If residents of the west Coquitlam enclave of Oakdale want more growth in their neighbourhood, the city says it will start pushing through development bids.
But if the majority say "No thanks," then the city will respect their wishes, said Andrew Merrill, Coquitlam’s manager of community planning.
Either way, the municipality wants to hear from Oakdale property owners this week about how the area of about 500 detached homes should evolve over the next 25 years.
Last week, at the request of Oakdale householders, the city extended the deadline for its online survey to April 30 to gain more feedback on the Oakdale Land Use Designation Update.
Merrill said results from that survey will be revealed late next month or early June at an open house to show if the neighbourhood wants to shift away from its single-family home character to include higher density housing.
About 20% of Oakdale homeowners — many of them new to the neighbourhood — want more affordable living choices, especially with the arrival of the Evergreen Extension and Burquitlam Station nearby, he said. That move would allow younger families to get into the area or for Oakdale seniors to downsize but still reside in the community in which they raised their kids, for example.
Still, many long-time homeowners are calling for Oakdale to stay the same despite construction of highrises to the south and along the rapid-transit corridor of North and Clarke roads.
“We realized, during the Burquitlam-Lougheed Neighbourhood Plan process, that there was no consensus on Oakdale,” Merrill said. “They are the missing piece to the plan.”
Oakdale has roots that go back to the mid-1800s, when farmers grew produce and livestock on their land to sell at markets in New Westminster, then the capital of B.C. North Road, which was then about two blocks west from today’s location, was also used by the Royal Engineers to get from the Royal City to Burrard Inlet in Port Moody.
In the 1960s, Oakdale changed from agricultural land to residential and most of the homes built then remain today.
Not much has changed, although, over the past two years, the city has logged three petitions from Oakdale residents wanting growth to match the development around the Evergreen Extension in Burquitlam.
Graham Hill, president of the Burquitlam Community Association, told The Tri-City News the Evergreen Extension “has created enormous pressures primarily from the resulting increase in residential/business construction, which is ongoing and will continue to do for the foreseeable future.”
On the downside, construction created parking challenges and traffic disruptions but Evergreen has also boosted property values and improved public transportation. “New residents are pouring into the region and the outlook is very positive,” Hill said.
Dave Irving of the Oakdale Neighbourhood Association said his group wants to remain neutral as the community is split on development. “Whatever happens, we want to make sure it’s done right,” he said.
Traffic is a major concern, especially getting on North Road, he said, as are the environmentally sensitive areas around Stoney Creek.
Still, Merrill suspects “sub-pockets” for development will eventually open up, along the south end.
And that type of housing wouldn’t be as big as in Burquitlam. “It doesn’t need to be all or nothing,” Merrill said. “It could strike a balance with townhouses and fourplexes that offer a front and back door and gardens.”
He added: “Our goal is to maintain good planning principles while respecting the views of the community… The city doesn’t have any expectations, so if Oakdale comes together and says, 'Go away,’ then we will go away and we will focus on other projects on our plate. We want this to be neighbourhood-driven.”
• To have your say about Oakdale’s future, visit coquitlam.ca/oakdale by April 30.
