As city planners navigate the new provincial legislation on housing, a few land-use bids are moving forward at Port Coquitlam City Hall.
On Tuesday, April 23, the city’s committee of council advanced a rezoning plan to split the property at 1654 Manning Ave. for a two-single residential lot subdivision — about a block west of Coast Meridian Road.
The committee unanimously recommended to council that applicant Graham Watson proceed with the proposal for the 9,140 sq. ft. lot, where an older single-storey home was recently razed.
If OK’d, four western red cedars, of which three are deemed “significant,” as well as a Norway spruce tree on site will be chopped for the development.
As the bid is consistent with the official community plan, there is no public hearing permitted under the new provincial legislation.
Duplex for St. Thomas
Meanwhile, the committee unanimously greenlighted a development permit application for a new side-by-side duplex at 3609 St. Thomas St., with minor variances.
The vacant 8,191 sq. ft. lot, which has rear lane access off Patricia Avenue, is within the floodplain and, as a result, the below-grade portions can only be crawl spaces.
In his report, Bruce Irvine, PoCo’s director of development services, wrote the “proposed design provides two spacious ground- and family-oriented dwellings within the community — both housing types recommended by the 2022 Housing Needs Report.”
Under the Housing Needs Report, the city aims to build 550 homes a year to meet regional growth targets; however, this week, the provincial government put PoCo on its Housing Supply Act list to press for more new builds to ease the B.C housing crisis.
