A waterfront village planned along the Fraser River in Coquitlam could have 1,000 more homes than first planned.
This week, the city's council-in-committee heard from the Beedie Group, the developer planning to transform Fraser Mills into a Granville Island-type residential and commercial hub.
Beedie's Dave Gormley told the committee the company wants to bump the number of homes on its 89-acre site from 3,700 to a maximum of 4,700.
"At the end of the day, it will likely be somewhere in the middle," he said on Monday.
Gormley said Beedie wants to build smaller units to meet market trends, and the change wouldn't affect density on the site (Beedie is not proposing to increase the maximum permitted gross residential floor area, according to a city staff report).
Still, city councillors said smaller units aren't the way to go in Coquitlam. Many empty-nesters and seniors are looking to downsize and moving into a 700-sq. ft. apartment can be a challenge.
"I speak to people every day who tell us we need more large apartments," Coun. Linda Reimer said.
Coun. Brent Asmund-son said the demographics in Coquitlam are different from those in Vancouver or Burnaby as many families are trying to find bigger spaces in affordable complexes. He also voiced his concern about the lack of parking as Fraser Mills will be a destination for people wanting to eat out, shop and walk the promenade.
City staff say they will be working with Beedie about its density proposal and should it proceed, a public consultation would be held.
