Ambitious highrise plan on Bradford Street could reshape Barrie’s skyline

Call it a towering reimagining of Barrie’s future skyline.

A $1-billion mixed-use development proposed for 145 Bradford St. and 48 Ellen St. was unveiled at a public meeting at Barrie City Hall on April 22.

Ray Duhamel of The Jones Consulting Group, representing Piveon Developments, presented the concept, which would bring five mixed-use towers ranging from 51 to 61 storeys, anchored by an 11-storey podium. The proposal also includes a structured parking garage, ground-floor commercial space, a restaurant, rooftop amenity areas and an 80-room luxury hotel.

If approved and built, the project would be the tallest in Barrie. The city’s current tallest building is a 32-storey residential tower in the downtown core.

Piveon plans also include 359 affordable housing units, representing 20 per cent of the planned residential units.

“This is a very exciting project,” Duhamel said.

“This is a vacant site that needs to be developed – it needs to be developed to help the city.”

Duhamel said the Bradford Street corridor has seen limited major development in recent years, pointing to what he described as a lack of progress on the site and surrounding area.

“Bradford Street is in desperate need of private investment – it’s been lots of talk and thought, but it has not translated into action,” he said.

Coun. Craig Nixon, whose ward includes the site, told Compass News the proposal is substantial in scale and spoke positively about the proposed amenities.

“It is the biggest development we’ve seen in the city’s history – it’s huge,” he said.

“I love the idea there’s a hotel built in – we desperately need more hotel space in Barrie. It would have a new restaurant, but all the amenities are there. It’s just a matter of whether or not, if they build it, will people come.”

Some residents raised concerns about height, traffic and affordability, while still expressing interest in seeing the site developed.

“Apart from the height, which I have an issue with, I definitely would like to see something built there,” said Cathy Colebatch, who attended the meeting online.

“I like that we have affordable units – and ask what we consider to be affordable, because that is yet to be defined.”

Downtown resident Ian Rowe said he was concerned about the scale of the proposal and whether it aligns with existing city planning standards.

“If those standards are all appropriate, then how can it be appropriate to exceed them by the magnitude that’s proposed in this development?” he asked.

In 2013, a 19-storey residential building was originally proposed for the same site. City staff will now review the rezoning application.