the examiner Thursday Dec 15 1977 ll proposals for Downtown Barrie By RICHARD DUNSTAN Examiner Staff Reporter Will Barries carfilled Five Points Bayfield Dunlop Clapperton streets turn into the heart of gigantic indoor pedestrian mall Will pedestrians one day be able to walk across Dunlop Street one storey above rushhour traffic Will The Examiner have to move out of its Bayfield Street building to make room for new civic centre Will Lakeshore Drive extended to Mulcaster Street just this year be closed east of Mary Street These are just few of the possibilites raised by Barries core study consultants Wednesday when they unveiled 11 diagrams illustrating different ways of redeveloping downtown Barrie In about two months one of these concepts or varia tion of it will be chosen by city council as the basis for the downtown of the future But before that happens residents of Barrie will get chance to say which of the proposals they like or hate fr most IlBII MEETING public meeting is scheduled Jan 11 to get reaction to the alternative proposals illustrated by the diagrams on the following pages Each diagram is based on certain principles such as loca tion of major indoor mall and method of moving pedestrians Exact location of buildings shown could change as the study progresses Theres real flexibility once you understand the prin ciples says architcxtplanner Jack Diamond of Dia mond Planners one of two Toronto consulting firms working on the study Ten of the drawings show what would happen if the basic principles involved were taken to the limit by wholesale redevelopment However Diamond says the consultants realize that it may not be possible to go uite so far with any of the proposals so diagram Ezt was ad ed to the collection to show how one alternative in this case 52 could be scaled down to cost less and leave more existing buildings in place He said similar scalingdown can be done with any of the alternatives and when council chooses filial redevelop ment strategy it will be able to do the whole shot at once stop with lessambitious variation or start small and hope for more later You wouldnt have to go the whole hog Diamond told The Examiner tainesday THINGS IN COMMUN The alternative proposals have certain things In common All rely on the existing Woolworth store to serve as an an chor point midway between the east and west ends of the downtown district All were based on the assumption that the downtown retail market can su port at most an increase of about 50 per cent in store space the early 19805 All in volve rearrangement of traffiic patterns to move traffic to and through the area All include new civic centre Most of the plans also include climatecontrolled indoor mall either on existing city streets or in the middle of ex isting blocks Plans which include mall also include ma jor department store Diamond says that department store could also fit into the nonmall alternatives probably at the east end of the downtown district but it is unlikely the nonmall proposals would attract so large retailer If you want de artment store youve practically got to guarantee mall be said Wednesday After the public meeting Jan 11 consultants and city of ficials will narrow down the list of alternatives to two three or four Consultants will prepare cost figures and other details for this shorter list of alternatives to allow the core study com mittee and council to make final choice FINAL IIOICE Once the final choice is made the city will apply to the provincial government for loan funding under the ministry of housings downtown revitalization program to help make the chosen proposal reality Most of the work between the Jan ll meeting and the an nouncement scheduled for February is expected to be done in secret Consultants and city officials say they fear publicity could drive up the price of key properties needed for redevelop ment Diamond said Wednesday expropriation may be necessary to obtain land for the redevelopment project chosen by the city but Steve lanes of James Macliaren Ltd project manager for the revitalization study said even expropriation might not keep land prices from skyrocketing Diamond has recommended that the core study commit tee get legal advice on how necessary land can be secured by the city before the redevelopment plan is announced clos ed core study committee meeting is scheduled for Jan 13 to plan strategy Owners of key properties could hold the town to ransom if word of redevelopment plans is disclosed too soon Dia mond said Plan shows new government wharf as part of improved parkland development along the waterfront an expanded civic centre on the site of the present ity Hall and im provement of pedestrian facilities along existing streets vs in plan Al this plan includes parking buildings between ol Iier and Iunlop Streets added parking lots elsewhere and retail development at the west end of the downtown district but no major mall llerc Iunlop Street West itself becomes an enclosed mall from High to Hayfield with the development again in cluding major department store and parking buildings The new civic centre would go the east end of the downtown area Like this proposal would require the ex tension of Toronto Street north over Highway 400 to undlcs Road This plan would put new civic centre at Iunlop and Muttaster streets eliminate Lakeshore Drive east of Mary Street and provide pedestrian walkways through the middle of the existing city blocks Parkland and open space would be added along the waterfront and in the triangular HayfieldFlappertonollier Streets block Parking labelled on this map where dotted they buildings would be provided between Dunlop and Collier streets with surface parking lots added elsewhere in the downtown area There would be new retail development at the northeast corner of Dunlop and High streets but no ma jor mall and probably no major department store unless one could be attracted to the east end of the downtown district In this proposal the area north of Iunlop Street between Iligh and Hayfield streets would become an enclosed mall complete with climate control The development would mean closing parts of Maple Mary and Toronto streets and would include major department store plus parking The proposed mall has moved east in plan lying parallel to Iunlop and ollier streets in the middle of the existing blocks major department store would form the east end of the climatecontrolled mall with the new civic centre buildings new civic centre would go at the east end of the downtown district High Street traffic would be directed on an extended Toronto street across Highway 400 to Cundles Road and Mary Street would be extended south to Lakeshore Drive WT YTTT moved south to point near the waterfront The west end of the downtown wold have retail development at the corner of Iunlop and High streets and both enclosed and surface parking in other blocks On all maps grey blocks are proposed new buildings Grey 9stri es mark proposed surface par ing lots Stippled area is sparkland open space iv walkways CC is proposed civic centre DS major department store FS food store or supermarket PS parking structure the ex isting Woolworth store Streets are the same on all maps Heavy lines show major traffic routes pass under or through proposed structures