Oro-Medonte councillors have voted to continue discussions with its neighbouring municipalities on Barrie’s desire for a shift in boundaries, but note many questions remain.
On Wednesday councillors accepted a recommendation in a staff report to advance to a third stage of work with Hemson Consulting, the third-party that was brought on board last year as part of Barrie’s push to expand into Oro-Medonte and Springwater Township.
However councillors said they want the next phase to have a much narrower scope than originally planned, arguing many questions remain outstanding from a report published as part of the second stage of the consultants work.
In December the consultants published a report as part of the second stage of their work.
The report stated the City of Barrie has enough land to meet employment needs until 2051 but pointed to a potential stagnation in the short term. Instead the report says Barrie may need more land in order to reach its forecasted housing targets, as well as related employment opportunities.
That runs counter to Barrie’s original argument, which stated that it was out of available employment land and with an expansion into neighbouring municipalities, it would be best positioned to lure new large employers to the region.
“One thing I think that is important that we understand is what Hemson’s report said, and the reason I say that is I read the report and it was quite clear that Barrie has enough land to get it to 2051,” Greenlaw said during Wednesday’s meeting. “Our neighbouring municipality stated something very different in the media in regards to what the report said.”
The report indicates the city’s strongest case for annexation lies in addressing a growing housing demand, particularly for mixed-use developments that combine residential and employment opportunities.
However, upon the publication of the report, Barrie’s mayor and council had a different interpretation than Oro-Medonte’s mayor and council. Some councillors, including the mayor, expressed concerns that the available supply of vacant employment lands identified in the report were inflated.
In December Barrie councillors then passed a motion adjusting their request for more land than the original proposal to upwards of 4000 acres.
As part of stage three, Oro-Medonte councillors would like the next stage to clarify housing targets, arguing that some of Barrie’s forecasted targets are unrealistic and as such should not be the basis for requiring more land.
The mayor is also looking for clarification from the provincially-appointed mediator on the different interpretations of the stage 2 report.
Oro Medonte councillors also hope the next stage verifies developable employment lands, clarifying Barrie’s claim that many are not serviceable due to a recent change in definition of employment lands.
The City of Barrie and the Township of Springwater have also agreed to advance to the third phase of work with Hemson Consulting.
