More highrises could be coming to downtown Barrie on Bradford Street overlooking Kempenfelt Bay.
But several residents say the proposal is far too big for the area.
During a public meeting Monday night at planning committee, Paula Bustard from Smart Centres Real Estate Trust made a presentation on behalf of Barrie Lakeshore Developments.
The developer is seeking Official Plan and zoning-bylaw amendments for properties at 51-75 Bradford St., as well as 20 Checkley St., to build four mixed-use towers at heights of 25, 35, 38 and 45 storeys, and containing approximately 1,900 units.
It would also include more than 3,300 square metres of ground-floor commercial space and 152 hotel suites.
If approved, the project would likely be built in phases, said Bustard, adding she believes it could "enhance " the waterfront.
The eight-acre site, which has had other failed applications for it in the past several years, is located adjacent to Bunkers Creek.
One of the main concerns has been the height of the proposal, but Bustard said she believes it's in line with provincial growth policy and other developments in the area.
"The bulk of the height is on Bradford Street," she said. "The height increases as you move away from the water toward Bradford Street."
The proposal is for a chunk of land across from the HIP Developments project at the former Barrie Central Collegiate site, as well as the new YMCA facility.
Bustard said there is "very generous tower separation" with other buildings in the area.
The proposed hotel would front onto Lakeshore Drive, while the commercial component would be along Bradford Street.
Access to the hotel would be off Lakeshore Drive, while residential access to the building would come off Bradford and Checkley streets.
The developers are also envisioning a network of walking trails through Bunkers Creek.
Several residents called in to the meeting with concerns about the proposal. While downtown residents say they understand the need for intensification and what the development would add to the local tax base, most touched on the proposed height of the buildings as being too high.
Several applications have come to city hall in recent years for the downtown, including Dunlop Street and the Five Points, not to mention the property directly across the street on Bradford Street from this latest proposal.
Rod Burns, who lives in the building at 6 Toronto St., said developers come one after the other looking to construct buildings that are increasingly higher than the last proposal.
"The buildings have to sit within the community and at 40 storeys, they just don't fit within the community," he said. "I don't think 25 is unreasonable and I don't think 30 is unreasonable, quite frankly. But I don't think 40 is (reasonable).
"It seems every time a developer comes to council, it's the elephant in the room that's one foot at a time," Burns added. "They all go for more density. You approved the one at Five Points for 20, the guy at the Uptown Theatre goes for 35, these guys show up at 40. The next guys are going to be 50. The guys after that are going to be 60.
"Somewhere along the line, you have to have some consistency in the planning."
Bob Ebenstein, who also lives at 6 Toronto St., said he believes the proposal is better suited to somewhere like Toronto versus Barrie.
"I think that it would definitely change the quality of life in this neighbourhood. I think the scale is way out of whack," he said, adding the development's height should be in line with other buildings in the area.
Toronto Street resident Charlie Talbot said he supports redevelopment of the land for residential and commercial use, but has "some serious reservations" about the scale and design of the proposed buildings.
"(My wife and I) believe this project is too large and will overwhelm the capacity of our waterfront amenities and will reduce their availability to all Barrie residents," said Talbot, noting the 'shadowing' on nearby facilities, such as the marina, would be detrimental.
Downtown resident Leslie Hart, who said she was speaking on behalf of dozens of other residents who live in the building at 2 Toronto St., said they have "grave concerns" around the project, specifically the height of the towers.
One of the concerns for Hart and other seniors who live in the area was around property values and the possibility of the larger towers to turn their building into "a cave" without light or sound at certain times of the day.
"The value of your property is going to plummet," she said.
Richard Handren, who also lives at 2 Toronto St., said he also has concerns over shadowing.
"You would totally lose sunshine at 12:25 p.m.," he said, adding there would be no sunshine at some points during the winter. "That's a major concern when you're retired and you like to sit out on your balcony and enjoy some sun everyday."
Elm Street resident Ken Robertson said proposals like this one, with several large towers, are too much for a place like Barrie.
"Sixteen to 20 (storeys) is high enough," he said. "If these massive towers materialize, it would create traffic and congestion issues for Bradford Street, which is already busy."
Bustard said concerns around height of the proposed buildings from residents were clearly heard.
"I know height is probably the biggest issue I'm hearing tonight," she said. "I think the overall density on the site — with the size of the site and the positioning of the towers, the separation and the architecture we're bringing forward — we do think it is wholly justified and supported.
"That being said, we will take back those comments and look at it," she added. "We obviously looked at the overall heights and densities, in relation to what could be supported on site and what could be supported by the market, but we personally never lost sight of the design principles that we were trying to achieve," including "great architecture," open space and connectivity.
More than 60 people attended a neighbourhood meeting in December. Michelle Banfield, the city's director of development services, said some of the feedback received from that meeting also related to building height, as well as density, rental tenure, increased traffic, environmental effects, and the overall density of the proposal.
Banfield said some of the aspects being reviewed by city staff include growth targets, urban design, how it fits in with existing and approved projects, flood-plain protection, traffic, parking, and commercial uses.
"This is a significant development proposal and there's a lot of interest in the development," she said.
No decisions were made on the application during the planning committee meeting.
City planners anticipate bringing a recommendation back to committee in the fall.
