Simcoe county’s warden is raising concerns about Barrie council’s interpretation of a joint land needs analysis study that found the city needs to absorb territory from neighbouring townships in order to continue growing at its current pace.
“As many area municipalities are prepared and able to accommodate the growth and employment needs in the region, we remain concerned about the potential impacts on the already planned developments, investments, and designated employment areas across the region, including the provincially recognized employment areas along Highway 400 in proximity to the city of Barrie,” said Simcoe warden Basil Clarke in a sternly worded statement.
The study, produced by the Toronto-based urban and regional planning firm Hemson Consulting, was commissioned in order to settle a dispute that began after Barrie petitioned the province to annex residential and commercial land from both Springwater and Oro-Medonte. It found that, unless the territory is absorbed by Barrie, the city’s growth will slow in the mid-2030s and that its employment growth will slow in the 2040s.
Following the release of the report, Barrie’s council members voted in favour of a motion to update its annexation request to include an additional area around Little Lake currently held by Oro-Medonte, a move ostensibly aligned with Hemson’s findings.
Clarke expressed concerns about how the findings were being interpreted. He noted that the study actually found the city had enough employment zoned territory to suit its need through 2051.
While Hemson did find Barrie had 793 hectares of unused commercial land, the figure has been disputed by Mayor Alex Nuttall and Ward 10 councillor Bryn Hamilton during a council meeting last week. Hemson employee Stefan Krzeczunowicz also acknowledged his team relied on municipal records to determine how much commercial land available within the city. While the city does keep records on the amount of land that is zoned for commercial use, it does not consider whether territory is actually useful for commercial purposes.
Clarke also expressed concern that the annexation of employment lands would derail existing arrangements made by Springwater and Oro-Medonte townships. “The risk of losing or impacting these existing growth and employment opportunities which support balanced community growth and vision within the region has the potential for negative consequences.”
Clarke also took issue with the way Hemson calculated Barrie would need an additional 630 hectares of residential land. While city officials had been calculating the amount of land they would require based on a high-density growth formula — which would only require 265 hectares of additional residential territory be annexed — the consultants felt this sort of growth would be unachievable.
“How much land the city is short rather depends on a few assumptions about the reasonable density we might expect in Barrie,” Krzeczunowicz said in a presentation delivered to both Simcoe and Barrie councils last week. “This scenario is based on the density of the largest GTA suburbs.”
In Clarke’s view, however, Barrie’s existing intensification plan remains achievable and that by sticking to it, the city can prevent unnecessary urban sprawl.
“As we prepare to work together on further considerations and next steps, the county and our partners should continue to evaluate whether accelerated home construction is appropriately achieved by continuing low-density development in our largest urban centre. The best way to achieve ambitious housing targets in larger urban centres is through development of higher-density, multi-story builds, best suited in our established urban areas.”
Clarke went on to direct a vaguely worded criticism at Barrie’s council. “Until such time as the outstanding questions and concerns surrounding the Hemson report’s projections, assumptions and findings and any individual motivations are further discussed and
appropriately resolved through discussion and due process, the county feels it is inappropriate to speculate outcomes based on desire,” Clarke said.
Later in the statement, he added: “We disagree with poor politics or individual agendas driving outcomes. Instead, we look forward to working together towards developing clear and collaborative visions for the future, that benefit all our communities.”
