Wesbild's acquisition of 370 acres of provincial land means it will be a major participant in Coquitlam's new Northwest Burke Vision process.
Most (75%) of the lands purchased by Wesbild are in an area where Coquitlam has started a process for a land use plan that will guide future development over the next 30 years.
The Northwest Burke Vision is an 18-month process, involving land owners and other stakeholders to determine servicing and phasing, as well as environmental issues that will need to be addressed, says Carl Johannsen, the city's manager of community planning.
The study area is south of Pinecone Burke Provincial Park and includes quarry lands west of the Coquitlam River, a development reserve south and east of Hazel-Harper, and Riverwalk, a privately held property that wraps around Hazel-Harper to the west and north.
Lands in the Northwest Burke Vision area could one day house 7,000 to 8,000 people but several issues will have to be addressed, including slope stability, wildlife management, interface fire control, storm water management and market conditions as well as phasing. Once this high-level plan is completed, the area, made up of approximately 990 acres, will also require further neighbourhood plans.
Several of Wesbild's 14 parcels are located in this vision area. The remaining 25% of the newly acquired Wesbild lands are in the Smiling Creek and Partington Creek areas, which already have neighbourhood plans. These areas could be developed first but would still require typical development applications and rezoning.
