BarrieToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected] or via the website. Please include your full name, daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter is in reference to 'Chime in: City hosting public meeting on new zoning bylaw,' published Oct. 30, and 'Lights out! Public meeting on proposed city-wide zoning bylaw goes dark,' published Oct. 1.
I am opposed to the new city-wide zoning bylaw that has been proposed and encourage all city councillors to vote down this change.
The citizens of Barrie have spent their lives investing in their homes and maintaining them to keep their neighbourhoods nice for all. Most people also reviewed the zoning regulations in their neighbourhoods prior to purchasing to ensure there would not be any significant changes to their neighbourhood, without proper due process given to all impacted residents.
Understanding that the City of Barrie is now wanting to replace existing bylaws that currently respect all property owners with a new bylaw that does not control the use of land, buildings and structures and has absolutely no regard for existing property owners and neighbourhoods is unacceptable.
Until 2024, the City of Barrie has always had a rigid planning process in place to protect neighbourhoods. They have not allowed change without public consultation and approval. Why is our current city council suddenly wanting to remove these safeguards? Why is city council even considering this?
Property owners should not be going to bed every night concerned with how their street could change to their detriment overnight. They should not need to worry that their neighbours could be selling out to developers who could suddenly tear down perfectly good homes to replace them with multi-storey structures.
We are talking about replacing several single homes with four-plexes, which means four storeys, not four units — wherever the developer wants to build, with no discussion.
Every citizen in every neighbourhood in the city should not have to worry this could suddenly happen to them and there is nothing they can do about it.
It is absolutely unacceptable that a few developers could carte blanche alter (and possibly destroy) a neighbourhood, preventing homeowners the right to have unencumbered enjoyment of their properties.
It is disgraceful our city councillors want to take away the right every Barrie resident has previously had to have public input, and discussion as to whether or not change should proceed in their neighbourhood.
Barb McVeigh
Barrie
