On a brisk June morning, as excavators churned up the familiar ground of Rose Street, Barrie residents looked on—not just at a construction site, but at the foundation of a future built for everyone. Here, the Simcoe Project moves from blueprint to reality, anchoring a promise: community benefit, not just concrete and steel.
The county’s largest affordable housing initiative to date is more than a feat of engineering. With two towers rising—one nine storeys, the other eleven—this $128-million endeavour brings together funding from the County of Simcoe, the City of Barrie, Orillia, and the province. The numbers are imposing, but the vision is plain: provide a place to belong for hundreds of families, seniors, and those who need support most.
But what does “affordable, mixed-income housing” mean on the ground? For Simcoe, it’s 220 new rental units, 80 per cent of them affordable, all designed so residents can age in place. Universal design ensures accessibility, while the ground floors bust with more than living spaces—offices, childcare, education, and health supports gather under one roof, turning these towers into a true community hub.
The construction sequence matters. Parking and essential community services rise first, with completion scheduled for 2026. Only then do the residential towers join the city’s skyline, their doors set to open to full occupancy by 2027. Why this order? Because the groundwork for connection—childcare, health, and social supports—must precede the move-in day if residents are to thrive, not just survive.
Affordable housing often draws scepticism. Some see only the scaffolding, missing the future laughter on the playgrounds or the relief on a parent’s face at a secure lease. The Simcoe Project’s very structure rebuffs these doubts by weaving support, safety, and inclusivity into its core.
Come 2027, this development will not simply add apartments to Barrie. It will seed community, anchoring opportunity and dignity in every brick. For those watching the machines move earth now, the transformation may seem slow. But by the time children fill the playground and neighbours greet each other in the halls, the greatest blueprint—community benefit—will be well on its way to reality.
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Simcoe County breaks ground on its largest affordable housing development
