Sky-high is the size of a highrise development near Barrie’s waterfront approved by city council Monday night.
Council has rezoned and redesignated property between Lakeshore Drive and Bradford Street needed to build residential towers 41, 38, 35 and 25 storeys high with a total of about 1,900 units.
Commercial space and a hotel are to be built at 51-75 Bradford St. and 20 Checkley St., as well. Developer SmartCentres would also reduce the permitted gross floor area on the site in relation to the height reduction, and reduce the maximum podium height adjacent to 2 Toronto St., to 26 metres, with the addition of a stepping provision reduced from 50 metres.
“There are a lot of people in Barrie who don’t think this is the right call,” Mayor Jeff Lehman said of council approving the project. “A lot are opposed to the height, and we brought that height down. Did we go far enough for many? No, we did not.
“But this is one of the last, very good development sites on the edge of our downtown,” he added. “This was a compromise and an attempt to address those concerns.”
Coun. Keenan Aylwin, who represents this part of the city, also noted not all would be happy with the compromise.
“But we know that Barrie has to grow and we need to make sure that growth is sustainable,” he said, “and intensification allows us to do that. I think we have been able to find the balance.”
Coun. Mike McCann said he was unhappy the height had gone down.
“There’s a bit of a false sense of accomplishment, because if we were listening to the residents, we would have brought this down to 30 storeys,” he said. “I’m disappointed that it was lowered. Forty-six storeys was the right number. Forty-one storeys? I don’t see the difference.”
The height of these four towers has fed much of the controversy surrounding this project, as Barrie’s largest towers are 16 storeys, the Nautica buildings near the waterfront, and close to this project.
Council again heard the opposition Monday.
Doug McLaren and Cathy Colebatch both made deputations opposing the project.
Colebatch, who lives in the Allandale area, said her opinion of the project hasn’t changed.
“There are hundreds, if not thousands, who are not happy with the proposal,” she said, "only to have their concerns fall on deaf ears.”
Colebatch said she would accept 25 storeys on this property.
SmartCentres, on behalf of Barrie Lakeshore Developments (Greenwin Barrie and a numbered Ontario company), has submitted applications to develop a mixed-use project on this 8.6-acre property between Lakeshore Drive and Bradford Street. The project also includes a parking garage, open space and environmental protection land.
A rezoning and Official Plan amendment are both required for this project to go ahead.
A site-plan control application has also been submitted for phase one of the development concept, which includes a 25-storey building fronting Lakeshore Drive for 145 hotel rooms and 230 residential units.
Council has also decided the site plan should be bumped up — approved by council, not just delegated to city staff, as is the usual procedure. There’s to be an overall site plan for the entire property, plus one for each development stage. All would come to council individually and require its approval.
