The first project for Northstar Development will be in one of the founder’s hometown of Port Coquitlam.
This afternoon, March 12, Jeff Brown — a former pupil of Hazel Trembath Elementary and a Terry Fox Secondary graduate — and his business partner Gord Wylie launched the presentation centre for Porthaven, a six-storey mixed-used building that will be built on the former Elks Hall site and parking lot.
Pre-sales are due to start this spring, with construction underway in the fall for a spring 2027 opening.
Designed by Rositch Hemphill Architects, the same firm behind Windsor Gate and the M1, M2 and M3 buildings in Coquitlam, Porthaven — a combination of “Port” for Port Coquitlam and “haven, as in the perfect place to go home to,” Brown said — will have retail on the street level and 108 apartments above.
And three of the ground-floor units facing Leigh Square will be owned by the City of Port Coquitlam to control tenancy and be converted into a restaurant with a patio overlooking the renovated Leigh Square.
The municipality got the three units as part of the land sale, a city spokesperson said.
Sales centre on Shaughnessy
Attendees at the opening of the presentation centre included Mayor Brad West, councillors and city staff such as planning director Bruce Irvine, engineering director Joshua Frederick and corporate services director Dominic Long.
Officially opening next month, the sales centre is located directly north of the former Giggle Dam, at 2630 Shaughnessy St.
Architect Bryce Rositch told the Tri-City News that Porthaven will be a modern West Coast-style building that honours the civic precinct brick character.
Its amenities include:
- a car- and bike-share space
- a dog washing station
- a bike clubhouse
- co-working hubs on each level
- an indoor social lounge with kitchen
- a raised courtyard, facing the back of Shaughnessy Street retail, to capture the full afternoon sun
Rositch said he expects younger people and families with children will be drawn to Porthaven because of its proximity to downtown shops, as well as parks, social spots, public transit and recreational programs.
Donald Street will also be reconstructed for the project while an onsite heritage apple tree has been cloned; 97 of them are at a nursery and three will be planted along Donald.
Brown told the Tri-City News he’s been watching PoCo’s downtown modernization unfold, starting with the opening of the Port Coquitlam Community Centre, and the renewal of Veterans Park and Leigh Square.
“The city has a strong vision to revitalize the downtown,” Brown said. “They’ve shown strong leadership.”
