The City is pleased to announce that we have come to an agreement with Kevin Lowe of Lowe Properties Limited. The City has been in negotiations for the last few months with regard to the City leasing lands in order to create a temporary parkette at the 5 Points in Downtown Barrie.

“We are very pleased to have had entered into an initial lease term of 12 months with the option for renewal with the current land owner,” comments Jeff Lehman, Mayor of Barrie. “The lease is temporary in the interim of the owner seeking an anchor tenant and future redevelopment of this prominent and strategically located parcel of land.”

The parkette is being designed by the City’s Parks Planning staff. Initial thoughts are that the parkette will include trees and flowers, sod and walkways. Works and materials will be limited in scope to minimize any throw-away costs, but will provide a needed improvement to this key corner at the centre of the historic downtown, as it awaits redevelopment. With the agreement now in place, the City intends to work continuously with the landowner to encourage redevelopment of this site.

In the interim, the City will be undertaking pre-grading of the site and the placement of planters with Spruce trees, trimmed with boughs for the festive and winter season. Staff will report to Council in the winter with the design and estimated costs for implementation in the spring. Part of the design and implementation will include salvage of other materials, vegetation and planters, that are already owned by the City, in order to keep the costs low.

For more information contact:

Janet Foster
City Centre Revitalization Coordinator
City of Barrie
705-739-4220, Ext. 4517
jfoster@barrie.ca