39Barrie Waterfront + Marina Strategic Plan - A Framework for Success

Implementing the many recommendations outlined in this Waterfront + Marina Strategic Plan and ensuring the continued success of Barrie’s waterfront will require new strategies and tools. The following economic development opportunities and administrative strategy establish a framework for success.

5 Framework for SuccessEconomic DevelopmentAlthough the waterfront is one of Barrie’s primary assets for attracting people and businesses, up until now, the City has controlled commercial activity along the waterfront and limited opportunities for private sector commercial development, which remain virtually non-existent today. This Waterfront + Marina Strategic Plan recognizes that the primary role of the waterfront is recreational, and that there is great emphasis placed on providing free and public access to the shoreline. It also recognizes that successful waterfronts around the world include private sector retail opportunities that generate substantial activity and enliven the overall experience for visitors. Waterfront restaurants, shops and smaller-scale kiosks and collections of kiosks selling arts, crafts and convenience items and food are simply part of the complex of activity that draw tourists and residents alike to the waterfront. Enhancing these types of economic development opportunities is consistent with Council’s Strategic Plan (2010-2014), which provides direction to “create a vibrant and healthy city centre” by improving connections to the waterfront, and promoting the waterfront and downtown to residents and visitors.

This Plan does not recommend a wholesale commercialization of Barrie’s waterfront, but it does promote a well-managed approach for introducing opportunities for commercial development in phases and in key locations. The proposed approach to economic development protects the waterfront from inappropriate uses and developments, while promoting those uses that will enhance the overall appeal of the City. To this end, this Chapter outlines a number of economic development opportunities that will increase the vitality of the waterfront while reinforcing its intended character and function. As part of the

effort to facilitate water-focused economic development that is in keeping with the vision and principles of this Plan, a number of tools are proposed to balance the influence of new economic development activities with the other recreational and cultural activities that are part of the Barrie waterfront experience; these tools include:

1. Events/Public Space Programming

2. Blue Flag Beaches

3. Group Events at Park Pavilions

4. Small-Scale Commercial Opportunities/Kiosks

5. Commercial Uses in Parks

6. Larger-Scale Commercial Opportunities

7. New and Improved Marina Opportunities

8. Sports Tourism

9. Land Development Opportunities

Festivals & events City of Barrie City of Barrie Marina

40 Barrie Waterfront + Marina Strategic Plan - Framework for Success

1. Events/Public Space ProgrammingIt is estimated that the City of Barrie waterfront and downtown accommodate nearly 90 events or festivals over the course of one year. These events and festivals vary in scale and impact, but are concentrated on summer weekends, and within Centennial Park, Heritage Park and Downtown Barrie. Events contribute to the vitality of Barrie’s community, animate public spaces and are one of the community’s primary attractions for tourists.

Events and festivals are an integral part of the City of Barrie Waterfront, but it is essential that they are planned in such a way as to minimize any negative impacts on residents, and to maximize their benefits to the City at large. Through the process of preparing this Waterfront + Marina Strategic Plan, the economic benefits that accrue from these festivals and events were recognized, as were the many social benefits, including greater interaction, community engagement and a sense of pride. However, concerns were raised by some stakeholders such as the need to balance the number of events and diversify locations, the lack of alternate spaces for events, and managing the sound, traffic and number of people using the waterfront resources.

During the preparation of this Waterfront & Marina Strategic Plan, a Community Events Working Group was formed and is already working to:

• improve communication between City departments involved in events;

• develop an events strategy to determine the City’s focus and priorities;

• improve upon the policies and procedures that currently exist;

• update the City of Barrie’s Special Event Planning Guide;

• assess and adjust the current fee structure for Special Event Permits and all related services; and,

• will ultimately develop a Special Event By-law.

The group also discusses upcoming events and special requests or challenges in relation to events. The group is chaired by the General Manager of the Infrastructure and Growth Management Division, and consists of representation from all departments that work with event organizers – Municipal Law Prosecutions Services (MLPS) and Building Services, Road and Park Operations and outside groups such as the Barrie Police Service (BPS).

