Anmore council will determine Tuesday, Feb. 6, whether staff should be tasked to draft the terms of reference for a neighbourhood plan to direct possible development at the south end of the village that could triple its population.
The terms of reference would help guide council’s assessment of a plan by Port Coquitlam-based developer Icona Properties to construct approximately 3,300 new homes, as well as commercial and mixed-use spaces, on 150 acres the company owns near the intersection of 1st Avenue and Sunnyside Road.
It would also provide a framework for future public consultation on the project, said a report by Anmore’s manager of development services, Chris Boit.
During a meeting on Jan. 9 of council’s committee of the whole, the proponents for the project said they expect its approval could take three to five years and actual construction up to another 30 years.
Icona’s plan includes a mix of low- and mid-rise condo buildings, townhouses and rental apartments, as well as a 25,000 sq. ft. community centre, commercial spaces, a 9.3-acre park and more than four kilometres of accessible greenways and trails.
Icona’s president and CEO, former Port Coquitlam Mayor Greg Moore, said the company would preserve almost half the property as forested green space.
In a presentation to Anmore council on Dec. 5, Paul Fenske, the principal of Placemark Design and Development that’s working with Icona on its plans for the Anmore South neighbourhood, said the village on Port Moody’s northwest border is no longer a rural enclave isolated from the pressures and challenges like housing and affordability that afflict other communities in Metro Vancouver.
He said the development would create a “new community heart” in the village and bring it much-needed funds to improve services like water and sewer.
But several residents who spoke at the meeting said the ambitious development is “out of sync” with Anmore’s natural setting and its need for more affordable housing. Some expressed concern about potential traffic problems more cars and more residents would put on Ioco Road, the village’s main connection to Port Moody and beyond.
One councillor, Doug Richardson, echoed their dismay, saying the development would put Anmore’s semi-rural character at risk.
Other councillors, though, said Icona’s plan presents an opportunity that shouldn’t be dismissed.
Coun. Paul Weverink said the creation of neighbourhood plan for the property would give council the tools to set guidelines for its development.
“The neighbourhood plan is where we get in the weeds,” he said.
While councillors ultimately voted 4-1 to give first reading to the amendments of Anmore’s official community plan required to accommodate the project, Mayor John McEwen said a lot of work remains to be done before a shovel ever turns the earth.
“You want to work with people and see how it plays out,” he said.
