A rezoning to allow 20 street townhouses on Ardagh Road in south Barrie could also help pave a dirt road, connect Neva Road with Auburn Court and eliminate a dead-end street.
A public meeting on the rezoning application for 334 and 340 Ardagh Rd., from King Rich Homes Group, is scheduled for Jan. 8.
These two parcels of land are rectangles and located along the east and west sides of Neva Road, at the intersection of Neva and Ardagh. Their total area is approximately 1.8 acres.
The properties currently have a single-detached home on each lot that will need to be demolished, should the rezoning application be approved.
Within Barrie’s Official Plan, which designates land use, these properties are identified as neighbourhood area — and are to provide most of the city’s low-rise housing stock, accommodate the appropriate levels of intensification along arterial roads and collector streets, and provide a mixture of uses.
New development on local streets in neighbourhood areas are to be kept to four storeys or less, while new development of up to six storeys may be permitted on arterial and collector roads.
The rezoning application is from residential single-detached dwelling first density to residential multiple dwelling second density – townhouse, with special provisions. Variances would include smaller front- and rear-yard setbacks than required, more lot coverage, shorter driveways than required and less landscaped area.
A draft plan of subdivision application would also be associated with the rezoning request.
A neighbourhood meeting on the rezoning application held in May 2023 included 10 residents, who expressed concerns about traffic and parking, along with groundwater and stormwater management.
Groundswell Urban Planners, representing the applicant, says redevelopment of the site will urbanize Neva Road, and ultimately facilitate a connection with Auburn Court, eliminating Neva’s dead end.
A public meeting is one of the first stages of Barrie’s planning process.
A staff report to general committee is anticipated for the spring of 2025, for consideration of the proposed zoning bylaw amendment, which requires city council approval to proceed.
The public meeting on Jan. 8 is part of affordability committee, scheduled for 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers, both in-person and online.
