3 The Big Ideas

9Barrie Waterfront + Marina Strategic Plan - The Big Ideas

The overall concept for the waterfront is based on establishing:

• a hierarchy of Activity Centres that serve as key destinations along the waterfront,

• a Mobility Network of trails and green corridors that provide connectivity across the waterfront and into adjacent neighbourhoods within the City, and

• a system of Landmarks, Kiosks and Beacons to provide amenities for waterfront visitors.

In keeping with the Vision and Principles for the waterfront, detailed design shall emphasize quality, accessibility, creativity and sustainability and will seek to elevate the profile of the waterfront as a connected whole where the City comes together on the shores of Kempenfelt Bay.

A Hierarchy of Activity CentresThe purpose of establishing a hierarchy of Activity Centres is to recognize the varying role, function and activity levels throughout the waterfront and to provide a framework for better distributing events, festivals and recreational activities across the waterfront. Currently, events are clustered in the Central Waterfront - particularly at Centennial Beach - an area that has reached its capacity as a waterfront destination, even as the City’s population continues to grow. A comprehensive network of Activity Centres across the waterfront is expected to form the basis for potentially redistributing some events, alleviating congestion, and ensuring that the waterfront as a whole remains an inviting place that is full of vitality and a resource that is shared among residents and tourists.

To maximize the capacity of the entire waterfront as a destination, this Waterfront + Marina Strategic Plan establishes the parameters for redistributing events and recreational activities in revitalized Activity Centres across the waterfront. The scale of programming that each of these centres is intended to accommodate is expressed through the hierarchy, which includes three scales - Primary Activity Centres, Secondary Activity Centres and Tertiary Activity Centres. Each class is defined by its typical catchment area (Regional, City-wide, local), and the level and type of activity generated by the destination. The significance and profile of the Activity Centre, in terms of its role in shaping the image of Barrie, is also reflected in the hierarchy. Detailed descriptions of each Activity Centre are provided in Chapter 4.

Primary Activity CentresFour Primary Activity Centres have been identified, including:

• Centennial Park,

• Allandale Station Park,

• Spirit Catcher Park/City of Barrie Marina, and

• Heritage Park.

These parks are intended to serve as the City’s primary places for large events and recreation along the waterfront. These four parks will draw the largest numbers of visitors, and the quality of design and provision of facilities in these parks will reflect their high profile. Centennial Park, Heritage Park, and Allandale Station Park already act as Primary Activity Centres drawing visitors from across Barrie and beyond; proposed upgrades to Spirit Catcher Park and the Barrie Marina will elevate these Activity Centres as primary gathering places as well. Combined, the four Primary Activity Centres, along with lower-order Activity Centres will help to disperse activities that are currently concentrated most densely at Centennial Park.

Secondary Activity CentresEight Secondary Activity Centres have been identified across the waterfront, including:

• Johnson’s Beach •St.VincentPark •BayviewPark

•MilitaryHeritagePark •MemorialSquare • Minet’s Point Park

• The Gables • Tyndale Park

As the waterfront evolves, these destinations will have the potential to draw a significant number of visitors, primarily from local neighbourhoods, but in many cases, from across Barrie as well. Each of these destinations has been, or will be, uniquely programmed to accommodate specific types of community events and forms of active recreation. Facilities such as pavilions, sports fields, swimming areas, water sport launch points, and internal trail networks are common in these parks.

Each of these places will play a key role in defining the image of the waterfront, and like the Primary Activity Centres, these destinations will require ongoing maintenance and renewal to ensure they deliver a high quality experience for visitors.

