The Official Plan: Supporting a Prosperous City
Explore how the new Official Plan's policy directions support the sub themes of a Waterfront & Green City. You can provide your feedback on this theme by using the online comment sheet or by visiting the project page to learn about more feedback options.
Protecting Employment Areas
How do we protect employment areas from erosion by retail and commercial uses?
What you said: This discussion revolved around the need to ensure that the city’s industrial parks and business parks continue to thrive as places to locate a business and as employment generators. Stakeholders indicated that employment lands need more flexibility and innovation in how employment uses are defined and separated. Farmers markets and public markets were the types of places to shop that respondents of the “Image Prioritization Survey” wanted to see more of in Barrie. In order to support and attract employment, the OP must identify the types of employment we want and where it may be best suited to be located in Barrie.
Policy Direction: Clearly define and differentiate “employment land” from “population-related employment” in the Official Plan, and establish policies that direct them to appropriate locations.
How can the City support and enhance Employment Areas?
What you said: The discussion focused around the need to have a clear distinction between strategic employment districts and employment areas. Employment areas should accommodate traditional industrial employment uses (e.g., manufacturing and warehousing) that need to be separated from more sensitive uses. It was also evident that the new Official Plan needs policies that support Employment Areas as they are key to the City’s economic growth.
Policy Direction: Barrie will identify Employment Areas throughout the City; lands within Employment Areas will be preserved for industrial employment uses. Complementary and employment-supportive uses will be located outside of and adjacent to Employment Areas. Employment Areas will be located adjacent or in close proximity to freight-supportive transportation corridors.
Employment Districts
How can Barrie support the cultivation of employment districts? Where would they be best located?
What you said: This discussion revolved around exploring various locations in the city as well as different types of employment districts (traditional industrial district versus a health care campus district) with the city embracing the concept of “Strategic Economic and Employment Districts (SEEDs)”. The need for clear employment district and employment area policies was evident. Protecting employment and securing well-paying jobs in Barrie was identified as a key priority by the public and stakeholders.
Policy Direction: Designated Strategic Economic and Employment Districts (SEEDs) will be identified throughout the City to support and attract innovative industries that provide well-paying jobs. SEED's will target specific industries while remaining flexible to permit a mix of uses.
How can land use planning facilitate growth of creative industries in Barrie?
What you said: This discussion revolved around innovation, reducing red tape, and permissive land use planning for areas in the city that could be conductive to attracting and meeting the needs of the film industry – for example, locating film studios within traditional business parks. Feedback included wanting to see Barrie diversify its economy and aim to attract new businesses and industries to Barrie. Facilitating the growth of a film industry in Barrie is an example of a new industry that would help boost Barrie’s economy and attract businesses and tourists to the City.
Policy Direction: Barrie has a growing creative economy which will be supported by land use policies that foster the development of creative clusters that serve the needs of employees and industry.
Public Consultation Quotes
"The OP should encourage and sustain economic development (jobs) which should lessen tax burden."- Feedback from OP Project Workshop
"We need to understand that immigration will play a bigger role in our future so helping those new the City find employment is important."- Feedback from Phase 1 Forum Discussion
"Create the right environment so more who live here can work here. How can we find ways to link the OP to economic growth, jobs, etc."- Feedback from OP Project Workshop