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Neighbours voice concerns about condo plan for Bayfield Street

Concerns expressed about potential traffic congestion, affordable housing and height; A formal public meeting will likely be held in October

Neighbours of two proposed Bayfield Street developments had an opportunity to weigh in - virtually - on the projects last night.

Approximately 30 people were registered for the virtual meeting regarding proposed developments for the area of Bayfield and Sophia streets. 

Both the northwest corner and northeast corner were the topic of a public neighbourhood meeting via Zoom.

KLM Planning Partners Inc. has applied for a zoning bylaw amendment that would pave the way a 34-storey mixed use condominium building with ground floor commercial space in addition to eight townhouse buildings that would create a total of 480 units. That development is proposed for 136 and 112 Bayfield St., 14 Sophia St. W., and 113 to 115 Maple Ave.

Jones Consulting Group Ltd. has applied for a zoning bylaw amendment to rezone the lands at 113 and 117 Bayfield St. and 6, 8 and 12 Sophia St. E. to permit the development of an eight-storey apartment building that would contain 108 residential units.

Michelle Banfield, the city's director of development services, told BarrieToday that the virtual meeting was a chance for residents to voice their concerns on the proposals. 

“Each of the projects are in the early stages of review and consideration by city staff and external agencies," said Banfield. "The neighbourhood meeting organized yesterday provided an early opportunity for residents and interested parties to learn of what is being proposed and provide comments and direction for the applications to consider.

“The neighbourhood meeting is not a statutory requirement under the Planning Act and instead was undertaken to provide this early opportunity for input.”

Most of the concerns raised by residents had to do with traffic. Congestion concerns along Sophia Street, including the intersection with McDonald Street, and access to both proposed projects have been voiced in addition to concerns about the increased traffic along Drury Lane and Maple Avenue - two streets that residents don’t feel are equipped for a possible traffic increase. 

Banfield said residents wanted some assurance that the projects have regard for the vibrant communities into which the developments are being built.

“There was also a question regarding height limits across the City of Barrie,” said Banfield. “(There were) some concerns with the height of the proposed 34-storey building with questions on how it compares to past and future approvals in the downtown.”

Another person also wondered when construction would proceed. Banfield said there are a few steps yet before shovels hit the ground.

“A public meeting is required and will likely take place in October, where the applicant will be required to detail a response to early questions received and respond to questions at that time," said Banfield. "The applications for zoning bylaw zmendments will then, in a separate meeting, be considered by the city’s Planning Committee with input from internal staff and external agencies and a formal professional planning recommendation."

Should the zoning amendments be accepted, Banfield said the applications would then proceed through additional planning approvals including site plan approval.

Banfield said KLM officials indicated that “planning and building approvals may take a few years, with the project moving forward only after such approvals are in place.”

A strong recommendation about the 34-storey building portion of the construction was that a minimum of 10 percent affordable housing be considered. Banfield told BarrieToday that she suspects the “affordable housing project is hoping to move forward as quickly as possible to fill this ever-increasing need in our community.”

As the developers look to rezone the lands from the 'transitional centre commercial' to 'residential apartment dwelling second density, city staff will review the proposals for conformity with applicable provincial and city planning policies, and the city’s technical standards and guidelines, including the city’s urban design, intensification and tall building policies. 

Residents and concerned parties should check the City of Barrie website and social media for updates on the required public meeting which is expected in October.