BARRIE - City officials are negotiating for a little more land needed for a proposed community/commercial sports stadium, in and around property where the former Fisher Auditorium once stood.
Michael Prowse, the city’s chief administrative officer, told Barrie councillors March 26 that resolution of these talks is a month or two away.
“It became clear that the footprint that we (the city) actually owned at the (former Barrie Central Collegiate) site, while it would be adequate for a sports field (it) would be inadequate for a sports stadium,” he said. “But there is still interest in pursuing the sports stadium.
“The sports stadium had a timeline which was dictated not by the municipality (the city) but in fact by the interested parties," Prowse added. "Subsequent to council’s decision on that, that timeline changed and I think the business circumstances around that changed. My understanding is there still is interest there just isn’t that critical timeline.”
At one point, this land was being considered for a soccer stadium, to become the new home of the Simcoe County Rovers soccer team, along Dunlop Street West.
There was also to be a major city announcement concerning a new stadium, and a big-name commercial partner, but it never materialized.
Prowse said the city has been speaking with the property owner about acquiring a little more land to determine if a sports stadium is feasible at that site.
“I would say while it is still not quite at the finish line, we’ve had pretty positive dialogue with the landowner, who is interested in trying to facilitate something significant in that area and work with the city,” he said. “We remain optimistic we will be able to secure some additional land.”
Prowse said that decision would come back to council in a month or two.
“Then we’ll know what footprint we have and whether it could potentially be a stadium or simply a sports field,” he said.
Whether a sports stadium or sports field gets built at the former Fisher site is part of an ongoing saga stretching back to last spring.
In May 2024, council approved building a synthetic turf, multi-purpose youth sports field and Sea Cadets parade grounds, close to Lakeshore Drive, on a portion of Allandale Station Park, by Barrie’s waterfront.
But nearly unprecedented residents’ opposition to the location derailed the project.
By October, the plan was for a new multi-use sports field at the old Barrie Central Collegiate or Fisher site, or a community/commercial stadium.
City staff would also prepare a design concept to locate a passive park, east of the Southshore Centre, to include a minimum of two acres of grass cut area, and accessible walkways through the naturalized area.
The Fisher/Central land is part of 34, 36, 38, 40, 44 and 50 Bradford St., a long-planned but not realized residential development of 623 units.
HIP Developments/High Park Living has rezoning approval and a proposed site plan, pending submission by the developer.
The latest plans for the property are for two residential apartment buildings of 29 storeys (276 units) and 25 storeys (228 units) sharing a six-storey podium (119 units).
“As of today, I have no update as to the plans for the property,” High Park Living president Jeffrey Roher wrote in e-mail March 27. “There is nothing that needs to be made public at this time.”