Tertiary Activity CentresNine opportunities to establish Tertiary Activity Centres have been identified along the shoreline of Kempenfelt Bay, including at:

•NelsonSquare •KempenfeltPark •TiffinBoatLaunch

•J.C.MorrisonShipwreck •TollendalWoodsPark •PioneerPark

•DockRoadPark •WilkinsBeach • Loyalist Woods

In general, these Tertiary Activity Centres will generate lower levels of activity than the Secondary Activity Centres. Although the Tiffin Boat Launch and the J.C. Morrison Shipwreck will draw visitors from across Barrie and even beyond, in general, these parks are not intended to serve as primary gathering places along the waterfront. Limited facilities, are common in the Tertiary Activity Centres, related to the more passive forms of recreation for smaller groups of visitors.

3 The Big Ideas

10 Barrie Waterfront + Marina Strategic Plan - The Big Ideas

Figure 5. A Hierarchy of Connected Activity Centres

Primary Activity Centre

Barrie Heritage Trail

Discover Barrie Trail

Secondary Activity Centre

Tertiary Activity Centre

6 Heritage Park

8 Spirit Catcher Park / City of Barrie Marina

9 Centennial Park

12 Allandale Station Park

1 Johnson’s Beach Park + Barrie Yacht Club

3 St. Vincent Park

5 Bayview Park

7 Memorial Square

13 Military Heritage Park

14 Minet`s Point Park

15 The Gables Park

18 Tyndale Park

2 Nelson Square

4 Kempenfelt Park

10 Tiffin Boat Launch

11 J.C. Morrison Shipwreck

16 Tollendal Woods Park

17 Pioneer Park

19 Dock Road Park

20 Wilkins Beach

21 Loyalist Woods

Primary Activity Centres

Secondary Activity Centres

Tertiary Activity Centres

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Five Activity Centre ImprovementsIn addition to developing a hierarchy of destinations, this Waterfront + Marina Strategic Plan includes plans for significant upgrades to five of the Activity Centres, including:

• Centennial Park,

• the City of Barrie Marina/Spirit Catcher Park,

• Military Heritage Park,

• Bayview Park, and

• Memorial Square.

Significant opportunities to enhance the design and programming of these parks have been identified in consultation with City staff and members of the public, and are being brought forward with the overall Plan as big impact wins for the waterfront. More details on the plans for the five parks and the City’s Marina can be found in Chapter 4: Components of the Plan, and Appendix A.

Mobility NetworkTrailsThe Barrie Waterfront Trail and the Barrie Heritage Trails are proposed to provide a continuous interpretive trail network along the shoreline of Kempenfelt Bay. Combined, the two trails will extend from Hewitt’s Creek/Wilkins Beach to beyond Johnshon’s Beach, with the Barrie Heritage Trail covering the portion from Military Heritage Park to Nelson Square. A key trail improvement that is being introduced through this Plan and that will form part of this continuous waterfront route is the trail through Military Heritage Park, which is outlined in more detail on page 29.

The proposed trail system builds on the existing network by providing connections between gaps and extending the network to the South Shore. Ultimately, the trails will connect all waterfront Activity Centres, from Wilkins Beach on the South Shore to Johnson’s Beach on the North Shore. The routes recommended in this Strategic Plan for linking the waterfront to various neighbourhoods will be included within the City’s Multi Modal Active Transportation Master Plan.

The trails are intended to be primarily multi-use, accommodating pedestrians and cyclists along a paved (or in some cases granular) path with a minimum width of 3 metres, or along boulevard trails and connecting between local residential streets. In some sections through wooded or environmentally sensitive areas, the path may be more pedestrian-scale with gravel, dirt or mulch surfaces, to minimize impacts on the local environment. In general, the

quality of the trail network will vary along the approximately 10 km of shoreline, depending on the character of the area and level of use. Notwithstanding this variation, wayfinding signage will be used as a unifying element to guide users along the different sections, and place-making features will be used to create recognizable points of interest along the route.

The Barrie Heritage component of the trail system will build on the existing Historic Locations Plaques, which are placed along the waterfront to commemorate cultural heritage features such as the Allandale Train Station. Highly visual interpretive features and info corners will be installed along the trail network at key locations to enhance the sense of place for visitors. Posts and panels will highlight past events, natural heritage features, or other unique features that define Barrie’s past, present and future. Innovative elements that are being considered as part of the interpretive program include electronic audio boards and the use of web-based “apps”.

