Twelve storeys of luxury condos on Barrie’s waterfront got the green light Tuesday night.
City councillors, sitting as planning committee, approved a motion to rezone 217 Dunlop St. E. for 22 to 41 residential condominiums, pending final design of the floor plans, on almost half an acre on the south side of Dunlop East, between Sampson and Berczy streets.
“I do think it’s a beautifully designed building,” said Mayor Jeff Lehman. “This building is premium architecture and it’s nice to see a beautiful building proposed for our waterfront.”
City council will consider final approval of the rezoning at its Jan. 17 meeting.
And by then councillors should have some other answers about the project.
City development services staff will be asking developer PBM Realty Holdings to provide alternative massing (design of the building) that substantially conforms to requirements of Barrie’s transition centre commercial with special provisions (C2-1) zone before Jan. 17.
Coun. Clare Riepma says this rezoning application asks for a height of 49.5 metres when 30 m is allowed, a gross floor area (the total building’s percentage of the total land area, or GFA) of 595 per cent when 400 per cent is allowed, along with smaller buffer, landscaping and sideboard setbacks.
“My concern with this one, and with this bylaw, is the problem of the overbuilding of this site and its impact on the streetscape and on the North Shore Trail right beside it,” he said. “The building is about one and a half times larger than what is originally permitted and I think that’s a problem, especially in this location.”
The massing portion of the motion passed Tuesday night would give councillors a look at what the building would look like if it conformed to C2 standards, without the variances.
“Tell us what this building would look like if it met all the requirements of that C2 zone,” Riepma said. “This has to do with the bulk and the scale of the building and how well, or how well it does not, fit into this streetscape and into this environment.”
The motion to ask for this information passed by a 6-4 vote.
“I’m more concerned with having a very attractive building on that site than I am about the GFA or the setbacks,” said Deputy Mayor Barry Ward.
“I think this is just a progression of a growing city, from a small city, big town,” said Coun. Sergio Morales.
“We’ve got to build all types of housing, from top to bottom,” said Coun. Robert Thomson.
But Coun. Keenan Aylwin was unconvinced this development would help with affordable housing in Barrie.
“I just don’t buy the trickle-down argument that gigantic luxury apartments help with the housing crisis that we find ourselves in,” he said.
Lehman said he supports the project for a number of reasons.
“This is a very unusual application. First of all, the number of units isn’t fixed. (And) they’re really big. That’s why the GFA is so high,” he said. “It basically jacked the floor area to allow very large units to be built. Therefore, density in terms of people, units, vehicles, parking, is not going to be as much as an issue.
“We’re being asked to approve a number of exceptions to setbacks, to density and so on, to allow for the units to be bigger,” Lehman added. “Not a lot of policy basis for that, in my opinion, however… you need all kinds of housing in the city.
“My perspective on this is… is what’s being asked for reasonable in terms of our planning policies and in terms of compatibility. I’m not compelled that this is out of character.”
To build this condominium, PBM Realty Holdings’ land needs to be rezoned from transition centre commercial and central area commercial to transition centre commercial with special provisions. These variances would permit reductions in side-yard setbacks, landscape buffers and the percentage of commercial coverage, as well increase the building’s height and gross floor area.
Parking would be provided through one level of underground parking and one parking level of parking at-grade for a total of 47 parking spaces, including two which are barrier-free. The building’s first level would also include a front lobby along Dunlop Street East. Levels 2 to 12 would house the residences.
The building would be located close to the street, with direct connections from its entrance to the sidewalk along Dunlop Street East, creating a pedestrian-friendly streetscape, according to city planning staff.
The building would back onto Kempenfelt Bay, with the North Shore Trail running between it and the waterfront.
An enhanced public access from Dunlop Street East through Sampson Street, an unopened right-of-way, is proposed as part of the development, which creates a public pedestrian connection between the trail and waterfront along Kempenfelt Bay to the south and Dunlop Street to the north.
The previous plan for 217 Dunlop St. E. was a 15-storey, mixed-use structure of 41 residential condominium units, commercial space and a three-storey integrated parking structure with the potential for 113 spaces at the former Cotty’s Cleaners site.
This property is just a little east of Lakhouse Lakeside Residence at 185-265 Dunlop St. W., the former Lakeview Dairy site, which is being constructed.
The 10-storey boutique, Scandinavian-inspired condominium project will be a mixed-use building with 178 condominium units, 248 total parking spaces and ground-floor commercial uses. It too will sit alongside Barrie’s North Shore Trail.
