The Sky Towers project finally took flight Friday afternoon in Barrie.
The construction kickoff for a highrise development of two towers for 541 rental apartments took place at 22 and 26 Grove St. W., the former YMCA site, near Bayfield Street and Highway 400.
“This is a game-changer for this community, I think,” said Paul Calandra, Ontario’s minister of municipal affairs and housing, who was on hand for the groundbreaking. “You have not stopped, you continue to build. There is just so much happening here.”
The two towers, 25 and 27 storeys, are part of a project which will include another tower and a nine-storey, mid-rise building, a shared five-storey parking podium and central amenities, and a total of 928 residences — including 32 affordable housing units.
SkyDev is receiving more than $6.7 million for the development from Barrie’s Community Improvement Plan (CIP).
The CIP is intended to encourage rapid investment in new housing units by providing financial incentives and other programs to facilitate the development of housing supply, with an emphasis on affordable housing, across Barrie.
Mayor Alex Nuttall said this location matters.
“This is a community building site, it was the former YMCA … this is a community building centre,” he said. “The idea of building a community here is not going away because the YMCA is moving somewhere else.”
The YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka is to build its new Barrie facilities on city land at the northeast section of the parking lot at 555 Bayview Dr., which is Sadlon Arena.
Doug Downey, the MPP for Barrie-Sringwater-Oro-Medonte, said this is the type of housing the Ontario government encourages.
“This is a signal of change,” he said. “This is exactly what we’re looking for. This is density … creating more capacity.”
“We recognize that there is not enough rental (in Barrie)," said Jason Castellan, Skyline Group's CEO.
The first phase of Sky Towers is expected to be completed by 2027.
Development plans for this Grove Street West address have been in the works for years, with planning applications dating back to 2017 for the property.
SkyDev has approvals for an Official Plan amendment, a rezoning and a site plan at this property, located right beside the Bayfield Street on-ramp from Highway 400.
Skyline owns and manages more than 22,000 rental apartments in 58 communities across eight Canadian provinces, and has finished 700 rental apartments in New Tecumseth, Chatham, Welland and Gravenhurst, in addition to recently launching 187 rental apartments in Collingwood.
