Hopefully the new Port Coquitlam council doesn't plan to sleep much in the coming days.
Housing, transportation, finances, climate action and making the downtown core more lively are all on the agenda of Port Coquitlam’s newly elected council.
But Mayor Brad West, who was acclaimed, is looking forward to getting busy.
The inaugural council meeting is Tuesday, Nov. 8, and residents can expect a lot of smiles and hand-shaking when council returns.
Fresh from the election where his council colleagues were re-elected, with the addition of Paige Petriw, Port Coquitlam’s mayor is pleased with the outcome of the Oct. 15 election and said he’s looking forward to pushing ahead on a number of key issues.
“I think the fact that all of our incumbents were re-elected, and re-elected with a huge margin of victory and significant number of votes, is another sign that the community supports the direction that we're going," West said.
"And I'm very excited to welcome Paige [Petriw] to our team. She ran a very positive campaign. It was very much focused on wanting to contribute to the work that we're doing to make for a great place to live.”
In an interview with the Tri-City News, West spoke on a number of issues that council will be dealing with in the coming months.
Affordable housing
West said housing would continue to be a “priority” on council, including expanding affordable rental housing.
Council is already working with Affordable Housing Societies to create more affordable rental homes at River Woods next to the Westminster Junction non-market housing being built on Kingsway Avenue.
As well, the city will be working to promote more housing choices, including ground-oriented housing and housing for families.
“So I think housing is going to continue to be a primary focuses of our council. Council is going to be looking for those opportunities to build upon the success we've had with the non-market affordable housing. And then on the market side, making sure that we are seeing housing produced that is suitable for families and offers people choices at every stage of life.”
SkyTrain and more buses
West said PoCo council will press forward on a number of key transportation priorities, such as improving safety along the Mary Hill Bypass, with early plans looking to replace major intersections with interchanges; replacing the Coquitlam River Bridge; and working with the Port of Vancouver to remove rail crossings at Westwood Street and Kingsway Ave.
“The city has already done a lot of preliminary work around interchanges their design, and redesign of the bypass intersections to make it safer and to reduce the frequency of people having to stop," West said.
“There's a number of features to that design work. And we're working now with the provincial government, hopefully to get their support and funding to implement these.”
West also wants to see more buses and is working with the Metro Vancouver Mayor’s Council on the feasibility of SkyTrain to Port Coquitlam.
West noted that formal recognition of the need for a study is an important step.
Meanwhile, the city will seek grants to improve pedestrian and cycling routes, such as a multi-use path along Kingsway Avenue.
Climate action plan
West said the city is in the midst of drafting a climate action plan that will drive projects toward reducing greenhouse gasses, as well as planting trees to increase the tree canopy and improving flood protection.
“We’ve applied for grants from senior levels of government to be able to make the city as safe as possible with respect to flooding. And so there's a number of very significant capital projects, all centred around mitigating the risk of climate change,” West said.
More police on the street
West said he wants to see more officers visible on the street and more efforts to reduce speeding in the city,
Recent crime stats show the number of assaults and mental health calls was up in the second quarter of the year, compared to the three year average, while the number of tickets issued for speeding was down.
“It's going to be important to continue to ensure that the resources are in place. I have been really vocal with the RCMP about wanting to see increased police presence in our community. We are in the joint detachment with Coquitlam," noted West.
"That presents some advantages in terms of financial pressures. It also presents some challenges in terms of the RCMP having to serve to two communities,” West acknowledged.
He said RCMP resources were diverted to dealing with gang shootings in Coquitlam.
“So, for me, it's about increased police presence in our community. It's having them be visible. I'd like to see them in the community patrolling on foot."
Meanwhile, hiring more bylaw officers and giving them more powers has helped make the city safer, West said.
Keeping taxes low
West said another big priority is keeping taxes low, despite inflationary pressures, even if it means diverting projects or breaking them up over two years and he said council will be prioritizing projects and plans to ensure services to residents.
Downtown revitalization
On the festival file, West said he’s excited to see the potential of upgrading McAllister Avenue to a pedestrian-friendly street and the development of Quarry Rock, a five-storey building at 2241-2251 McAllister Ave.
The new development currently under construction will include 63 apartment units, street-level commercial space, underground parking and a 2,500-sq. ft. plaza alongside the planned Donald Pathway extension.
“Obviously, the revitalization of downtown, making it a go-to spot in our community in attracting more restaurants and places to eat and drink and shop and be entertained, that's going to continue to be a priority," said West.
"We've really laid the groundwork in the last term with McAllister, which we've already been able to showcase and how it can be transformed into an event space where the community can come together and celebrate and have festivals.”
He’s also predicting that May Day 2023 — the 100th anniversary of the traditional family event — will be “the party of the century.”