Recommendations1. Instruct the Community Events Working Group to develop a Waterfront Events & Festivals

Strategy, that includes an evaluation of all current, and anticipated new events/festivals to:

• determine the expected attendance, scope and type of event/festival;

• assess impacts (example - traffic, noise, impact on residents, the local economy, etc.);

• review the event/festival fit and size within the mandate of the waterfront, and the principles of this Plan with a focus on quality events that will enhance the City’s profile and are unique to Barrie;

• the locational and space requirements, with the objective of equitably decentralizing some events away from the focus on the Central Waterfront (Centennial Park and Heritage Park); and,

• the anticipated operational expenses, and the relationship to service requirements, operational and permit fees.

2. Consider identifying an alternative location(s) away from the waterfront to accommodate large festivals and events, private events (such as corporate picnics); sporting events, and events that may require a controlled space and that could be used to generate revenue. In identifying an alternative location, the City should consider impacts on adjacent communities, access (multi-use paths, bike lanes and transit, and proximity to highways), in addition to the potential economic benefits that a large event area would generate.

Group events at park pavillions

2. Blue Flag BeachesBlue Flag is a voluntary eco-label that has been awarded to 3850 beaches and marinas in 46 countries across the globe. Certified beaches can be found throughout the Great Lakes, including on Lake Ontario, Georgian Bay, Lake Erie, and Lake Huron. The Blue Flag program promotes sustainable development of beaches and marinas, and only certifies beaches that comply with a strict criteria dealing with Water Quality, Environmental Education and Information, Environmental Management, Safety and Other Services. Along with the environmental benefits, Blue Flag certification is a great tool for promoting beaches as safe and attractive places to visit and recreate.

Recommendation1. Investigate the application process, requirements and promotional opportunities

associated with Blue Flag certification for the marina and beaches across the waterfront, beginning with Centennial Beach.

3. Group Events at Park Pavilions, Courts & Fields

The many pavilions and sports fields located in Activity Centres across the waterfront are well-used for gatherings, such as picnics and charity events, and there is an emerging demand for courts for soft sports like bocce, lawn bowling, and badminton. To help groups plan their events and ensure a pavilion, court or field is available for use on the day of their event, a reservation system is needed. The reservation system could also be used by organizers to schedule private events at pavilions, such as weddings, family gatherings or corporate picnics. Those bookings should be coordinated with both the City’s Facility and Community Events Branches to minimize conflicts. Community posting boards at each site should also be established to publicly advertise the scheduled bookings and improve attendance.

Recommendations1. Establish policies and procedures to facilitate and permit the reservation of waterfront park

pavilions, courts and fields for group events, with provisions that specify:

• limits on the number of people who can attend an event based on the pavilion site capacity; size thresholds for each pavilion within permit registration;

• hours of operation for each rental and, posting boards to list upcoming events/activities;

• clean up and damage deposits for larger events; and,

• a permit fee structure based on attendance to off-set the cost of the reservation system and to contribute to the cost of maintaining and improving the pavilion structures, fields, courts and associated facilities.

2. To avoid on-site conflicts, implement a public communications strategy regarding the procedure for reserving a pavilion, field or court for an activity, event or family gathering, and event listing options. Locations for communications could include parks and recreation guides, the City’s web site, City page in local newspaper (i.e. This Week in Barrie), radio community notices, ward and mayor open houses, councillor newsletters, and the Tourism Barrie Office.

Blue Flag beach candidates

41Barrie Waterfront + Marina Strategic Plan - A Framework for Success

Kiosk

4. Restrict kiosks to Primary and Secondary Activity Centres only, and only permit clusters (of up to 4 kiosks) in Primary Activity Centres.

5. At a minimum, provide the kiosks with electricity. Where feasible, also provide public water services.

6. Review the Parks By-law to include the short-term and/or seasonal use of kiosks and/or food trucks within City waterfront parkland and, accordingly, amend these by-laws to accommodate their use.

