A vacant lot at the corner of Ardagh Road and Ferndale Drive in Barrie’s southend has been approved for a residential and commercial development.
City council last week approved an Official Plan Amendment and zoning-bylaw amendments for a site at beside the city’s Fire Station No. 4.
According to a staff report, the proposal is for 31 townhouse units and a six-storey building with 40 apartments along with 290 square metres of ground-level commercial space.
KLM Planning presented the plan to council n behalf of a numbered Ontario company, requesting land be rezoned from institutional to general commercial.
Barrie’s Official Plan states low density residential development includes single detached, duplexes, or semi-detached dwellings.
According to a planning staff report, the land-use designation and zoning to permit an integrated residential and commercial development at the northwest corner of Ardagh Road and Ferndale Drive South would “be good planning and reflective of a complete community.”
“In staff’s opinion, the development of 31 townhouses, 50 apartment units and commercial uses on the subject lands is considered appropriate and would conform and be consistent with relevant provincial policies and the city’s Official Plan while being respectful of the existing land uses and intended use of the subject lands for commercial uses,” senior planner Celeste Kitsemetry wrote in the report.
“In staff’s opinion, the proposed amendment to permit semi-detached built form is considered appropriate and is consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement (2020) and conforms to A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2019) and the City’s Official Plan,” the report concluded.