A Port Moody councillor is calling for a community referendum to determine the scope of future development in the city’s downtown.
Coun. Haven Lurbiecki says results of Port Moody’s own surveys to measure residents’ satisfaction, as well as feedback at council meetings indicates “significant and ongoing concerns over the pace and scale of development and its impacts on quality of life.”
Yet, she added in a memo to be presented to council at its meeting on Feb. 11, processes to approve density in the Moody Centre neighbourhood keep moving forward.
Last Tuesday, Feb. 4, a majority of councillors approved a proposal by Vancouver-based Beedie Living to construct three condo towers of 32-, 34- and 38-storeys along Spring Street, just east of the Moody Centre SkyTrain station. The project also includes a six-storey transitional housing facility for women and children escaping from abusive relationships further a little further west on Spring. Lurbiecki cast the only vote in opposition.
Public comments submitted in writing and during a hearing prior to the meeting were almost evenly divided between support and opposition to the Beedie proposal.
Lurbiecki said council needs clarity before moving ahead on other projects.
A proposal for two 39-storey rental towers at the entrance of the Moody Centre station is scheduled to go to a public hearing, expected to occur in March, and on Jan. 2, Anthem Properties submitted a pre-application for a 26-storey rental tower at St. Johns and Williams streets.
More such proposals are likely, said Lurbiecki, after council adopted a framework to guide development of 23 acres of light industrial and commercial land in Moody Centre in December 2023. She said residents didn’t have a chance then to speak out about the policy, which envisions the construction of up to 14 towers as tall as 40 towers.
“What the community wants to see happen in Moody Centre remains a central disagreement at the council table,” Lurbiecki said.
Also to be considered at Tuesday's meeting are details of a special town hall meeting proposed by Mayor Meghan Lahti to provide residents an opportunity to discuss the development and acquisition of parkland in the Moody Centre neighbourhood. It's scheduled for sometime in May.
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