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A controversial supportive housing project being proposed near downtown Barrie is inching forward.
The modular homes development planned for Vespra Street has had its environmental assessment (EA) peer-reviewed.
Rick Pews, the city’s director of corporate facilities, said WSP Canada completed the Phase 2 environmental site assessment to investigate the soil and groundwater conditions at the site prior to any proposed redevelopment for residential land use, as well as a geo-technical review to provide subsurface information related to the potential development of the site.
The geo-technical review was completed in June 2020 and the final second-phase environmental assessment was received in January 2021, Pews said. Aqua Insights conducted the peer review during February and March of this year.
“The EA estimates 2,475 cubic metres of impacted soil, or 4,500 metric tonnes, with an estimated cost of $500,000 for dewatering, removing the existing soil and replacing it with engineered fill,” Pews said. “The report received recently from Aqua Insights concurs with WSP’s recommendation and methodology, with minor technical items to be clarified.”
“We’re waiting on that peer review to determine the soil stability and exactly how the cleanup’s going to go,” Coun. Keenan Aylwin, who represents this area, said last week.
Phase 1 was completed by the environmental consulting firm Golder Associates and submitted to the city in January 2020.
The project’s $3-million cost includes a $500,000 estimate for soil remediation (capped at $750,000) for the old Barrie fire-hall site, which is 1.49 acres in size at 65 Vespra St., 70 and 72 Victoria St.
Opposition to the project continues. After council approved a motion to look into the development in January, 67 people in the area signed a door-to-door petition voicing their concerns. An online petition to "oppose modular housing for the homeless in the historic Brock Park neighbourhood of Barrie" had 39 supporters.
Area resident Ann-Marie Quinn said Monday the petition is being reworked.
“We are in a lull right now, just collecting information and sharing it with neighbours,” she said.
Residents and homeowners have said they weren’t consulted about the development, that it could and should go on other city land in Barrie and that the old fire-hall site could be better used as a city park.
The Brock Park neighbourhood has also voiced concerns about more crime, less safety, illegal drugs, environmental impacts and falling property values because of the Vespra Street project.
“I have called most of the people, if not all of the people, who have raised their concerns publicly and there doesn’t seem to be an interest in dialogue and real discussion about this project,” Aylwin said. “That’s disappointing to me, but that’s up to them.
“I just want everyone to know that I am available to talk at any time and provide information about what’s happening," he added. "There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding about the potential project on the site, but I’ve been willing to address that."
Aylwin said there's also a process to be followed.
“Nothing is being rammed through,” the Ward 2 councillor said. “There’s still quite a bit of process that needs to be undertaken and part of that is public engagement. This project isn’t happening anytime in the very near future, so nothing is being rammed through.”
The $3-million cost will be funded from debt, with final amounts to be determined through request-for-proposal planning and approval of a building proposal, with the annual debt servicing costs to be paid from the reinvestment reserve and that money is to be leveraged to access other funding opportunities.
After consulting with the County of Simcoe and social agencies dealing with homelessness, and before issuing the request for proposal, community and corporate services general manager Dawn McAlpine will report back to Barrie councillors on the target residents for the project, subsidy sources, key project parameters and how the city’s funding can be leveraged to access other funding opportunities.
City staff will then issue a call for proposals for a service provider to construct and manage the project, and operate the housing units.
Staff will also hold a neighbourhood meeting with the successful proponent and area residents to get feedback to help the overall implementation of the project.
The Ontario government defines supportive housing as a combination of housing assistance and supports that enable people to live as independently as possible in their community.
On Jan. 25, city council added $3 million to its 2021 budget for a supportive, modular housing project on Vespra Street. This support comes with a number of conditions for this development — building one-person, 450- to 500-square-foot, stackable housing units, each costing about $195,000, at the former Barrie fire-hall site.
