THUNDER BAY – After a lengthy discussion about a proposed subdivision in the Neebing Ward area, council is moving forward with the developer’s plan.
City council unanimously approved a zoning amendment and draft plan for a 41-lot rural residential subdivision by BK Realty Inc. on lands located on 15th Side Road and Mountain Road.
Coun. Shelby Ch’ng and Kristen Oliver were absent from the meeting.
Coun. Kasey Etreni declared a conflict of interest as she lives in the area.
Aleshia Ingram, project engineer, says the application has changed significantly since it was submitted in 2024, with the number of lots reduced from 61 to 41, average lot sizes increased, and environmental, hydrogeological, and traffic studies completed.
A public meeting was held before the council vote, where nine Neebing Ward residents came forward with concerns about traffic safety, stormwater management, and impacts on the environment.
15th Side Road was heavily discussed among the residents who gave deputations, calling the road deteriorated and the paved shoulders crumbling.
Rosemary McNabb says the shoulder is falling into the nearby Mosquito Creek ravine, causing pedestrians to walk and bike in the middle of the lane.
To safely accommodate the increase in traffic and population of the rural subdivision, sidewalks are essential, as well as a redesign of the road to eliminate the unsafe visual sight lines that currently exist, she said.
Area resident Jeff Upton says the proposed application is an over-intensification that is incompatible with the area.
“Cramming 41 suburban-sized lots into an ecologically sensitive rural zone presents immense environmental and health hazards. The property contains significant environmental protection blocks and sits immediately adjacent to the Mosquito Creek corridor,” he said.
Tyler Rizzuto, project manager with Stantec Consulting, said the Lakehead Regional Conservation Authority was at one point in the draft planning for the application concerned with the environmental impact on the creek.
Since then, the revised plan has pulled back on the development near the creek and asks to have it zoned for protection so it can never be touched.
Stormwater infrastructure will be constructed by the developer to mitigate flooding in the area, but Ryan Fuatado, project engineer, says the city has no timeline for when that will be built.
“We won’t allow construction if it’s going to negatively impact stormwater on adjacent properties, or even just a subject property. So, it is something, typically, that the developer will install pretty early in the process. We do have the opportunity to review final operating and drainage plans, stormwater management plans, and we won’t allow building permits until those storm sewers and stormwater management are constructed,” he said.
Neebing Ward Coun. Greg Johnsen asked administration what would prompt the city to invest in the road infrastructure.
Fuatado said the city will have to continue to monitor the area.
“The city does have to prioritize projects. We only have so much budget, so it would have to be a prioritizing exercise. If we see that there are increased developments and concerns with road safety or road conditions, it’s something that, you know, we can adjust our priorities,” he said.
Coun. Mark Bentz asked who would pay for the additional infrastructure — the city or the developer?
The developer would cover the cost of the infrastructure before the city would take on the asset, Decio Lopes, supervisor of planning services said.
“There’s typically a maintenance period that the developers are responsible for a year or two, and then, with inspections and so forth, is when the city assumes that into the asset base,” he said.
Coun. Rajni Agarwal asked why the city wouldn’t ask the developer to put in a sidewalk or walking trail for the subdivision.
“Would it not be predominantly beneficial to our community to have those safe walking trail areas?” she said.
City manager John Collin said the city still could impose the up-front cost of infrastructure onto the developer, but the city doesn’t have the operating funds to maintain “an exhaustive inventory of sidewalks and additional street measures.”
Currently, the city’s official plan does not require sidewalk infrastructure in rural areas.
“Clearly, as development continues to prosper and grow, future councils may wish to change that approach. That becomes a budgetary decision to look at down the road, but right now, there would be no funds available on the operating side to address this within rural areas,” Collin said.
