A little give, a little take and a Harvie Road property has been rezoned for residential, commercial and light industrial use.
City council recently approved the rezoning for 15 Harvie Rd., alongside Highway 400, at its last meeting before the summer break.
“We’re not generally opposed to the development … we just want to strike a fine balance between the growth and the well-being of people living there currently,” said Sarah Khan, who resides in the adjacent neighbourhood.
The rezoning permits 29.6 acres of commercial and light industrial uses along Highway 400, to the east of the Bryne Drive extension, and 155 residences as semi-detached homes and townhouses, as well as two blocks for future mid-rise apartment buildings, a school block and a public park, to the west of the Bryne Drive extension.
Barrie-Bryne Developments plans to build 58 semi-detached homes and 97 townhouses on this property. The townhouses would be three storeys in height.
The rezoning would be from general commercial, light industrial and environmental protection (EP) to general commercial, residential apartment dwelling first density, residential multiple dwelling second density, institutional – education, open space and EP.
Coun. Gary Harvey, who represents this area, persuaded council to amend the rezoning to allow a maximum of six storeys in the apartment buildings and that there should be a road design that doesn’t significantly increase traffic flows.
“The traffic could be doubled,” Harvey said.
“We just need slower roads, we need slower roads in our neighbourhoods,” said Coun. Sergio Morales.
Khan, who made a deputation to council, also had concerns about how many people would live in the development once built.
“Because the community surrounding it is not high density, like within a two-kilometre radius we don’t have high density,” she said.
Ed Greenwood, who also made a deputation, said he has three concerns: lack of green space in the project, population density and traffic, and its impact on pedestrian safety.
“We all want to live in neighbourhoods that are beautiful and safe, simple as that,” he said. “I live on Cranberry Lane and it’s exactly that, beautiful and safe. However, the proposed development threatens that.”
Mark Resnick, of SmartCentres, speaking for Barrie-Bryne Developments, said it supports the six-storey height restriction on the apartment buildings, as it’s proposing three to six storeys on these blocks, and an updated traffic study.
Harvey had pointed out the traffic study has old data, because it was done during the pandemic, and the school’s impact was not taken into account.
This project’s development plan would be formalized through a draft plan of subdivision, as well as site-plan control if or as applicable under the Ontario Planning Act.
“All we’re doing tonight is passing the zoning,” Harvey said.
This property is located on the west side of Highway 400, south of Harvie Road and east of Thrushwood Drive. The land is divided by the future extension of Bryne Drive, land which was previously conveyed to the City of Barrie.
This property has been farmed for field crops, permitted as a temporary use, which is in effect until Oct. 5, 2023. Use of the property for agricultural production began in 2014 as an interim use pending the future development of the land, to prevent it from being fallow and to reduce trespassing.
To ensure protection of the existing creek systems during farming operations, city staff required the preservation of a 30-metre naturalized buffer around Lover’s Creek and Whiskey Creek.
