A 573-unit residential development proposed for southwest Coquitlam will go to a public hearing later this month.
Developer Ledingham McAllister wants to build two towers (25 and 29 storeys), a six-storey apartment building and a four-storey stacked townhouse on a triangular lot between Alderson Avenue and the Lougheed Highway. The project, which would generate the city more than $15 million in development cost charges, kickbacks for allowing density and community amenity contributions for the city, will also include space for a potential child care centre.
“This space will accommodate approximately 25 [to] 37 children depending on the age and programming,” notes a city staff report.
But some at the council table expressed concerns about the project.
The city’s Burquitlam-Lougheed Neighbourhood Plan makes commercial street frontage in the area mandatory, however Ledingham McAllister says limited on-street parking will impact the viability of retail on the site. The company also noted the uncertainty in the commercial sector due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I would strongly discourage you from attempting to add retail to this site,” wrote Dan Clark, a partner with Sitings Realty, which provided consulting work to the developer. “I can say with a high level of certainty that it will… not give any retail tenant who is foolish enough to lease the space the chance to succeed.”
Planning staff acknowledged the challenges with including retail on the site due to the lack of on-street parking next to the highway. A report noted that a vacant storefront would not benefit the neighbourhood and that the child care space would create active street frontage intended by the neighbourhood plan.
“Staff support the proposed child care use,” the report stated. “A child care space will provide a relatively stable customer base and an active frontage, and will not be impacted by the same factors as a quick service retail use including dependency on availability of on-street parking.”
The report added that staff would continue to work with the applicant to find ways to include additional commercial space at the southeast corner plaza.
Still, Coun. Craig Hodge said more should be done by the developer to benefit the community.
While he acknowledged that space is being provided for a daycare, he noted that the project does not include any below-market housing.
“There seems to be a lot more that could be done here,” he said. “The bar has been set kind of low on this one.”
Coun. Trish Mandewo told council she would like to see more units large enough to house families. In the current proposal, 54 of the 573 units (9.4%) are three-bedroom, a figure she said is too low.
She also had concerns about the lack of commercial space, noting retail seems to thrive in places like Vancouver, where parking is limited.
“We see so many businesses that are not street facing,” she said. “There are so many businesses that do not need it… When I read that, I saw tunnel vision.”
Residents will get a chance to weigh-in on the project at a public hearing on Sept. 28. For more information on how to provide input, go to www.coquitlam.ca.