5. Commercial Uses in ParksWaterfront parks are an attractive place that can be used to carry out business activities related to a variety of uses and activities. Many commercialusesinparksnaturally seek out pleasant locations, like the waterfront, that promote a particular experience for participants and are currently an unregulated activity within our park system, including such uses as fitness classes, bootcamps, other low impact sports, as well as watercraft uses on the waterfront and scuba diving.

Recommendations1. Establish policies and procedures to facilitate and permit commercialusesinparksalong the

waterfront, and ensure these policies and procedures include provisions to:

• Identify accessible and visible waterfront areas where low-levels of use by the public could accommodate potential commercialusesinparks,andinordertoensureeffectivemanagementwill be permitted to focus on:

- Johnson’s Beach, Nelson Square, St. Vincent Park, Kempenfelt Park, Minet’s Point Park, Tollendal Woods Park, and, Tyndale Park;

• License business operators and charge a fee for the use to cover park maintenance and to derive the desired economic development benefit to the City;

• Limit commercialusesinparks to times of the day when the park space is not heavily utilized by the public;

• Limit the size of an individual commercialfitnessuseinparks(i.e. number of participants);

• Limit the number of businesses within this category, while remembering to accommodate winter activities;

• Institute annual diving permits to offset the insurance costs associated with regulations and safety around the dive location; and,

• Where the City’s Recreation, Facilities and Transit Department offers a similar activity, the City program has “use” priority on City property.

6. Larger-Scale Commercial Opportunities As a natural attraction, the water’s edge is a tremendous business opportunity to locate commercial facilities, such as restaurants and hotels with banquet and convention facilities that enhance tourism opportunities, as well as other retail and commercial office space that bring everyday vitality to the waterfront.

4. Small-Scale Commercial Opportunities/Kiosks

Barrie’s waterfront currently supports locations for some small scale commercial activities. These opportunities, which are located primarily at Centennial Park, should continue and should be augmented and supported in other key waterfront park locations.

One of the “Big Ideas” presented in Chapter 3 of this Strategic Plan is to introduce City-owned kiosks at key locations along the waterfront that provide tourist information, facilities and services, along with rental space for small-scale commercial uses including opportunities for take-out food and beverages, beachwear, and fishing gear and bait, and rentals and lessons for water-based activities, such as canoeing, kayaking and paddle boarding. Providing rentals and facilities for winter activities (such as ice fishing) at these kiosks will enhance the year-round use of the waterfront.

These small-scale commercial uses will make the waterfront more attractive for visitors, and generate revenue for the City and the private sector. The kiosks will be owned and maintained by the City, which will be responsible for administering an approval and licensing process to manage the operation of kiosks across the waterfront, and for collecting seasonal rental fees.

Recommendations

1. Implement pilot programs for small-scale commercial opportunities along the waterfront, including:

• small-scale commercial seasonal opportunities, such as paddle boards and bicycle rentals; and,

• small-scale mobile vendor opportunities such as for food trucks.

Establish operating requirements as part of the pilot programs, and ensure information is collected and reported for evaluating the activity and success of these commercial services.

2. Undertake the following actions to implement small-scale commercial uses at City-owned kiosks:

• Undertake a detailed design for the kiosks;

• Kiosk design and construction should have the potential to incorporate tourist information, self-contained washroom facilities, and small-scale retail facilities;

• The City is to establish procedures for:

- approving and licensing the kiosks; and,

- charging a seasonal rental fee that covers all costs for the kiosk placement and servicing including maintenance and revenue generation.

2. Retain public ownership and maintenance of the kiosks to ensure they contribute to waterfront excellence, and quality of “image” along the waterfront.

3. Ensure kiosks are located on public land adjacent to the public trail network or a public road, as appropriate.

To promote this opportunity, the City has identified two City-owned sites for the development of commercial facilities that can best leverage a waterfront location. The first is at the End of Bayfield/Spirit Catcher Park/City of Barrie Marina, which is proposed to include a new marina-focused building with a banquet hall and facilities for transient boaters, as well as a flexible open space that can be used for winter boat storage, ice melt activities, or for events, festivals and the extension of the proposed farmer’s market at the foot of Bayfield Street, depending on the season. The development of a second building at the west of the Spirit Catcher Park is considered in the conceptual design only with several different options being illustrated.

