated and concerned about the lack of consultation the library board has had with her members.
If built on the preferred site, Clara said she’s worried the new library could jeopardize the community centre’s future. Brides-to-be have already been calling the community centre worried about what construction, which given the library’s March 31, 2011 deadline would be underway this summer, would mean for guests looking to park Clara said.
"It’s going to impede our income and our income pays our staff," said Clara. " We pay all the bills there now."
Clara, who has unanimous support from the community centre’s board, said once the library was open parking would continue to be an issue given the centre’s activities. She said an annual flu clinic at West Thunder can draw over 1000 people in one day.
But city development services manager Mark Smith said the centre would have more parking once the new library is done. The site currently has 136. 150 spaces would be available once construction was complete.
Clara also had concerns about the centre’s potential plans to expand if a 9,200 square foot library was put near them. With the centre gaining in popularity throughout its 18 year history, Clara said the centre’s board has been discussing an expansion. City officials and library project manager Ed Cameron said they had never heard of the centre’s plans to expand throughout the three meetings they had with the centre’s board late last year.
"The expansion factor is new to us," said Cameron. "We weren’t prepared fot that this evening."
A triangular piece of land on James Street and Mary Street and the library’s current home on Brock Street and Brown Street were also approved as potential sites. Council can make its decision on the final site as early as March.
Opponents of another potential development were also before council Monday as a 150 unit multi-phase condominium and townhouse project is being proposed on the corner of Beverly Street and Balmoral Avenue.
A four-storey condominium, six-storey condominium and 60 townhouses would be built on the property from West to East over a maximum of 10 years. Residents of Maplecrest Tower, an existing 14 storey condominium on the West side of the site, expressed concerns over environmental impacts, increased traffic and a loss of water pressure in the area.
Richard Sigfried, who lives in Maplecrest and is on the building’s board of directors, brought 45 letters to council expressing concerns over the development.
He said the residents weren’t against developing the property but wanted a compromise with the developer to reduce the plan by 20 per cent which would act as a buffer between the two developments.
The city and developer entered into agreement over the land in 2007. An original plan called for 270 units with a 14-storey building and commercial space but was altered to accommodate Maplecrest residents in 2008.
Broker for the project Rajni Agarwal said now that council has approved the site, the development can move ahead. Tentatively called Terra Vista, the development is expected to cost $30 million and bring the city $500,000 in taxation.
