What is a "Lifestyle" Centre

Barrie will be home to one of the first "lifestyle" centres in Canada and the first in Ontario.

• "Lifestyle" centres are the wave of the future.
• Definition of Lifestyle Centre - There is no commonly accepted definition for a lifestyle centre but they all have the following features in common - they are open air, have up-scale shops, convenient parking, fashionable restaurants and trendy bars, pedestrian-friendly streetscapes and a pleasant ambiance and entertainment.
• About one half of the existing lifestyle centres have residential, in the form of condos or hotels, one or more department stores and a theme attraction.
• They are extremely popular and successful throughout the United States in both warm and cold weather climates, including Chicago, Michigan, Ohio and Denver – more than 100 currently open.
• They are proven magnets for hi-tech companies because, according to the Urban Land Institute, corporate businesses like to locate in campus-like settings with amenities close by, “which are viewed as offering a higher quality of life than typical industrial parks”
• They are tourist draws.

A "lifestyle" centre is the perfect fit for Barrie – this innovative concept will encourage businesses to locate and tourists to visit this great community.