BarrieToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected]. Please include your daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following is an open letter to members of council regarding a controversial tower proposal near the city's lakeshore.
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Mayor Jeff Lehman and members of city council:
Please make note that the motto on the Barrie coat of arms is "People are the city" not "Developers are the city." Smart Centres developers have requested a zoning change to allow four monstrous buildings on the lakeshore next to the condo at 2 Toronto St.
The majority of Barrie residents who have spoken regarding this request are against such a monstrous development. People are not against development, but it must be done in co-ordination with the existing buildings, and this development would overpower the present buildings.
The development is too tall, too dense, and would increase vehicle traffic on Lakeshore Drive, Bradford Street and Simcoe Street, streets that already have too much traffic.
Please listen to the Barrie residents from all the wards in Barrie who enjoy the waterfront. You have heard deputation from many residents including a professional planner, Gary Bell, who have told you this development is not appropriate for its proposed location.
The height of the buildings will block out the sun in the afternoons when Barrie residents come to the marina to sit on their boats, to rest and relax, possibly have a glass of wine and enjoy dinner in the sunshine! This pleasure for Barrie residents will be wiped out if you allow this project to proceed in its present form.
Ask yourselves: is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned. This project fails on all three of the questions. The only one who benefits from this is the developer, and not the residents and taxpayers of Barrie.
Mr. Mayor: If you want a hotel in the downtown area, put it on the Fisher Auditorium property, which the city owns, where it can be as high as you want and will not impact on any surrounding buildings. The present zoning on the property in question is for two 24-storey buildings. Any additional buildings should conform to present adjacent heights of 16 storeys.
There are already at least seven or eight highrise projects in various stages of development for the downtown area to bring people to the downtown. This project in its present monstrous form is not needed, and will destroy the beautiful Barrie waterfront.
If you approve this development, you will be making the biggest mistake a Barrie council has ever made and the residents of Barrie will be left to live with no sunshine, and the mess on the waterfront forever.
Remember Barrie's motto: The people are the city. Not developers are the city.
Ken Baxter
Barrie
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