Port Moody residents will get a chance to weigh in next month on the future of the property that contains the old fire hall, at Ioco Road and Murray Street, and the city’s public works yard a little further west on Murray.
At its meeting Tuesday, Moody council gave two readings to amendments to zoning bylaws and the city’s official community plan that could pave the way for redevelopment of the property, which would be subdivided at Suterbrook Creek into two lots. That paves the way for a public hearing March 27 at city hall.
The city wants to rezone the property from public service to comprehensive development and change its OCP designation from public and institutional to mixed use to allow its potential sale and redevelopment into a high-density neighbourhood of condo towers and commercial space as well as a new library, possible seniors housing, greenways and public walkways and plazas, which could be included as exchange for allowing the construction of higher density housing.
Some councillors said that shouldn’t be allowed to happen.
Coun. Rob Vagramov said the property “belongs to all 35,000 people in the city” and allowing it to be sold for redevelopment “could be one of the biggest mistakes we make as a council.”
Coun. Hunter Madsen said previous opportunities for public input on the proposed amendments, such as last week’s meeting of the community planning advisory committee at which several speakers voiced their dissent, to applause from a packed gallery at city hall, are an indication “the public is clearly not in favour of this.”
But Coun. Diana Dilworth said she wants to hear from a larger sample size, as most of those who attended the CPAC meeting were from the immediate neighbourhood.
“We need to hear from more people,” she said. “We need to continue that conversation.”
Coun. Barbara Junker said the process needs to move forward so the city can keep its options open — and one option is for it to not sell the properties.
“We need to see what these options are before we say no,” she said. “We will listen to the public. Developers will not tell us what we’re going to do.”
Prior to the public hearing, the city will also invite feedback from other stakeholders, including School District 43, Metro Vancouver, Fraser Health, TransLink, the city of Coquitlam and First Nations.