The second large-scale commercial development opportunity is located in Allandale Station Park, and includes the construction of a new “Boat House” adjacent to the South Shore Community Centre. The Boat House is intended to develop as a water-based sports tourism facility with a restaurant, roof-top patio, banquet facilities, and boat storage. The building is also intended to serve as the Sea Cadets new location.

Development concepts for these two strategic areas are provided in Chapter 4 of this Strategic Plan.

Recommendation

1. Undertake Council-approved comprehensive planning processes prior to proceeding with the (re)development of End of Bayfield/Spirit Catcher Park. This process should consider the form of development, including opportunities for public/private partnerships and/or private lease arrangements, and/or private vendor arrangements.

Dining on the waterfront (Image courtesy of Jeppe Wilkstrom)

42 Barrie Waterfront + Marina Strategic Plan - Framework for Success

7. New and Improved Marina OpportunitiesThe City of Barrie Marina is a high-quality facility for seasonal users, but currently lacks appropriate facilities to attract transient boaters. This facilities gap is a significant missed opportunity for the marina to become an economic development generator and more vibrant waterfront attraction. Fishing charters and dinner cruise charters are another economic development opportunity for bringing new people and business to the City’s marina. A preferred design for marina expansion, with potential locations for the transient and charter boat operations, is provided in Chapter 4 of this Strategic Plan .

In addition to adjustments to the configuration of the Marina to promote transient users, the economic potential of this area is also linked to the redevelopment proposed for the Spirit Catcher Park, as identified in Chapter 4 of this Plan, and in the previous section. Together, the transient marina component, the addition of water-based commercial activity and the development of Spirit Catcher Park are expected to establish Barrie as a destination waterfront, attracting the boating public to the City, and especially Downtown Barrie.

Here, two separate commercial opportunities exist. The first being the transient basin which accommodates tourist pedestrian activity, sunset and dinner boat cruises, and activities tailored for leisure boaters; the second is more commercially-based, offering fishing and boating charter activities. The second marina building and accompanying management components will enhance opportunities and the City’s second boat launch.

Enhancing the tourism experience at the transient basin (Bayfield basin) could be accomplished through reserved boat slips, advanced registration via computer, access to new building for services, supplies, better tourism information and mapping of local groceries and downtown food, drink and entertainment establishments, etc.

Recommendations

1. Focus future capital expenditures for marina expansion on facilities that will attract a greater number of transient boaters to the City and stimulate economic development opportunities. Such facilities include:

• Dedicated transient boater slips, of various sizes, that are suitable to accommodate overnight guests, and include access to electricity, water and WiFi service;

• Washroom and shower facilities;

• Laundry facilities; and,

• Boating/sailing, convenience-focused retail facilities in cooperation with local grocery stores and retail facilities (eg. delivery services for groceries).

2. Implement an online reservation system for the transient slips to permit users to book and pay for slips in advance of their arrival.

3. Undertake the following activities to accommodate fishing and dinner cruise charters:

• provide docking areas with sufficient space suitable for loading of guests and supplies;

• provide dedicated boat slips for charters;

• charge an appropriate fee for use of dedicated boat slips that recognizes the commercial activity; and,

• license charter operators to ensure the safety and quality of the service.

4. If interest by charter operators outpaces the supply of space at the marina, the City should issue a request for proposals from interested parties, and make a selection based on criteria that maximizes the economic benefits to the City.

5. Update City’s By-laws to allow for and include that expanded commercial activities within the marina, and identify all new standards necessary for their design and location.

