City councillors agree that Barrie needs to branch out.
At their meeting on Wednesday night, they approved the annexation of 2,150 acres of land from Springwater and Oro-Medonte townships.
The bulk of the property would come from Springwater, about 1,472 acres, and the rest from Oro-Medonte.
In 2023, Barrie identified a need for additional employment land, and subsequent studies have determined that additional community land (housing/institutional) was also required to accommodate provincially assigned population targets to 2051.
The city says it requires over 14-hundred acres of community land and around 700 acres of employment land to support housing and jobs as Barrie grows, and that the city has the infrastructure to service the proposed annexed lands.
The proposed restructuring would be for community lands in Oro-Medonte and a mix of community and employment lands in Springwater.
Barrie is offering compensation to Springwater and Oro-Medonte for the land totalling $39 million, to be paid by 2030. Springwater would get the bulk of the cash, $22 million, to be paid in installments, while Oro-Medonte would receive a lump sum payment of just over $10 million in 2026. The framework arrived at pays Springwater and Oro-Medonte $15,000 per developable acre. An additional $850,000 over five years would be given to Springwater related to economic development initiatives, and the County of Simcoe would receive $5 million related to economic development initiatives.
Among other things, Barrie has offered water and wastewater servicing to 453 acres of Springwater, 500 City of Barrie waterfront parking passes for five years and access to Barrie's recreational programs and facilities for five years.
The draft framework agreements and a copy of the council resolution will go on to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, with a request to implement the restructuring proposal through a minister's order, which would be in accordance with the Municipal Act.
The decision taken by Barrie council does not seal the annexation deal.
It still requires approval from the province, the County of Simcoe, and councils in Springwater and Oro-Medonte.
In a news release last week, the County of Simcoe said the proposed annexation and mapping was rushed.
"The currently proposed outcomes have the potential to negatively impact the county's economy, the environment, and the future county revenues that would help offset our residents' hard-earned tax dollars," County Warden Basil Clarke was quoted in the news release.
Clarke also objected to the annexation of lands for employment purposes in the Highway 400 and 11 area, saying county council has never supported any potential discussion regarding that.
"This does not appear justifiable until well into the future and conflicts with or simply does not support other regional opportunities and investments. Based on some estimates from development proponents, adding county employment lands along the Highway 400 corridor could bring as many as 22,000 jobs and $85 million in annual tax revenue to the county."
Public meetings about the proposed annexation will be held in Springwater on Oct. 8, and Oro-Medonte is holding a public meeting on Oct. 15.
