Port Moody councillors seem to have flipped their feelings a bit about a drive-thru burger restaurant that’s part of a redevelopment proposal for two properties on St. Johns Street.
On Tuesday, Nov. 26, council tasked staff to continue working with the proposal’s proponent to make several adjustments to the project before considering first reading of zoning and official community plan bylaw amendments required for it to proceed. But it said it could live with the drive-thru as long as it is phased out within eight years of final approval.
Local burger baron Roger Milad, who owns the A&W drive-thru that already operates on the property as well as another franchise in Coquitlam, wants to construct an eight-storey mixed-used building on the site that also includes the old Rocky Point Tap House next door.
The project comprises 62 strata condos, 12 below-market rentals and another eight apartments available as part of a rent-to-own program. The ground floor would have almost 6,000 sq. ft. of commercial space, including an updated version of Milad’s drive-thru.
While previous iterations of the project, that was then only six storeys and included fewer apartments as well as office space on the second floor, had been lauded by some councillors as “innovative” and “interesting” during early looks last year, they said the drive-thru component was a non-starter.
Council agreed with a staff assessment that the multiple entries and exits required for vehicles to access the restaurant as well as the residential parkade posed problems for pedestrian safety and traffic flow. They also said it flies in the face of Port Moody’s goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging less reliance on vehicles.
Tuesday, councillors said the revised, larger proposal has enough positive elements that it shouldn’t die just because of the drive-thru.
A consultant working with Milad said, in a presentation, the restaurateur is bound by his franchise agreement to keep the establishment going for eight years after the new building is occupied.
Otherwise, said Carola Thompson of CityState Consulting Group, Milad would face financial penalties that would make the project unviable.
But Coun. Diana Dilworth said the franchise agreement has nothing to do with the city.
She said Milad's offer to phase out the drive-thru within eight years of final occupancy means it could still be in operation in 2040 depending on the pace of the approval process and when shovels finally hit the ground.
“It really seems like this whole issue of the drive-thru is a big sticking point here,” Dilworth said. “I think there’s room for the applicant to make further points.”
Mayor Meghan Lahti agreed.
“The phase-out has to be sooner than eight years.”
Coun. Kyla Knowles reminded council of the city’s policy disallowing new drive-thru’s, although existing ones can continue to operate.
“We have a policy on the drive-thru’s to achieve our environmental objective,” she said.
Still, there’s “a lot to like,” about Milad’s proposal, added Knowles.
That includes the building’s architecture, the size of the residential units which range from 573 sq. ft. for a one-bedroom to 1,105 sq. ft. for a three-bedroom, and the ground floor commercial spaces which will add vibrancy to the neighbourhood.
“I’m supportive of the direction this is going,” said Coun. Amy Lubik.
“There’s a real benefit from this application,” if concerns in addition to just the drive-thru expressed by staff and council are also addressed, said Coun. Callan Morrison.
Those include:
- architectural and landscaping revisions
- civil engineering revisions to address stormwater management
- the development of a daft housing agreement for the below-market and rent-to-own apartments
- provision of a transportation demand management report as well as a revised sustainability report card
- consideration of Port Moody’s well-being design guidelines
- holding an information meeting for the community to learn more about the project
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