June 28, 2006

PATTY XENOS DESIGN INC.

An artist’s rendering of a revitalized downtown Barrie.

Development

Barrie downtown, waterfront due for major facelift

FAZEENA SAMAD

staff writer

TORONTO

The City of Barrie is looking to redevelop four of its city-owned properties as part of its current initiatives to revitalize the downtown core and waterfront areas.

The Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEIs) focus on four sites: 1 Bayfield Street, 36 Mulcaster Street, 10-14 and 90 Collier Street, all of which are in the heart of the business district.

Kathy Gray, real estate manager for Barrie’s City Clerk’s Office, says the sites are currently underdeveloped and in need of enhancement.

“The city has an opportunity here for the development. In particular, we are looking for a signature development at the 1 Bayfield Street site, which is centrally located at the waterfront and has full exposure to the marina,” she said.

This is property the city has been assembling, Gray said. It encompasses a portion of a street, a municipal parking lot and another vacant building.

“In particular, the city is looking for a hotel conference facility,” she added.

PKF Consulting has been contracted to prepare a market feasibility study for the Bayfield site. The concept features a branded hotel with 165 guestrooms, a 100-seat restaurant, 25-seat lounge area, 12,000 square feet of meeting space and 205 parking stalls. The estimated cost is $26.3 million, assuming a land cost of $2 million.

“This is one of our key initiatives, and a hotel conference centre is central to the plan,” Gray said.

The 10-14 Collier Street locations have been earmarked for commercial and business development due to their proximity to the financial district. The sites are currently being used as a municipal parking lot.

The plan for the 90 Collier Street location, located at the corners of the city’s original crown grant, is to attract development opportunities that “respect the heritage significance of the property.

“This is a fabulous opportunity because it offers such a large portion of land,” Gray said.

The Downtown Commercial Master Plan, developed by Patty Xenos Design Inc. in 2006, also identified the 90 Collier location as a development opportunity for an indoor/outdoor market which would “complement” the grocery store nearby.

On the other hand, for Mulcaster Street, the city hopes to attract development interest that would build on the synergy of the artistic community and to incorporate the historic Mulcaster Armouries.

“The plan is to make Barrie a premiere waterfront community in Southern Ontario,” Gray explained. “We want to add excitement and promote culture in the area. We don’t want to make the same mistakes other cites have in developing their waterfronts.”

In May 2006, Barrie adopted a Cultural Master Plan that focuses on developing cultural facilities in the area, such as a performing arts venue and the adaptation of the heritage buildings to open space for cultural organizations.

The city is also pursing a partnership with Georgian College and Laurentian University to locate the School of Design and Visual Arts and the School of Performing Arts in the downtown area.

The deadline for proposals for the four sites is Friday, July 21, 2006.

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