The types of housing to be built, as well impacts on Anmore’s traffic and natural environs, are among the top concerns of the village’s residents about a plan to develop 150 acres of property near the intersection of 1st Avenue and Sunnyside Road.
In a report presented to Anmore council on July 16, Chris Boit, the village’s manager of development services, said a mixed bag of opinions and ideas will be used by the developer, Port Moody-based Icona Properties, to put together a more detailed plan for the prospective neighbourhood, including the specific number and types of housing it hopes to build, the amenities to be offered, as well as a strategy to manage traffic.
“This has been high level,” Boit said. “We’re going to get into more detail.”
Icona is hoping to build about 3,300 new homes on the site, which would triple Anmore’s current population of about 2,600 residents. The project would also include commercial and mixed-use spaces, a new 25,000 sq. ft. community centre, a 9.3-acre park and more than four kilometres of accessible greenways and trails.
Last March, Anmore council tasked Icona to develop a comprehensive neighbourhood plan informed by detailed technical studies of the project’s impact on the surrounding environment, the village’s economy and need for civic facilities as well as its existing road network along with several opportunities for input from the community along the way.
From May through June, a consulting company conducted two open houses and four workshops to gather feedback about Icona’s plans for its Anmore South project, as well as online engagement and email responses.
Therese Mickelson, of Mickelson Consulting Inc., said most participants recognize the property will be developed, “but what that will look like is still an open question.”
Mickelson said the biggest concern expressed by participants in the various sessions was the impact Icona’s proposal will have on traffic and safety.
They’re worried Anmore’s roads won’t be able to handle the increase in population the new neighbourhood would bring, as well as potential problems it could cause for emergency response or evacuation logistics. Some suggested the possibility of a third connector route along David Avenue be revived despite Port Moody’s removal of a road right of way through Bert Flinn Park in 2020.
In June, Anmore council resolved to request a meeting with provincial transport minister Rob Fleming at September’s Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) to discuss just such a possibility.
Other concerns raised through the public engagement sessions include:
- a desire to maintain the current character of the village
- preference for buildings no taller than two or three storeys
- parking worries
- concerns about the removal of trees and the project’s impact on wildlife
- •questions about how sewage and wastewater from the neighbourhood would be managed
Mickelson said though Icona’s proposal amounts to the “biggest planning process the village has ever undertaken,” there was no consensus from residents about what they’d like to see in it.
Coun. Polly Krier said she shared many of the concerns raised by residents.
“There’s just a lot of unanswered questions,” she said.
Coun. Paul Weverink said a connector route along David Avenue to Port Moody “needs to be on the books."
Mayor John McEwen, meanwhile, said the poor participation in some of the engagement opportunities — one open house drew just 10 visitors — was disappointing.
“I’m kinda shocked,” he said.
A second phase of community engagement is scheduled to begin in September and run until November.
'We're going to take our time': Anmore seeks more details on massive development plan https://t.co/XxfDmbcf57
— Tri-City News (@TriCityNews) February 7, 2024
