More than a dozen years ago, why was environmentally protected (EP) land in Barrie rezoned for residential development?
Didn’t anyone see how a dozen or so properties backing onto a wetland would be plagued with very damp yards?
This is what has happened on Marta Crescent, a quiet little street in Barrie’s southwest end which loops to connect twice with Kierland Road, near the Bear Creek Wetland.
Should it have been rezoned in the first place, in 2010-11.
“No, they shouldn’t have,” said Nicole, who asked that her last name not be published, but lives on Marta.
She has had about a foot and a half of wet in her backyard.
“I just don’t think they looked at the big picture," Nicole said. “At the same time, people in Barrie are asking for more housing.”
Lindsay Lewis, another Marta Crescent resident, said she paid to have her backyard levelled, in an attempt to keep it dry, but disagreed with the rezoning.
“Probably not,” she said. “It’s too wet.”
Mark Holtze agreed the rezoning is out of place there.
“But I’m glad they did it because I have a house here. And understanding how water works (flows) is impossible,” said the 10-year Marta resident.
“I don’t want to have to think about this,” Nicole said of living near a wetland, and about to take her daughter to school. “You’d think they would have thought of that in advance.”
This land was owned by Kierland Developments, Graihawk Estates and 3590 Peter Ltd., at the time of the change, according to city staff, rezoned from EP to residential single-detached dwelling third density.
Michael Prowse is the city’s chief administrative officer and city manager, but in 2010-2011 he was a Barrie councillor representing this part of the city when the land, including Marta Crescent, was rezoned from EP to residential use.
There have been water problems in the backyards of these Marta Crescent properties since then, and the city could spend almost $2.8 million by 2032 to help mitigate these problems.
BarrieToday asked Prowse if the council of the day considered that allowing this rezoning, and the residential development to go with it, could have not only these consequences for Marta Crescent residents but this level of cost to the city, and property taxpayers? And if so, why was it approved?
“All applications, especially those abutting environmentally protected areas, utilize extensive background work and expert analysis before council ever deals with the request/application,” he answered. “The developments in this area have been around, in some cases, more than a decade.
“I believe what we are seeing now in the Bear Creek Wetland is that, after many decades of it shrinking in size, it appears to be changing,” Prowse added. “The reasons for this are likely multi-fold and that is part of the work the city is doing to better understand the changing environment and to protect taxpayers in the area and to insulate and protect all taxpayers.”
Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall, who was a city councillor from 2006 to 2014 at the time of the rezoning, echoed Prowse's comments, saying the city performs extensive analysis and background research before any application comes to council, especially ones that may impact environmentally protected areas.
“Council reviewed the file based on a comprehensive staff report and recommendations presented on June 14, 2010, and voted in alignment with those recommendations,” he said. “The situation in Bear Creek seems to stem from years of unforeseen environmental changes.
“When reviewing zoning bylaws, we depend on the guidance and recommendations of experts to ensure the most effective solutions,” Nuttall added. “I’m pleased that initial work has already been completed in the area, including the construction of a temporary cofferdam and the installation of a pumping system to drain water from residents' properties.”
“Whatever they did, it helped,” Holtze said. “And the sandbags kept the wet off the yard. Where there’s cracked mud now (beyond backyard fences) was always under two feet of water. For the first time in years it is dry.”
Nuttall said he could not remember whether or not he voted for the 2010 motion to rezone this land from EP to residential and the draft plan of subdivision.
Last year, council approved funding for the capital construction and ongoing maintenance of a dewatering program at Marta Crescent and the Bear Creek Wetland. This included $350,000 in 2023 and an additional $400,000 to pay for ongoing operations and maintenance of the dewatering this year.
The interim solution was to build a temporary cofferdam to isolate the backyards from the wetland, then pump the water out of that area. Construction began in late September 2023 and was substantially completed in November 2023.
The cofferdam and pumping does not address the root cause, however, and still leaves residents with wet properties. This is not unexpected, given that the area is part of the Bear Creek Wetland, and caused by erosion and sedimentation in the larger system, according to city staff.
A better solution was always going to be required to provide the permanent, long-term solution for the area.
City staff will be recommending two projects to be included in the 2025-2034 capital plan, which will be presented to council later this year.
The first project is re-grading the affected backyards to raise them above the standing water level. This project is forecast to be complete by 2027. It will involve property access agreements with each property owner before being done. The proposed budget for this project in the draft 2025 capital plan is around $1.17 million.
The second project is re-establishing the Bear Creek tributary through this part of the wetland, to stabilize the wetland water levels and allow excess water to drain away. This project will begin with an environmental assessment in 2026, then go through design and construction, and is forecast for completion in 2032. Its budget proposed in the draft 2025 capital plan is about $1.6 million.
One Marta Crescent resident, who did not want to be identified, said neighbours there aren’t pleased with the time frame — reaching to 2032 — since they’ve already been asking for help for at least five years, although this last summer’s mitigation measures did help.
Marta Crescent homeowners have been reporting that standing water in the Bear Creek Wetland has been rising during the past several years and this is consistent with city staff observations.
Elevated water levels have caused standing water in the backyards of some homes on Marta Crescent; residents have expressed concerns from aesthetic and safety perspectives.
A city consultant’s assessment is that the main reasons for the wetland changes are deposited sediment carried from Ardagh Bluffs and the increased prevalence of phragmites — an invasive, aggressive plant that spreads quickly and outcompetes native species for water and nutrients. It releases toxins from its roots into the soil to hinder the growth of and kill surrounding plants.
The build-up of sediment and the phragmites have prevented water from flowing through the Bear Creek tributary, which passes through the wetland behind Marta Crescent and has inundated the surrounding wetland, causing water levels to rise.
The City of Barrie owns the parcel of land containing a portion of Bear Creek Wetland, a stormwater management facility and a watercourse known informally as Henderson Creek. The parcel was dedicated to the city through the subdivision development process about 20 years ago.
Other adjacent parcels containing the wetland are in private ownership.
The houses on Marta Crescent were constructed about 10 years ago.
Wetlands can change over time both naturally and because of human influence.
The Barrie drainage master plan, dated Oct. 7, 2017, lists 20 Marta Crescent properties on the existing floodplain of the Bear Creek watershed.
