Barrie waterfront development plan nixed by city council

Barrie city council officially threw out the plan for a 25-storey waterfront building.

A proposed 25-storey residential high-rise development in downtown Barrie has been scaled back to 10 storeys due to city council changes.

The developer, Blackthorne Development Corp., proposed a 25-storey, 160-unit building on the lakeside of Mulcaster Street and Dunlop Street. The project also included 135 parking spaces and ground-floor commercial space.

Mayor Alex Nuttall emphasized the need for more affordable housing options without disrupting neighborhoods.

“The cost of rental housing in this city is spectacularly high,” he said. “We need to have more of it hitting the marketplace, but we don’t want to see it everywhere all the time, it can’t be just, flip the neighbourhoods upside down.”

“What we want to see is a structured approach with purpose-built rentals taking place, and I think you’ll see that over the coming months,” the mayor added.

Local resident Diane Jones took to the podium and expressed concerns about traffic on Dunlop Street East, which she believes would intensify with a high-rise development. “Traffic congestion going along Dunlop Street East towards downtown is already a major issue,” she said. “Traffic is worse when the downtown is closed for special events ... this is only going to get worse.”

Maurizio Rogato, planner with Blackthorne Development Corp., appeared virtually before council to challenge the decision to downsize, claiming they followed the city’s process since consultation began in 2021.

“Our client respectfully objects to the amendment to the zoning bylaw which would require a minimum of 1.2 parking spaces per dwelling unit and have the effect of reducing the permitted building height to 30 metres or 10 storeys,” Rogato said. “It is our opinion the amendment is contrary to the planning act including matters of provincial interest.”

The proposed site is currently fenced off near Sam Cancilla Park.