Environmental ConnectionsSeven greenways are proposed for improvements on the waterfront, including Kidd’s, Bunker’s, Dyment’s, Hotchkiss, Whiskey, Lover’s and Hewitt’s Creeks to connect the Central Waterfront and South Shore to the City. Where possible, the creation of these environmental connections will involve daylighting creeks that are currently channelized (Kidd’s, Bunker’s, Dyment’s, and Hotchkiss). Daylighting involves opening up an underground culvert of a creek back above ground and restoring the corridor with naturalized plantings. Where the creeks already exist in natural corridors (Whiskey, Lover’s, and Hewitt’s) restoring the riparian environment will be a priority to enhance the creek’s natural functions. Creating these new greenways will contribute to the City’s efforts to improve stormwater management, sediment control, and will also improve biodiversity by creating new habitat.

Where possible, the development of paths/trails along these naturalized corridors will improve connectivity for neighbourhoods within the City that are located adjacent to the waterfront. Stronger connectivity is particularly needed along the south end of the Central Waterfront where the rail corridor creates a barrier between neighbouring communities and the waterfront. In this area, additional connections would provide important linkages for pedestrians and cyclists, thereby improving the mobility options of local residents, while enhancing their access to the waterfront. In one example, a pedestrian/bicycle connection has been provided through the construction of a pedestrian tunnel across the rail corridor at Gowan Street. This tunnel connects the Allandale neighbourhood to the new Allandale Waterfront GO Station, and a trail connection into Allandale Station Park at the sundial time capsule. Along the South Shore, where the curvilinear local street network impedes access


Figure 6. A Connected Mobility Network

Environmental Connection

On-Street Bicycle Route

Multi-Use Trail

“Discover Barrie” Trail

Barrie Heritage Trail

Beacon Location

Transit Route Corridor

Local Bus Stops

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between residents of South Barrie and the waterfront, the greenways will also improve connectivity.

To complement the revitalized Activity Centres and Mobility Network, new place-making and safety features are proposed at key locations across the waterfront. First, highly visible beacons and info corners are proposed to animate the waterfront and to enhance its visibility for boaters, cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers. Second, to promote economic development, a system of kiosks are proposed as outlets for small-businesses along the waterfront that provide services and goods to visitors. Finally, to further promote comfort and safety, new pavilions, shelters and safety stations should be considered in locations where there is a need and demand. Along with new signage and street furniture, these proposed features will generate a recognizable and consistent image across the North Shore, Central Waterfront and South Shore.

This section provides general guidelines and demonstrative examples for the design of place-making and safety features for Barrie’s Waterfront. The examples that are shown highlight potential options used in other jurisdictions across North America. Final detailed design is expected to be undertaken by the City prior to implementing these concepts.

General GuidelinesMaterials - Primary material choice should be wood and cor-ten steel. These materials should be used across the whole waterfront to create a consistent branding of place.

Lighting - All light-emitting objects that are part of the waterfront should be designed to create the impression of intentionally-lit “surfaces” as opposed to general lighting. The lighting strategy should strive to achieve contrasts in light and dark. Low-key trail lights and grandly lit architectural facades are desirable examples, while stadium and parking lot lighting are not desirable examples. All lights should strive to minimize light pollution, lighting only what’s necessary.

Text - Use a sans-serif font for all signage and words.

BeaconsThe beacons are meant to be part of a select series of highly visible landmarks from

both within the city and across the bay. Lower parts of the beacon can be designed to accommodate a variety of programs not limited to the following: public art, a playground, a look-out platform, a tall-grass park. A conceptual design for the beacons is provided on page 14 as an example for detailed design.

