YMCA closing in on deal with City of Barrie for new facility location

After a years-long search, a major community stakeholder may be finding its new home in Barrie.

On Wednesday, city councillors gave approval to the city's chief administrative officer (CAO) and the mayor to move forward with finalizing a lease for a portion of 555 Bayview Drive to the YMCA of Simcoe Muskoka. That is the same property where the Sadlon Arena is.

"The YMCA was a staple in this community; it continues to serve our community very well, and my hope is that that service will grow over the coming years," Mayor Alex Nuttall said to CTV News. "There's also opportunities with regards to housing and other items, immigration services that come through the YMCA as well, and those are very, very valuable services here in the City of Barrie."

The YMCA has been looking for a site to host a new facility but has not finalized a spot. City councillors discussed providing a portion of the Sadlon Arena property to the YMCA last week, although those conversations were held initially confidentially during an in-camera session of council.

While the lot has now been confirmed, the precise location on the Sadlon Arena property where a new YMCA facility may go has not been made public. The mayor says that should happen in the coming weeks.

"I think it would be helpful if it's council's wish to provide that information to the public; they should give us that direction," CAO Michael Prowse said during Wednesday's meeting. "Otherwise confidential matters of council remain confidential until such time as council releases it."

The YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka says the proposed modern community centre will feature best-in-class health and fitness facilities and programs. The building would also feature an aquatic centre, youth outreach programs and transitional housing, community meeting spaces, rehabilitation programs, and an indoor playground.

City councillors have also been updated on the city's New Foundations project. Staff have conducted preliminary studies with various interested churches and not-for-profits. The program seeks to work with these sectors to use their land or infrastructure to create affordable housing opportunities.

According to the staff report, more than 1300 units could be created through this program, which has the mayor's full support.

"If there's an opportunity to get free or close to free land to building housing on, that's a major piece of the puzzle in order to get affordable and attainable housing in place," Nuttall said.

Councillor Craig Nixon has also asked staff to investigate reducing the speed limit on Lakeshore Drive between Tiffin and Mulcaster Streets to 40 kilometres an hour. Nixon says the issue took up a majority of time at a recent ward town hall.

"It's a safety concern," Nixon said to CTV News. "We've also got a lot of people who are parking on the west side of the street trying to cross the road, and anytime you can reduce the speed limit, it's a huge reduction in chances of not just injuries but fatalities."