Innisfil councillors ignored a staff recommendation and gave the green light Wednesday night to rezone a plot of land off Big Bay Point Road for a proposed multi-use senior’s complex.
“I think they made the right decision and it will be a great addition to the community,” said Clare Riepma, Tollendale Village planning consultant.
The Tollendale Village 2 would be even bigger than the Tollendale senior’s facility on Hurst Drive in Barrie. The proposed facility would include 400 apartment units and about 200 beds in a nursing home and extended care.
It would be built just outside the Barrie city limits on Big Bay Point Road between The Queensway and Prince William Way.
Staff had recommended council not approve re-zoning the land because the proposed site is too rural and does not follow the strategic plan for the town and county. Instead, staff recommended the facility be built in a settlement area, but council voted unanimously against staff advice.
“There were concerns about natural heritage sites and environmental areas, EA's, however they've really been taken into consideration and they won't be impacted by this development,” said Deputy Mayor Daniel Davidson.
The proposed facility would include affordable housing units that are expected to make a major dent in the demand for senior housing.
“The biggest impact will be to our wait list. We have over a thousand units, which would be about 15-hundred people on our wait list,” said Tollendale Village Executive Director Drew Currie.
Even with council’s approval, the new facility isn’t yet a done deal. The proposal still requires approval from Simcoe County council.
