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Planning Services in Barrie

Fixed-fee land use planning across the City of Barrie, from minor variances to rezonings and Official Plan Amendments. Every file reviewed and signed by a Registered Professional Planner.

Planning in Barrie

Barrie pairs a designated urban growth centre and intensifying city centre with substantial greenfield growth at its edges. We work across the city with a fixed fee confirmed before any work begins.

Here is how planning approvals work in Barrie, the bodies that decide them, and the applications we handle here.

How planning approvals work in Barrie

Minor variances and consents in Barrie are decided by the Committee of Adjustment. Larger applications, rezonings and Official Plan Amendments, go to City Council through its committee process, following the full Planning Act route: pre-application consultation, required studies, a Planning Justification Report, a statutory public meeting, and a council decision.

Development is governed by the City of Barrie Official Plan and the city's zoning by-laws. Provincial policy, including the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, also applies, particularly in and around Barrie's urban growth centre, where intensification is directed.

Barrie's city centre and urban growth centre carry their own intensification policies and urban design guidelines, which shape how higher-density proposals in those areas are assessed.

Applications we handle in Barrie

Minor Variance Zoning By-law Amendment Official Plan Amendment OPA + ZBA Combined Site Plan Consent (Severance) Draft Plan of Subdivision Draft Plan of Condominium

What to know about developing in Barrie

Barrie's planning framework concentrates higher-density growth in its city centre and urban growth centre, where the policy supports intensification, and applies a more conservative approach in established residential areas. A proposal's prospects turn heavily on which of these contexts the site sits in.

Provincial direction matters more in Barrie than in many municipalities, because the city is a designated growth centre under the Growth Plan. Intensification proposals in the right locations align with that direction, which can strengthen the planning case.

FAQ

Common questions about planning in Barrie

Minor variances and consents are decided by the Committee of Adjustment. Rezonings and Official Plan Amendments go to City Council through its committee process. The route depends on what your project requires.
Yes, more than in many municipalities. Barrie is a designated urban growth centre under the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, so provincial direction toward intensification in the right locations applies and can strengthen the planning case for well-located proposals.
Barrie's Official Plan concentrates intensification in its city centre and urban growth centre, which carry their own policies and urban design guidelines. Established residential areas carry a higher policy bar for significant change. Confirming the context for a site is the first step.
Permit.Land charges fixed planning fees, for example from $5,000 for a minor variance and from $15,000 for a rezoning, confirmed before work begins. The city's own application fees and any required studies are separate and disclosed up front.
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