UPDATE: City of Barrie Closer To Deal For Fisher Auditorium
Council gives final approval to removal of some conditions in land swap with developer
Oct 1
Barrie City Council last night gave final approval to waiving a few conditions to hasten the exchange of some city-owned land for the Fisher Auditorium property on Dunlop Street.
The city is looking to turn Fisher into a new event centre.
The land, including properties on Bradford Street and Red Stoprey Field, will be used for housing.
Sep 25
The City of Barrie is another step closer to acquiring the Fisher Auditorium on Dunlop Street from a developer in exchange for lands on Bradford Street and the Red Storey Field.
Those properties would be used for new housing; the city wants to develop the auditoirum as an event centre.
RELATED: Surpassing a Large Hurdle in Making the Fisher Auditorium A Reality
City Council last night gave initial approval to the removal of certain conditions related to the exchange. The conditions relate to species at risk and their habitat, proper zoning, sufficient access to and from the property, soil conditions, environmental and archaeological assessments.
A final vote on the matter will come at next week’s council meeting.
Last March, City Council gave final approval to endorse in principle the facility design for the W. A. Fisher Auditorium and Events Centre. The project carries a budget of $25.6 million as part of the City’s 2019 capital planning process and is subject to future Council capital prioritization and approvals.
The large capacity theatre would enhance the downtown’s ‘Creative Corridor’ that includes Five Points Theatre and the MacLaren Art Centre. It would seat 400 people and its lower lobby space would have room for 100.
A conference/events centre in Barrie’s downtown has been a recognized need for several years. City staff have encouraged Barrie’s cultural and business community to create a not-for-profit corporation to operate the facility. There would also be a capital fundraising campaign.
