Council approves $5.2M CDBG‑DR ask for Prospect Heights subdivision despite resident concerns

The Barrie City Council on Sept. 24 approved a resolution authorizing inclusion of Prospect Heights in the city’s CDBG‑DR application. The city manager said the project would seek $5,200,000 to build infrastructure for a new subdivision on a roughly 30‑acre site and would create 91 units under current rules. Resident Ed Stanek, who identified himself as a Pleasant Street resident, urged the council to delay or deny the application, citing three concerns: unquantified municipal costs for water, sewer and stormwater upgrades; extensive Class II wetlands on the site; and reliance on a 1990 Development Review Board decision he said may be legally fragile. Stanek told the council he was "pretty sure that that aspect of the executive order is going to be subject to litigation" and urged caution. The city manager responded that staff had relied on the existing wetlands rules in their due diligence and that the project’s unit count had already been reduced in the due diligence report because of buffers. He said final permitting questions would be addressed through the permitting process and final engineering. The manager also presented a high‑level, conservative revenue estimate for lot sales and municipal property tax: on a per‑unit basis, he estimated roughly $30,000 per lot in revenue and about $450,000 annually in municipal revenue at full buildout using conservative assessment assumptions, and said lot proceeds would help offset any utility upsizing costs. Councilors and residents debating the item raised permitting transparency and the scope of public review for stormwater and wastewater permitting; staff said federal environmental review (NEPA) and final engineering will include further environmental analysis and public processes where applicable. After debate the council approved the resolution; the manager said the vote was carried with two nays. The council authorized staff to include Prospect Heights in the city’s CDBG‑DR package and to continue engineering and permitting work should grant funds be awarded.