City council has been brought up to speed on how the redevelopment of Fisher Auditorium in downtown Barrie is progressing as well as demolition work in the neighbourhood to address drainage issues.
Andrea Bourrie, the city's director of planning and building services, updated council this week on work surrounding the auditorium site at the former Barrie Central Collegiate as well as the area around it.
Real-estate transactions associated with the transfer of property between the city and Waterloo-based HIP Developments, which plans to build a mixed-used development on the former high-school site, were completed in early 2019.
The acquisition of several properties, including 17 Eccles St. N., 150-152 Dunlop St. W., and 36-38 High St., will allow for the Kidd's Creek drainage project to move ahead this spring.
Several people who were staying at the Knights Inn, located across the street from the auditorium, as part of a local housing support program had to be supplanted to make way for the demolition work.
"All tenant issues associated with Salvation Army clients at the Knights Inn have been addressed and the city assisted with a short-term lease for the Salvation Army," said Bourrie, adding the city also terminated the leases with the tenant of 34 and 40-44 High St. effective April 30 in support of the Kidd’s Creek project.
About 90 per cent of the design phase for the Kidd's Creek project is complete, Bourrie said, adding the tender process is underway for construction to begin in June. Some demolition and site preparation work has begun.
Co-ordination of road closures and the impact on the Barrie fire department's access to its Dunlop Street headquarters is also underway in advance of construction starting.
The creek realignment and 'daylighting' (eliminating culverts altogether by creating natural channels) on the south side of Dunlop Street is expected to occur before September. This should allow the creek, which has been prone to flooding in the area, to better handle major storms, including 100-year flows.
The project is scheduled for completion of the spring of 2020, from Eccles to Bradford.
The city is also in the midst of plans to redevelop the former high school's W.A. Fisher Auditorium, which is located across the street from the Knights Inn on Dunlop Street.
Preliminary reconfiguration of space and logistics has identified several operational opportunities, Bourrie said, including removing the fly gallery (theatrical rigging system of rope lines, pulleys, etc.) and adding meeting rooms, as well as on-site parking.
"The final theatre/event centre footprint needs to be confirmed so that the integrated site plan can be advanced," she said in her report, adding the original design left approximately one acre of land available for "synergistic" or shared uses.
Preliminary reconfiguration discussions resulted in a reduction in land available for such uses to just under one acre.
"Staff continue to revise the conceptual design to maximize the opportunities for synergistic uses, as well as optimize operations and expect to have a final design by the end of June," Bourrie added.
Integrated site-plan options are expected to be presented to council with the Fisher/Event Centre business plan proposal in the fall.
A capital campaign won’t be proceeding until the building design is confirmed and the business plan is approved, Bourrie said.
HIP Developments also unveiled its plans this week for 600 units in three highrise apartment buildings at the former Barrie Central Collegiate site. A formal application has yet to be brought to city council.
