Series 176 - Urban Renewal Operations Files

2 m., 70 cm. of textual records and graphical material.

The Urban Renewal Department was established as a department of The City of Thunder Bay upon amalgamation of the City in 1970. The department was headed by a Director of Urban Renewal, who reported to the City Coordinator. The main responsibilities of the department included property acquisition and the relocation of persons and businesses affected by these acquisitions, neighbourhood improvement, commercial development, including retail and parking areas, installations and improvements to city infrastructure and industrial development. Between 1970 and 1974, the Urban Renewal Department also engaged in social services activities including activities relating to welfare and job assistance. Following the reorganization of The City of Thunder Bay in 1975, the Urban Renewal Department became known as Urban Redevelopment and was incorporated under the Planning Department, reporting to the Director of Planning. It was at this time that social services activities were withdrawn from its portfolio.

Series consists of records of the Urban Renewal Department of the City of Thunder Bay and predominantly refers to the period of change and development immediately following amalgamation. The records of the Urban Renewal Department relate to a variety of areas within the City, however, the majority of records in this series refer to the development of the downtown area of the former Port Arthur ward. Included are agreements and draft agreements relating to construction, leases and property acquisition.

Predominant in this series are agreements with the construction company, Headway Corporation Ltd, and with various retail corporations. Also included in this series are construction and development contracts, correspondence, financial records relating to budgeting and cost estimation for urban renewal projects, site plans, meeting minutes and reports. In addition to the records of the Urban Renewal Department are records of the City Coordinator and meeting minutes of the nonprofit organization, Thunder Bay Community Projects Incorporated.

Included in this series are a small quantity of records of the former City of Port Arthur’s Urban Renewal Committee created prior to the amalgamation of Port Arthur with The City of Thunder Bay.