Read the Staff report on 300 Essa Rd by clicking here

While it’s not difficult to decide on this application for obvious reasons as stated in the staff report,

Council and the community needs to start realizing that we are going to see more and more of these type of high density development proposals going forward because both the Provincial Policy Statement and the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (Places to grow) encourage intensification in the built up areas and require municipalities to plan for a range and mix of housing, taking into account affordable housing needs. We saw it last week with the options for homes and Baywood Homes application and we’ll see more as we move forward.

While I generally agree with Provincial Policy, I don’t agree that we should be considering something of this scope and scale in the area that it is being proposed. Quite simply, it’s too much for that area to handle and would be better suited in our existing urban center or within one of our identified intensification nodes, and even that is arguable given the density being called for.

The days of the single family home and a sprawling community, even by Barrie standards are becoming a dying breed and the paradigm of what this community once developed as compared to the new paradigm of what it will be developed into means that we are truly at a crossroads that needs to be understood by everyone in this City. Smart growth does not mean any growth.

I don’t believe this application represents good planning and I believe that residents I represent in Ward 7 believe that as well, many of whom have taken the time to e-mail me and write me about this. For that reason I am not supporting this and will vote in favour of the staff recommendation