Two buildings along Highway 400 have changed the Barrie skyline and residents will soon see a third. Skyline Developments have announced Tower C will soon break ground, adding an additional 363 units with 73 of them marked as affordable. Combined, the three towers coming to Grove Street at Toronto Street area have 928 units with 105 of them marked as affordable. “It’s not just providing affordable housing and then market rents for the rest of the building,” said Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall who on hand for the announcement. “It’s also putting various tradespeople to work ensuring that they have jobs and they can put food on the table for their families as well.” The announcement also marked the completion of Tower B, Nuttall also announcing an agreement was reached between the developers, the city and the County of Simcoe, bringing an additional 32 affordable units to Tower A. Those units will go towards families on the County’s waiting list. Andrew Scavarelli, director of housing and homelessness services said the units are extremely important and will only be open for families from Barrie. “We certainly know that the housing crisis isn’t something that we can simply, build our way out of ourselves and that’s why these partnerships are so crucial,” said Scavarelli. “Now, knowing that there’s an initial 32 affordable units becoming available, it’s going to help us move individuals off our pretty long waitlist,” Scavarelli said. “It actually opens up our deeply affordable units across our nonprofit sector and our Simcoe County Housing Corporation,” said Scavarelli. “So, the families that need the deeper subsidies are in those units, whereas individuals who could afford closer to market (rate) and maybe just need a little bit of help, that’s where we could transition those folks in,” he said. The addition of Tower C marks another tower being built right along a major corridor. “I want it to be along the highway, I want it to be in our downtown and around our major transit hubs,” said Nuttall. “That’s where intensification belongs, it does not belong in our neighbourhoods, so seeing the highway coming to life,” Nuttall said. Families will soon be moving into the affordable units in the fall with leasing opportunities becoming available in the next few weeks.
