The construction of 2,200 new homes in Anmore will strain regional roads leading into the community from Port Moody to accommodate increased traffic volumes.
A traffic impact assessment of the proposed new development Icona Properties wants to build on 150 acres of property the company owns at the corner of 1st Avenue and Sunnyside Road estimates an increase of 750-850 new vehicle trips along Ioco and East roads during peak hours.
The assessment, by Vancouver-based Bunt & Associates, is one of several technical reports commissioned by Icona as part of its application for amendments to Anmore’s official community plan bylaw that would be required for the project to proceed.
Transportation engineer Nicolas Moss, who prepared the traffic assessment, said several “small-scale upgrades” could be done to the regional corridors to “slightly” increase their capacity, including the addition of left-turn lanes to busy locations, designated bus pullout stops and removing on-street parking in some areas. Traffic signals could also be installed at some high-volume locations.
As well, said Moss in his report, discussions could be held with TransLink, Metro Vancouver and nearby municipalities like Port Moody and Coquitlam to improve transit connections to Anmore. The potential to boost active transportation facilities like bike paths, as well as more robust car-share opportunities could also provide alternatives to single-vehicle use.
Moss said the proposed development, along with further potential densification in Port Moody and new projects on industrial land west of Anmore, “will have a significant influence on transportation decisions” over the 20 years it’s expected for Icona to complete its project.
Other reports examining the proposal’s impact on water, sanitary and drainage infrastructure, the environment, retail opportunities, Anmore’s economy and finances were also released.
According to the infrastructure servicing report prepared by Aplin and Martin Consultants Ltd., it will cost almost $30 million to construct water, sewer and storm drainage infrastructure to Icona’s proposed development with the potential to expand into neighbouring areas.
Currently, every property in Anmore, except a 51-home enclave near the Port Moody border, is on its own septic system. But when the septic field for the Anmore Green Estates failed in 2017, leeching fecal coliform into a nearby schoolyard, it took several years of political and legal wrangling to get the strata connected to the Metro Vancouver sewer system just 50 metres away. At the time, Anmore Mayor John McEwen said the village’s reliance on septic systems is part of its “semi-rural” identity.
A fiscal report prepared by Deloitte said Anmore would realize an additional annual property tax boost of more than $3.63 million from Icona’s development, but its costs to provide more police services as well as maintaining new roads and other village-owned assets would amount to $2.32 million resulting in a net benefit of $1.29 million. But that reduces to just $696,000 when the cost to boost fire services is also factored in.
Annual servicing costs for the water, sewer and drainage infrastructure would be covered by a special local area tax paid by homeowners in Icona’s project.
As for environmental impacts, an assessment by AquaTerra Environmental Ltd. acknowledges there will be “potentially adverse effects on terrestrial and aquatic species including habitat loss” but, it said, those could be mitigated with habitat restoration or the construction of new habitat elsewhere, as well as the design and implementation of a management plan for invasive species and wildlife-friendly designs for stream crossings and riparian zone buffers.
The reports will help inform Anmore councillors and staff as they consider Icona’s application and they will be a key component of an open house for residents to be held on April 24, from 5 to 8 p.m, at the village's Community Hub.
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