A concrete wall surrounding a large private property in Coquitlam is expected to fall next year.
Last night, Oct. 16, city council unanimously voted for second and third reading to change the Official Community Plan and rezone the land at 3333 Caliente Pl. for a subdivision with 39 new single-family homes.
The decision came after a 90-minute public hearing that drew five homeowners from El Camino Drive who voiced concerns about the collapse of the 12' tall wall, compensation for the loss of trees and shrubs, potential construction noise, traffic and new trails close to Hockaday Creek and Coquitlam River.
Adrien Rahbar, vice president of real estate in B.C. for Gracorp, which is representing the land owner Diane Spraggs and Gemex Development Corp., told council during the public hearing that a professional engineer was brought in to look at the structural integrity of the wall, which Mayor Richard Stewart said Spraggs installed around most of her 16.4-acre site after a disagreement with the city three decades ago.
At the hearing, Rahbar said a 6' tall wooden fence would go in place of the wall and he vowed the company would have good faith discussions with neighbours whose landscaping may be impacted by the new subdivision.
"If you knock down a 20' cedar, I expect a 20' cedar," one El Camino homeowner bluntly told Rahbar.
Council's vote went against a 42-name petition to oppose the plan.
Once formally approved, the development will generate $2.4 million in development cost charges, $390,000 in community amenity contributions and 35,811 sq. ft. of dedicated parkland west of the Coquitlam River, as well as trail connections, utility upgrades, new streets in the Hockaday neighbourhood and the completion of Karley Crescent cul-de-sac.
Still, while Stewart voted in favour, he said creating single-family lots is "inappropriate" in today's housing crunch.
"I've said this many times in the past few years. We ought not to be continuing to contemplate 3,000 to 7,000 sq. ft. of land for one family because we have lots of those," he said.
"I do want us to always keep in mind that we can't be doing this anymore. In Metro Vancouver, single-family is not the way of the future for this region. We're going to add a million people to this region; it's not going to be in single-family homes."
Rahbar said construction is due to start in 2024.
