{"id":21,"date":"2025-12-19T22:06:37","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T22:06:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tbaygreenspacepreservation.ca\/?page_id=21"},"modified":"2026-04-09T12:03:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T16:03:00","slug":"whats-a-conceptual-proposal","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/tbaygreenspacepreservation.ca\/?page_id=21","title":{"rendered":"791 Arundel St – SOLD TO Terralux for $2,159,000 – ReZoning Required"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Building to Commence 2028\/2029<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\"Arundel<\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Arundel<\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Transition Photos<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Below is a series of photos transitioning the greenspace to the site plan for the proposed development on Arundel. Notice the actual number of matures trees that will be removed to accomodate this development. The multi-use trail is to be relocated along the back of the properties that front Toledo St. This will likely result in the removal of the few mature trees that are in the northwest corner of the parcel.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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What is the City Proposing?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

On January 13, 2026, City Council declared the greenspace<\/a> on Arundel St surplus, allowing it to be sold to a developer. The initial proposal was to build a massive 600 unit apartment complex<\/a>. However, 600 units exceeded the Urban Mid-rise zoning designation the City said they wanted for this parcel. The original proposal should never have been accepted by the City or presented to the public. After significant feedback received from the public, the City is now proposing a massive 400 unit apartment complex as shown above. The Memo to the City of Thunder Bay from the engineering\/architectural firm of Brook McIlroy Ltd<\/a>, outlines the feedback received and how the City addressed that feedback. Unlike the original information we received, the City has now provided a professionally rendered revised conceptual proposal along with a site plan. They may look nice, but it doesn’t mean that’s what the finished development would actually look like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This greenspace is zoned as “Community” under the City’s Official Plan, as well as Thunder Bay’s Zoning By-law. Community Zone designation is used for public and semi-public recreation and cultural facilities. Community Zone designation does not allow for residential development so the developer will be required to apply for rezoning before City Council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Definition of “Affordable”<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This development is not “affordable housing”. The City’s Call for Proposals only requires<\/strong> that the developer demonstrate “how the proposal includes <\/strong>housing units that meet the City’s definition for affordable housing<\/strong>” (emphasis added). However, City Administration is now saying 10% of the units built will meet that definition. What they don’t say, is those units will only need to meet that definition for 10 years. After that, the rents will be increased to whatever the landlord deems appropriate at that time. For more information, check out our post on “The City’s Definition of “Affordable Housing”<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Design – What we Know, What we Don’t<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned above, a new conceptual proposal and site plan has been provided. However, it still leaves many questions that the City refuses to answer. 400 units in these two buildings, one 5 storey and one six storey, just doesn’t compute. We believe these would need to be much taller to accommodate 400 units, and as such, would require Urban High-rise zoning which allows up to 45m tall buildings or approximately 13 to 15 storeys. This zoning designation contravenes the City’s Official Plan as it is not compatible with the surrounding neighbourhood of single family homes, duplexes, small apartment buildings consisting of approximately 60 units, a 3 storey condominium building of 72 units, and Chartwell Thunder Bay, a retirement residence of 118 units. The proposed development, at any size, would dwarf everything else in the neighbourhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rapid Densification and the Impact to Infrastructure<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This 400 unit development will also see 400+ vehicles and upwards of 800+ new residents added to our small neighbourhood all at once. This is rapid densification that our schools, recreational centres, roads and infrastructure will struggle to support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell Our City Councillors – NO!<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the size, we do not want to see any development<\/strong> on this site. City Council may have declared the parcel surplus, but that’s not the end! The developer will need to apply to get the parcel rezoned to allow the construction of this massive development. The rezoning application is heard before City Council at a public meeting. This will be our opportunity to make deputations and file the petition against this development. We must demand our City Council listen to what we, the taxpayers, the residents, want for our communities. We must demand our City Councillors vote NO at the rezoning. Once the City is allowed to sell off our greenspaces, especially greenspace zoned for public recreation, they won’t stop just at this parcel of land. They will keep going, encroaching further and further until we have no greenspaces within our city, with the exception of a few designated parks. Removing trees and surplusing our greenspaces is contrary to the City’s Net-Zero Strategy. The City must be stopped now!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Building to Commence 2028\/2029 Transition Photos What is the City Proposing? On January 13, 2026, City Council declared the greenspace […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":52,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-21","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"EditorialTeam","author_link":"https:\/\/tbaygreenspacepreservation.ca\/?author=1"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Building to Commence 2028\/2029 Transition Photos What is the City Proposing? On January 13, 2026, City Council declared the greenspace […]","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbaygreenspacepreservation.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbaygreenspacepreservation.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbaygreenspacepreservation.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbaygreenspacepreservation.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbaygreenspacepreservation.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21"}],"version-history":[{"count":32,"href":"https:\/\/tbaygreenspacepreservation.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":923,"href":"https:\/\/tbaygreenspacepreservation.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21\/revisions\/923"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbaygreenspacepreservation.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/52"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbaygreenspacepreservation.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}