Location - The location of these new features should be coordinated with Activity Centres and the trail network. Preferred locations for the beacons are identified on Figure 7 on page 16, and include:

•St.VincentPark •NelsonSquare •HeritagePark(2)

•TheMarina •TheTiffinBoatLaunch •Minet’sPoint

•DockRoadPark •Johnson’sBeach

Size - Beacons should be a minimum of 7.5m tall – they must be tall enough to be clearly visible from across the bay and from within the city.

Form - The beacons concept has a “faceted” look (i.e. complex surfaces broken down to triangles) with a clean, uncomplicated silhouette, like a thin glass shard. One surface remains flat all the way up, while the rest of the body takes on an irregular form. The straight side faces the water.

Lighting - The beacon has a light that is installed as high as possible on the flat side that is visible from across the bay during the night. The light should be formally integrated to the beacon and not be made to look like a separate appendage.

For extra visibility, beacons should have a strip of LEDs lights going vertically along the flat side facing the bay and must be dark sky compliant. In this way, the full length of the beacon will be visible during the night.

Info CornersSpread along the waterfront, new Info Corners will provide information, including but not limited to the following:

• a map of the most visited attractions along the waterfront and the connecting trail systems,

• municipal services such as the nearest car parking and washrooms, and

• historical facts about the area.

They are to be located close to entries into the waterfront trail system, outside public attractions, and on historically-significant locations. An optional “interactive screen” can be added which could be sponsored by an advertising agency. A conceptual design for the info corners is provided on page 14.

Size - Height should be no taller than 3m, and no wider than 6m.

Form - Main element should be thought of as a sculptural piece that consists of a metal plate, folded

Place-Making & Safety Featureson one place to create a “corner”. Maximum angle of fold is 70 degrees. Each Info Corner can have a different wall silhouette. Info stops should provide generous seating behind it, always facing the water.

Lighting - An integrated street light element should provide lighting to both sides of the wall.

KiosksA system of City-owned kiosks will be dispersed across the 10 km waterfront in appropriate locations. The kiosks will provide small-scale convenience or waterfront-related commercial opportunities, such as take-out food and beverages, rental businesses such as bikes, fishing gear and bait, watersports-related rentals and possible boating services. These kiosks will enhance the value and convenience of the Activity Centres, make the waterfront more attractive for visitors, and generate revenue for the City and private sector. They can be distributed either as stand along facilities, or in groups. Where appropriate, patios can be provided with the grouped kiosks by extending their concrete foundations. A conceptual design for the kiosks is provided on page 15.

Location - In considering the location of kiosks, the City will restrict stand-alone kiosks in Primary and Secondary Activity Centres only, and will permit clusters of kiosks (up to 4 kiosks) in Primary Activity Centres only. In addition, kiosks shall only be located on public land in locations that are adjacent to the trails network or a public road. At a minimum, the kiosks will be served with electricity, and may have public water services where feasible. The kiosks will be considered a commercial opportunity, and and not a required element of any Activity Centre.

When responding to a request for a kiosk from a business, the City will consider the location criteria outlined above. Administrative and management procedures for the commercial use of kiosks are provided in Chapter 5 of this Plan as part of the economic development strategy.

Size - General size is encouraged to not be more than approximately 12 square metres in size.

Form - It is recommended to use a small-size shipping container as a base building, for its ease of adaptability and cost-effectiveness, however, the City will need to determine the final kiosk concept design prior to proceeding with detailed design.

Walls-Walls could be fixed or “loose” screen that acts as a wind block. Must have a flip-up shutter that opens/closes the stalls for security and that also provides shelter for customers at the stalls.

Sign-One vertical strip of around 0.5-1m width to be consistent in design characteristic to local park signage for recognition.

Foundation -Regardless of size, kiosks should be installed on a concrete base. The base can be made larger in order to accommodate patio space. Minimum patio space

Wood (left) and Cor-ten (right)


LED Light StripDirectional to reduce light pollution

BeaconHID-type bulbs, to be visible across the bay

Corten steelHID-type bulbs, to be visible across the bay

Wall of infoMounted on a corten base

Platform benchLarge and flat seating surface

ContainersMade with the smaller-sized versions

Concrete patioClusters of kiosks canprovide micro-patios

Wide and deepPlatform benches encourage lingering

GroundedBenches are integratedwith the hillside.

