Five Points Development Could Be Icon In Barrie

"Long time coming" says Councillor Rose Romita

Downtown councillor Rose Romita has made no secret of her support for a 20-storey condo development at the Five Points. She says it’s been a long time coming, would be an icon in the downtown core and would help meet the demands of a growing population. And while there were concerns raised at a public meeting last night about the height of the building and the setback, Romita says most of the residents in attendance were in favour of the project. The city’s height bylaw precludes buildings this high, but exceptions have been made for other downtown projects. The proposal is in the hands of city staff which will report back to council with its recommendations in early April.

Council also voted last night to sell of five downtown parking lots which council says are underutilized. The hope is developers who buy the land will use it for affordable housing projects.  Councillor Romita says this will also help meet the city’s growth needs.

5 Points