Barrie is about to get growing, in a big way.
Recent rulings from the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) open the door for plans for development on about 5,800 acres of land that was transferred from Innisfil to Barrie more than six years ago.
The Salem Secondary Plan and the Hewitt's Secondary Plan were both approved by Barrie city council in 2014, but appealed to the OMB by several landowners and developers.
Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman explained what the favourable decisions mean for the city.
"The OMB decision gives a green light to the City’s plans to grow smarter and slower – but to start growing again in the annexed lands," explained Mayor Jeff Lehman.
"This means that the city can now take subdivision applications for new communities and new employment areas, both industrial and office, in the annexed lands, and its likely construction will begin in 2017 on the first new development areas."
For the past several years the city has gone through the extensive planning process, creating plans that mean Barrie will grow in a much different way than in the past.
"For example, there are no major retail areas in the new plans – the decision was that Barrie has enough large retail areas, so in the annexed lands although there will be neighbourhood centres with grocery stores and local shops and services, there is no new power centres," Lehman said.
"There is a new business park along Highway 400, which will help attract new industrial and office development to the City."
Plans also include new suburbs, with different designs than those developed in the recent past.
One third of the lands are being set aside as environmental protection areas through a new Natural Heritage System – a series of connected natural areas.
The subdivisions have a much wider range of housing types than existing developments across the city.
"Essentially, they will be similar to older areas of Barrie, such as the east end and old Allandale," the mayor said.
In addition to detached single family homes, there will be a mix of medium density and low rise apartments and townhouses in the area, providing a broader choice of housing types of people at different stages of life.
Every new home will have a park or green space within a five minute walk.
"Also, instead of lots of curvy street patterns, we are returning to a traditional grid pattern in many areas – again, similar to the east end and other older areas of the city."
One interesting new feature will be “village squares” – designs common in places like New England in the US.
"They are large square lawns that allow residents to walk their dogs, kick a soccer ball, throw a Frisbee, or just enjoy the weather," Lehman said.
"These are going to be sprinkled in various places throughout neighbourhoods, in addition to traditional parks, which there are a lot of as well."
Lehman noted a few items remain to be decided at OMB hearings, scheduled in October, November and December.
