A province-wide condo boom has transformed skylines across Ontario, and Barrie is just the latest city to witness such a change with a new tower that far exceeds the height of anything else in town.

The new Debut Waterfront Residences project at 55 Dunlop Street West, between Mary Street and Maple Avenue, has become Barrie's tallest building – now topped out at 33 storeys above the Lake Simcoe waterfront.

And, the project is just the first phase in what is already turning out be a skyline-transforming development for the city.

Developers Gary Silverberg and Orchard West Real Estate Group have made a splash with the first tower in what promises to be a two-phase complex, boasting a unique stacked box-style design from Oleson Worland Architects.

The tower is now in its late stages of construction, and will introduce 272 condominium units to Barrie when work wraps up in 2025.

When construction is complete, it will officially become Barrie's tallest and densest development.

The tallest completed building in Barrie as of late 2024 is Grand Harbour, a condominium building at 2 Toronto Street. Standing 16 storeys at a height of 57.3 metres, the building is roughly half the stature of the new Debut Waterfront tower.

And the first building in the Debut project is set to be followed by a twin tower matching the design and height of the initial phase. 

So not only has this project taken the crown as Barrie's tallest, but it intends to do so twice.

Gary Silverberg/Orchard West Real Estate Group

However, before residents can move into this new landmark, another developer is eyeing an even taller building that would overtake Debut as the city's tallest building. 

A 36-storey tower proposed earlier this year at 97-101 Bradford Street is seeking a height of 122 metres. It's not leaps and bounds taller than the new building under construction today, but if approved, the Bradford Street development would wrestle away the crown of Barrie's tallest in the years to come.