Land Development OpportunitiesKirby RegattaBarrie Marina

8. Sports TourismWater-based sporting events, such as competitive rowing, sailing, dragon boats, and windsurfing can draw tourists to Barrie’s waterfront, and generate spin-off economic benefits for the local economy. As part of its strategy to attract water-based sporting events, the City has prepared a conceptual site plan for a permanent sports tourism facility along the South Shore, as shown in Chapter 4 of this Strategic Plan, and known as the Boat House. The facility design satisfies a number of minimum requirements that have been identified by key stakeholders, including access to the water’s edge and the ability to load various forms of small watercraft into and out of Kempenfelt Bay. The facility is also flexible enough to accommodate various scales of events, with space for staging, storage, a banquet hall, and washroom and shower facilities. Depending on the design and operation, this sports tourism facility may accommodate a range of other activities, and longer-term tenants. Refer to Chapter 4 for the conceptual design plan and recommendations on proceeding with detailed design, construction and programming of the new water-based sports tourism facility at the Southshore Community Centre.

9. Land Development OpportunitiesOne of the major attributes of Barrie’s waterfront is the substantial supply of land. While the emphasis will be on maintaining public ownership of the shoreline there will also be opportunities for selling, leasing, or co-developing waterfront lands, and/or swapping city-owned lands for additional water’s edge property. Where opportunities present themselves, the City may consider approving waterfront lands for short-term lease, long-term lease, long-term lease with the option to buy, and/or private-public partnerships to develop land under the City’s ownership.

Recommendation

1. Ensure that if any public waterfront land is to be leased, sold, co-developed or swapped, the overriding objective is that the lease/sale/co-development/swap is in the public interest and contributes to the improvement of the public waterfront park system.

43Barrie Waterfront + Marina Strategic Plan - A Framework for Success

Administrative StrategyAdministratively, Barrie’s waterfront is managed through an ad hoc collaboration among an array of City departments. This administrative approach has worked well over the past several years based on cooperation among departments, as well as well-developed personal relationships within the ranks of City Staff. It is now anticipated, as the City continues to grow, and more and more stress is placed on the Barrie waterfront, that a new Waterfront Administrative Strategy is needed to clearly define how departments should interact with one another and who should take the lead and ultimately be held accountable for the ongoing maintenance, programming and development of the waterfront. Numerous departments have overlapping responsibilities and interests related to the planning, construction, operation and maintenance of parks, facilities, and infrastructure along the waterfront, as well as the coordination of events. These departments include Roads & Parks Operations; Recreation, Facilities & Transit; Engineering; Economic Development; Culture; Finance; and, Planning Services. Coordination is required because these independent departments lack the mandate to manage the types of comprehensive planning and physical improvements being proposed through the Strategic Plan .

Waterfront Working Group The new Waterfront Administration Strategy is based on the philosophy that the long-term development of the Barrie waterfront must serve the public interest and ensure that the vision and principles of the Waterfront + Marina Strategic Plan will be considered and upheld.

One central component of the Waterfront Administrative Strategy is the establishment of a new Waterfront Working Group that is governed by a clear Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU will articulate a common understanding of the departments’ working relationship as it pertains to the waterfront. In particular, the MOU will outline the following goal, objective, structure, functions and roles of the Waterfront Working Group and its component members, which have been identified in consultation with City staff:

Goal: To protect, preserve and promote the vitality of the Barrie waterfront

Objective: To better manage and regulate development and activity within Barrie waterfront to ensure that it continues to be a vibrant and active district of the City, while mitigating conflicts between uses/users and reducing impacts on the environment and its cultural legacy.

Structure: The Waterfront Working Group membership should be headed by a senior City staff member from the City department that is best equipped to achieve the goal and objective of the mandate, with dedicated staff support from all other affected City departments.

The remaining members of the Group should be other senior staff members (e.g. managers directly involved in the waterfront) cross-appointed from all relevant City departments As all individual departments do, this Working Group should take direction from, and report to City Council, specifically, the Transportation and Economic Development Committee and a Waterfront Steering Committee. The Group should be convened on a monthly basis, with a defined agenda managed by the Chair.

Role & Responsi-bilities

The primary role of the Waterfront Working Group will be to implement the objectives and recommendations of the Waterfront + Marina Strategic Plan. The Group will develop and coordinate overall planning, initiatives and budget for the waterfront in relation to Council Strategic Priorities, including for parkland, infrastructure improvements, and a variety of uses including events; the City of Barrie Marina; economic development; and environmental management.

