Barrie City Council Approves Restrictions on Adding Additional Units to Properties to Protect Trees and Neighbourhood Characteristics

During last week's City Council meeting, Barrie City Council approved the development of up to four residences on one property, but with specific conditions.

A significant focus of the meeting was on the need to meet provincial and federal targets for housing, the impact of additional dwelling units on neighbourhoods, and measures to protect boundary trees.

Amendments and suggestions were made to ensure the amendment aligns with community needs and legal frameworks. The maximum height for the additional residential units would be capped at 4.5 meters, and there must be a distance of more than 1 meter between the property line and the building.

During the deputation, Cathy Colebatch raised concerns about the necessity of adding a fourth unit to residential zones. Highlighting the uptick in second and third suites as effective in meeting provincial targets, Colebatch questioned the affordability and practicality of adding more units.

She emphasized the need to protect trees around houses from development. These conditions are aimed at preserving trees and maintaining the character of neighborhoods. However they may make the construction of additional residences challenging.

During the meeting, the council also approved more than $100,000 in funding for the air show to be taken from the Tourism Reserve.

Additionally, the council discussed the findings from speed camera enforcement, revealing a high number of speeding incidents. Ward 4 Councillor Amy Courser brought to light the alarming data related to traffic speeding within the city. Courser stressed the staggering number of recorded speeding incidents captured by the city's traffic cameras, underscoring the severity of the speeding problem on Barrie's roads. 58,258 speeding incidents were recorded on Big Bay Point Road over three months, from 7 am to 5 pm, indicating an even more severe speeding issue in another key location within the same timeframe.