Applications open!
As part of New Foundations 2.0, the City will conduct feasibility studies for four sites across the city to explore the potential for constructing rapid and affordable housing units. Interested landowners can apply to have their site considered, with the shared goal of supporting new housing development in Barrie.
New Foundations 1.0 was completed in 2022/2023 and focused on institutionally zoned properties, namely places of worship, and their highest and best use. This 2.0 version focuses on properties owned by non-profits, and projects that can be quickly and affordably built.
Feasibility Study Purpose
The purpose of the feasibility studies is to identify the opportunities to construct rapid housing options. Each feasibility study:
- Provides a vision for building affordable housing on a property
- Outlines the practical steps needed to turn that vision into reality; and,
- Estimates high-level development costs specific to the development options identified
These rapid forms may be compromised of modular housing, tiny homes, low-rise buildings, or other similar forms. Unlike New Foundations 1.0, the feasibility studies will not examine the highest and best use of the selected sites. Selected sites will take into consideration the neighbourhood context, planning policies, and feedback from non-profit partners/landowners (if applicable) to explore possible unit types, tenure, and building scale.
If less than four parties express interest in New Foundations 2.0, the City will select sites based on development potential and will share feasibility work with the property owner(s).
The studies aim to provide an independent, preliminary exploration of the merits and viability of development while examining all aspects of the project, including alignment with the City of Barrie policy framework (Zoning By-law and Official Plan), technical, economic, and environmental and site constraints.
Development Services Work
Staff in Development Services work with landowners to help facilitate connections with builders, operators or other interested parties to help advance their developments. This initiative provides the opportunity for staff to develop stronger relationships with service providers and non-profit organizations to further understand issues of affordability and create additional partnerships with landowners to bring affordable housing developments to fruition.
Should any of the New Foundations participants wish to proceed with the development concepts identified in the feasibility studies, a pre-consultation with the Development Services Department is the recommended next step. Pre-consultations provide landowners with detailed information related to future formal development application requirements. There are no planning application fees for affordable housing projects by non-profits or charitable organizations as these can be waived automatically through the City’s Housing Community Improvement Plan (CIP).
How to Apply
Interested landowners can apply online to have their site considered. Applications are being accepted from October 7 until October 20, 2025 at 11:59pm.
Housing Accelerator Fund
New Foundations 2.0 is funded by the Government of Canada’s Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF), and is a milestone in the City’s HAF Action Plan. Through this work the City of Barrie will explore the feasibility of constructing rapid housing options, while also testing our local land use policy framework (Official Plan policies and Zoning By-law standards) to ensure they support more housing options. For this reason, the feasibility work through New Foundations 2.0 is focused on housing that is smaller-scale, more affordable to construct, and quicker to build.
New Foundations 1.0
For information about the work completed through New Foundations 1.0, initiated by City Council motion 21-G-205, please refer to the October 2023 Update on the New Foundations Project (memo to City Council).
New Foundations 1.0, started in 2021, focused on places of worship institutionally zoned lands, and highest and best use for redevelopment, following City-initiated amendments to the Zoning By-law that introduced housing as a permitted accessory use on institutionally zoned properties.