The pace of development for Barrie’s former fairgrounds just quickened.
The city’s affordability committee decided Wednesday night the province can fast-track the development of these 55.4 acres at Essa Road and Highway 400, that what’s built should be subject to a a community infrastructure and housing accelerator (CIHA) — although that decision still needs final approval by city council.
The CIHA gives Ontario’s minister of municipal affairs and housing the power to make orders to respond to municipal requests to speed approvals of zoning outside of the Greenbelt.
“We all understand the need (for development), as it’s had two decades of being vacant and under-utilized,” said Coun. Jim Harris, who represents this part of Barrie, referring to the old fairgrounds property. “This is just intended to get it developed. It’s an opportunity to get more of something we desperately need.
“We need more (housing) stock now," he added. "This application deals with some of the barriers of it moving forward.”
“We don’t give up anything with the CIHA,” said Deputy Mayor Robert Thomson. “It is just getting answers to move forward.”
Mayor Alex Nuttall said Ontario’s ministries of municipal affairs, housing, transportation and environment need to be in on the decision.
“They need to get together and decide exactly what is going to happen on this location,” he said. “These are never easy decisions, building up instead of building out.”
Fairgrounds developer Greenworld Construction, owner of 175 and 199 Essa Rd. and 50 Wood St., asked the city to support the CIHA order. City staff would initiate an application and report back to council in February 2024.
The CIHA order would support the development of 4,054 total residential units — highrises, mixed-use highrises and townhouses, along with commercial uses and a school block. That breaks down to 13 residential towers of 15 to 40 storeys, 113 townhouses and 98 three-storey townhouses.
Also proposed in the new development are 196 parking spaces for the townhouses and 3,260 spots for the highrises, including those in a five-storey parking podium.
There could be a public/private park almost a half acre in size and walking trails.
Commercial uses would front Essa Road, the school block would be six acres and there would be no development on the Wood Street property, which includes Hotchkiss Creek. It would be used for stormwater management and open space uses.
The development proposal also includes two new city access points from Essa Road and Anne Street.
The Barrie Curling Club would remain as is.
Last April, Greenworld’s plan for the old fairgrounds was 2,828 residential condos and townhouses in nine towers, with heights from 12 to 35 storeys, along with retail space. The property still needed to be rezoned and redesignated with an Official Plan change, and have its draft plan of subdivision approved.
“Most of the neighbours know and understand the need to build more housing options and are waiting on a credible developer to actually follow through on applications,” Cathy Colebatch, who lives in nearby Allandale, said in correspondence Wednesday night to the city. “However, this request seems excessive in almost every way.
“I would also like to understand why the ask for this (CIHA) now, when the file was working its way through planning. This whole process seems to be non-transparent to the public,” she added.
The Simcoe County District School Board and Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board have collectively requested about 12 acres for future school development. Greenworld has identified six acres for schools in its CHIA submission.
If one or both of the school boards do not exercise the option to construct a school in this development, the land would be conveyed at no cost to the city for park purposes.
Greenworld’s planning consultant has called the old fairgrounds property under-utilized, vacant land at the prominent location of Highway 400 and Essa Road. The land provides an opportunity to substantially contribute to Barrie’s housing stock and provide for development to take place in a comprehensive and cohesive manner, in an area where intensification is encouraged, the consultant has said.
Barrie is designated by the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe as an area where the projected population and residential growth is to be accommodated through ambitious levels of development, with emphasis placed on the development of land to support new housing options along intensification corridors and within designated strategic growth areas.
Michelle Banfield, the city’s director of development services, has said the old fairgrounds property has a development application under review.
On Nov. 1, the city received correspondence from the applicant requesting the approval be considered through the community infrastructure and housing accelerator process, as opposed to completing the Planning Act applications.
Should council wish to support the applicant’s request, staff would be directed to process this as a CIHA and report back, she said. If council is satisfied, staff would be directed to submit council’s request for a CIHA to the minister of municipal affairs and housing.
But it will be council’s decision whether or not to ask the minister for a CIHA order.
Ontario’s More Homes for Everyone Act, 2022, changes the Planning Act to create a minister’s order authority — known as the community infrastructure and housing accelerator tool — giving the municipal affairs and housing minister the power to make orders to respond to municipal requests for expedited zoning, not counting the Greenbelt.
In a memo to councillors, Banfield has said a CIHA can be used to regulate the use of land and the location, use, height, size, and spacing of buildings and structures to permit certain types of development. The requesting municipality is responsible for providing public notice and undertaking consultation and ensuring the order, once made, is made available to the public.
In issuing the order, Banfield’s memo says the minister can provide an exemption for other necessary planning-related approvals from provincial plans, the Provincial Policy Statement and municipal official plans, if specifically requested by the municipality, and impose conditions on the municipality and/or proponent.
Affordability committee has only four of 11 members of council — Harris, who represents the part of Barrie containing the fairgrounds, Coun. Craig Nixon, Nuttall and Thomson.
Its decision still requires approval from general committee and city council, both which have all 11 council members.
