One of Coquitlam council’s last acts with constituents before the 2022 municipal election — set for Oct. 15 — will be to consider adding homes for more than 12,000 residents across the city.
Last night (Sept. 6), city council unanimously voted to move three major applications to public hearing on Sept. 26 to listen to the community.
The bids are as follows:
Marcon Quadreal
- TriCity Central
A mixed–use master plan development plan off Lougheed Highway, across from the Coquitlam Central public transit hub, that would see about 4,000 homes in nine towers, as well as commercial and office space, and a hotel in the City Centre neighbourhood over the next decade.
The project, on the former lands of a car dealership and light industry, is one of the largest master plans ever for Coquitlam and includes 150 below–market rental units in perpetuity.
Intracorp Gardena
- Oakdale development
The firm is proposing 744 units in 42- and 16-storey towers, plus two six-storey purpose–built rental buildings, along Claremont Street and Gardena Drive in western Coquitlam.
The project, close to the Burquitlam SkyTrain station and Simon Fraser University (SFU), is "fulfilling the vision of the Oakdale land use agreement," Coquitlam’s development director Andrew Merrill said, while noting the developer would be responsible for building a road to link Elmwood/Gardena with Claremont/Tyndall — a much-needed connector to avoid the current rat-running through the largely single-family residential area.
Infinity Properties (Baycrest)
- Partington Creek
The firm wants to build 66 townhouses in 14 buildings along Victoria Drive on Burke Mountain, over a 10-metre slope.
The project includes three- and four-bedroom homes to accommodate families; as well, a portion of a trail in the BC Hydro right-of-way through the neighbourhood would be completed by the developer.
The three applications, which received first reading on Sept. 6 and have yet to be formally approved, total 5,444 homes — a significant step for the city in meeting its growth targets for Metro Vancouver, the regional agency that’s planning for one million more people by 2050.
Today (Sept. 7), Merrill told the Tri-City News that council and the city’s planning department "are really focused on increasing our housing supply," especially around SkyTrain stations, as well as in Burquitlam and City Centre.
"It's a goal of the city to increase the supply to address the housing shortage and the housing affordability," he said. "These three projects met all our policies and guidelines, and fulfill specific goals in our official community plan (OCP)."
Merrill said the three development companies also took "full advantage" of the incentives offered by the city to include affordable living.
Also at the Sept. 26 public hearing, council will consider sweeping changes to the way City Centre streets look, as the City Centre Area Plan (CCAP) update is realized.
Merrill said the proposal is not only to transform the downtown streets like Glen Drive and Pinetree Way, but also to make room for micromobility — i.e., e-bikes, e-scooters, e-skateboards — with dedicated lanes.
Sidewalks will be wider, too, and more street lights, furniture and landscaping will be installed.
Adjacent businesses will still be expected to provide parking needs for their customers, Merrill said.
The final public hearing for this council’s year takes place Sept. 26, 7 p.m. at Coquitlam city hall (3000 Guildford Way).
For more information, you can visit the city's website or call 604-927-3010.
