It has been in the planning stages for decades but a swimming pool and recreation centre are finally in the works for Burquitlam.
The city of Coquitlam announced a partnership with the YMCA of Vancouver and Concert Properties that will see the construction of a 55,000 sq. ft. facility, which will feature an indoor lap pool, a leisure pool, a gymnasium and multi-purpose space.
"This project fulfills the city's promise to provide a recreation facility to the Burquitlam neighbourhood," Mayor Richard Stewart said, reading a statement during Monday's council meeting.
The Coquitlam Family YMCA will be built in conjunction with a mixed-use development, which will be overseen by Concert Properties, on 2.1 acres of the 3.6-acre Burquitlam Park. City staff said the project will be subject to rezoning approvals.
In exchange for the park land, the developer will give the city 2.55 acres on Cottonwood Avenue, which staff said will be used for the future expansion of Cottonwood Park from its current 2.2 acres to 4.75 acres.
“Both the new YMCA and the expansion of Cottonwood Park will be great community assets,” Stewart said. “And through the innovative partnership with the YMCA and Concert Properties, we will achieve substantial community and financial benefit for Coquitlam residents — much more than what might have been achieved by acting alone.”
A recreation centre has been a long time coming for the Burquitlam neighbourhood.
The city originally identified a need for the facility in 1977 and acquired the land at Burquitlam Park for those purposes. But the project kept getting pushed back until, in 2015, the municipality signed an agreement -in-principle with the YMCA of Vancouver for a joint facility.
While the final tally for the project has yet to be determined, the two parties agreed to share the construction costs. The YMCA will cover the expected $1 million per year in operating expenses while the city was charged with acquiring the land, which will also feature a new park-and-ride lot to service the future Burquitlam Evergreen Line station.
According to a staff report, the city’s community amenity contribution fund will cover the entire funding envelope for the future YMCA, which is expected to be $25 million. So far, the city has allocated $17 million, with $3 million set aside specifically for the park-and-ride, while the YMCA has $19 million set aside for capital expenditures.
TIMELINES
City staff stated that the new Burquitlam recreation facility is expected to be built by 2021 while the expansion of Cottonwood Park should be completed by 2019.
The land Concert Properties is giving to the city in exchange for the Burquitlam Park property is currently occupied by a rental apartment building called Whitgift Gardens.
A staff report noted that the city wants the park built with the assistance of Concert prior to construction of its development "to ensure this is ready to serve the community as soon as possible." The developer will also lead the construction of the new indoor pool and recreation facility.
The city is expected to enter into a formal operating agreement with the YMCA, as well as a property transfer agreement with Concert Properties.
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