In particular the Waterfront Working Group will be responsible for:

• Establishing and prioritizing a list of waterfront projects for annual Business Plan submissions;

• Developing a Communications Plan to advise the public of operational changes and to establish a point of contact for all waterfront inquiries;

• Implementing revisions to the Business Licensing By-law, the Park Use By-law, and the Fees By-law to facilitate business opportunities along the waterfront in accordance with this Plan;

• Updating the operations policies for the City’s marina to permit additional commercial activities such as fishing, sailing and boating charters;

• Reviewing and updating the land development policy framework as needed to support waterfront planning objectives, including:

• Preparing a new policy to require shadow and wind studies for all new development that could impact the waterfront park system;

• Updating parkland dedication requirements to optimize the amount of funds available for the waterfront parkland system; and,

• Reviewing the use of financial incentives within the Development Charges By-law to encourage growth within the urban growth centre, including on key publicly and privately owned waterfront sites.

The Working Group Chair will act as:

• A champion for change on the waterfront, consistent with the Plan;

• A Leader who fully engages department heads and demonstrates the Waterfront Working Group’s commitment and unity when pursuing regulatory changes and/or public realm improvements that may be required to implement the Plan; and,

• The face and voice of the waterfront who acts as the primary advocate for the shared interests of municipal departments when dealing with all issues of waterfront.

Working Group members will:

• Act as stewards of the Waterfront + Marina Strategic Plan within their own departments; and,

• Be responsible for communicating the ongoing activities of their department as they pertain to the waterfront to the Group as a whole.

The Working Group as a whole will:

• Share information on the ongoing activities of the individual departments as they pertain to the waterfront;

• Identify opportunities to address potential challenges, minimize conflicts, overcome constraints and maximize the impact of investments in the waterfront;

• Coordinate interdepartmental work to implement the Waterfront + Marina Strategic Plan and any other work that may involve the waterfront;

• Monitor the interdepartmental work on the waterfront and prepare annual progress reports on the Plan; and,

• Coordinate future Strategic Plan Updates and any public consultation events pertaining to the waterfront.

Dragon boat racing (Image courtesy of Barrie Examiner)Commercial uses in parks (Image courtesy of self.com)

44 Barrie Waterfront + Marina Strategic Plan - Framework for Success

Waterfront CoordinatorA dedicated Waterfront Coordinator will be needed to assist the Working Group in their day-to-day management of the operational, maintenance, business and administration of the Central Waterfront, including the City of Barrie Marina. It is expected that the Waterfront Coordinator will be the primary contact for all waterfront-related inquiries, and will be expected to manage these inquiries with the assistance of all other City departments.

Recommendations1. To implement the Waterfront Administration Strategy in the immediate term, the City

shall:

• establish a mandate for the Waterfront Working Group that focuses on implementing the objectives and recommendations of the Waterfront + Marina Strategic Plan and managing the City of Barrie Marina;

• identify and assign appropriate senior-level staff to serve as members on the Working Group; and,

• prepare a Memorandum of Understanding for the Working Group in consultation with its members that articulates a common understanding of the departments’ working relationship as it pertains to the waterfront. The MOU you should clearly define the Working Group’s goal, objective, structure, functions, and the roles of its members.

Waterfront Administration Strategy

Structured on clear goals and objectives for long-term waterfront development

Transportation and Economic Development Committee

Receives regular updates on management of waterfront infrastructure from the Infrastructure & Growth Management Division

Waterfront Steering Committee

Role - to implement the objectives and recommendations of the Strategic Plan

Monthly updates to Infrastructure and Growth Management Divisional Directors

To include Strategic Portfolio input as required

Waterfront Working Group

Representation from each of the seven departments that influence the waterfront

park system

Oversees Waterfront Coordinator and implementation of capital and operating

costs

Working Group MOU, Policy & by-law updates, management of cultural eventss

and commercial acitivies, and budget recommendations

Waterfront Coordinator

Oversees staff in the implementation of day-to-day tasks. Main public contact, including for park and open space issues, events and festivals, buildings, programs, playgrounds,

beaches, etc