Hammers will soon be swinging at The Met in downtown Port Coquitlam.
Quarry Rock Developments founder Matthew Webber confirmed to the Tri-City News this week that form work for concrete will soon begin on The Met, followed by construction of the five-storey, wood-frame building at 2241-2251 McAllister Ave.
The project is unique as the City of Port Coquitlam retains ownership of a portion of The Met commercial units due to the fact that the development is partially built on a city parking lot while the remainder of the property is on the site of commercial buildings that were destroyed by fire in 2016.
Webber said marketing of the condo units will likely begin in the next 90 days now that costs have been confirmed, trades are in place and an expected completion date of spring or summer of 2025 has been identified.
Car share for The Met residents
Burnaby-based Kaiser Landen Realty Inc. will be responsible for marketing the project.
Among the unique features for future Met residents will be access to electric car share vehicles that can be booked using the Mondofi app.
The app, developed in Vancouver, will also provide secure building access (via video link) as well as direct communication with building managers, the building's strata council and strata documents.
"You can use your phone to access the front door, it interacts with touch screens at the front of the buildings," said Mondofi co-founder Leigh Angman.
"What we're replacing are those 1975-era monochrome screens, punch pad and telephone dialing systems where you can't hear what anyone is saying."
Mondofi will also capture and save up to 15 seconds of video of those accessing the building while the app can be used to provide secure access to parking and amenities.
Pandemic delays construction
Meanwhile, some may be wondering about the progress on the 63-unit condo building, which began construction in June 2021.
Although a large hole has been dug for underground parking, the site has been awaiting the next phase of construction.
According to Webber, Quarry Rock's developer, the project has faced delays due to pandemic-related supply chain issues and labour shortages.
"We wanted to deliver sooner but the pandemic came up, creating supply chain issues [and] who could have expected that and then cost inflation?"
Details are still being worked out as to what businesses will move into the almost 20,000 sq. ft. of commercial space.
However, restaurants and cafés are likely to be part of the mix.
As well, a large space has also been carved out for a bowling alley, but the city hasn't confirmed that PoCo Bowl is moving in.
City has yet to confirm who will move in
Nevertheless, the development, with a plaza, and connecting to the Donald Pathway, is sure to be a draw.
"It will definitely be a place for entertainment," Webber said.
The City of Port Coquitlam has confirmed that it will own four commercial rental units in The Met, totalling just over 15,000 sq. ft.
However, the future occupants have yet to be confirmed, deputy CAO Karen Grommada wrote in an email to the Tri-City News.
"At this time it is too early to know what is going in there, though the large unit is being designed to have a bowling component," Grommada stated, adding, "The city has engaged with Colliers to market the spaces as part of our downtown revitalization."
Among the other complexities of the project, according to builder VC Management is the high-water table and underground garage.
Webber confirmed that the construction team doing the form work has to complete another job but is expected to be on site at The Met in the coming weeks.
