Barrie Needs to Better Prepare for Population Growth
City Needs to Review Policy and Encourage Intensification Outside Traditional Areas
Barrie has to better prepare for a ballooning population. A presentation at City Hall Monday evening, shows the city’s population is expected to go from last year’s 147,000 to over 253,000 by 2041. That means the city has to prepare for not only more housing, but also more jobs; Staff projections indicate there will be a need for 129,000 jobs in the city in that time. Monday’s presentation by city staff calls for increases to population density growth in not only the city’s intensification areas, but beyond those nodes, through not only further study and conversation with stakeholders, but also a review of City Hall policies. To those who wonder why Barrie needs to grow more, Mayor Jeff Lehman points out it benefits everyone.
He adds the city needs to grow, if only to lure in more jobs.
The presentation also suggests City Hall conduct an awareness campaign to help remove the negative perception of medium and high density developments.
