FAQ

An Official Plan is a long range planning document that guides the use of land in the City as well as its future growth and development. It provides direction on how and where change and growth should take place and identifies the services and facilities needed to support the development of healthy and complete communities while setting out measures to conserve our natural and cultural heritage.

In summary, it is the City's overarching master plan that sets a vision of what Barrie will be in the next 20 years and guides development for that future.

Benefits of Barrie's Official Plan include:

• Helps residents understand how their land may be used now and in the future.
• Ensures that as Barrie continues to grow, new developments meet the needs of the community.
• Provides a framework for establishing municipal zoning bylaws to set local regulations and standards, like the size of lots and height of buildings.
• Provides a way to evaluate and settle conflicting land uses while meeting local, regional and provincial interests.
  

The Official Plan update helps ensure the Official Plan continues to address local priorities and changing community needs. The province recommends that this update should be completed ten years after a municipality prepares a new comprehensive official plan or every five years after an update done through an amendment to the plan.

You can provide feedback on Draft 2 of the Official Plan by sending in your comments by email, mail, or by participating in the Public Meeting on June 2, 2021. 

How To Provide Feedback

The 90 day public consultation period is an opportunity for you to get involved in planning the future of Barrie by finding out as much as you can about the proposed Official Plan and thinking about how the plan might affect you, your property and your community,

You can provide feedback on any of the key themes that are of interest to you by:

• Providing comments at the Public Meeting on June 2, 2021.
• Emailing your comments to newbarrieop@barrie.ca
• Mailing your comments to:

City of Barrie
Attn: Tomasz Wierzba
Policy Planner
City of Barrie
City Hall, 70 Collier Street
P.O. Box 400, Barrie, ON, L4M 4T5

PLEASE NOTE: Anyone may offer written feedback on Draft 2 of the Official Plan until June 2, 2021. Comments and opinions submitted, including the originator’s name and address, will become part of the public record and may be viewed by the general public, published in a Council or Committee Report and/or be included in the Council agenda and minutes.