Light shadeRoof trellis structuresupported by kiosks

Trail extensionHard surface toaccommodate readers

LightProvides overalllighting on both sides













Conceptual design for info corners

Info corner precedents

Info Corners

must be 3 times the floor area of the kiosk.

Separationdistances-Clusters of kiosks must allow enough distance between each other for doors, shutters and basic throughfare. It is encouraged to create “micro-patios” between food-vending kiosks, which can be made by increasing the foundation slab area by four times the total kiosk floor areas.

Pavilions & SheltersPavilions are roofed structures with seating to accommodate group events, while shelters are smaller-scale structures that provide relief from the sun and rain for passerbys. Examples of attractive pavilions and shelters are provided on page 15.

PavilionsSize - Waterfront pavilions should be no more than three storeys tall.

Location - New pavilions should be considered in Activity Centres that are popular for picnicking, but are not currently served by a roofed shelter. Demand levels should be assessed as part of the new reservation system for group pavilions, as outlined in Chapter 5.

Form

Structure-Pavilions should have structural wood trusses visible under the roof overhang. Roofs should be supported by expressive wood trusses that open up in a V-shape as they connect to the roof.

Wall-All solid walls must have a pattern as part of a strategy to deter graffiti.

Roof-There should be generous roof overhang on all sides to provide shelter around the pavilion. The depth of the roof overhang on the south side must minimize sun penetration during the summer and maximize it during the winter. The exact overhang dimension should be determined as part of detailed architectural design. In addition, roofs should be flat or inverted – to emphasize the landscape horizon. Roofs should tilt up towards the lake.

Lighting - Walls/roof should be underlit during night-time to animate the waterfront, and to ensure building/structure security.

SheltersForm - The visibility of the structure should be minimized; the horizontal nature of the roof maximized.

Location - The location of shelters should be assessed in coordination with the street furniture, wayfinding and interpretive program proposed for the entire waterfront at trail entrances/intersections and lookouts onto the Bay.

Safety StationsTo promote the responsible use of waterfront amenities, new safety stations should be considered along the waterfront. Safety stations provide important information about swimming conditions, hazards, rules, as well as the necessary equipment for responding to accidents, including a ring buoy and grab pole for retrieving people from the water when necessary. The location of safety stations should be identified as part of a feasibility study and be coordinated with any applications to certify Barrie’s waterfront parks as Blue Flag













Beacon precedentsConceptual design for beacons

Beacons

min. 2 m

8-10 m

2-4 m














Conceptual design for kiosks

Kiosk precedents

Kiosks

Architectural precedents

Pavillions & Shelters

Safety station precedents

2.5 - 3 m

10-12 m

(Standard container heights)

Blue Flag Beach (Image Credit: visitbritainnordicwordpress.com)

Safety Stations


Figure 7. Waterfront Concept Plan

Major Road

Major Railway

“Discover Barrie” Waterfront Trail

Barrie “Heritage Trail” (Military Heritage Park to Nelson Square)

Public Art Beacon

Existing Community Centre

Dunlop Street, Barrie’s Mainstreet

Proposed Mixed-Use Commercial Zone

Areas of Significance

i. Downtown Barrie

ii. Allandale Intensification Node

iii. Potential University Site

Primary Activity Centre

Secondary Activity Centre

Tertiary Activity Centre

Urban Growth Centre Boundary

Study Area Boundary

Transit Route Corridors

Environmental Connection

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Waterfront Trail

Bicycle Route

Multi-Use Trail

Study Area

Figure 8. Illustrative Waterfront Plan

North Shore

Central Waterfront

South Shore

Downtown Barrie

Allandale Intensification Node

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Documents

3 The Big Ideas