The city of Port Moody and the village of Anmore have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for dealing with future development on the Ioco lands.
The agreement states that the two councils and staff will "work together and exchange information and communicate on a timely basis with respect to development applications" for the Ioco lands.
As well, PoMo and Anmore will consult with each other on such matters as regional traffic, the Mossom Creek watershed and fish hatchery, environmental protection, infrastructure and amenities, neighbourhood concerns and heritage protection.
Imperial Oil sold the 232-acre Ioco property in January to the Vancouver-based Brilliant Circle Group (BCG) for an undisclosed sum. It had been on the market about two years, billed as one of the largest prime real estate development opportunities in Metro Vancouver.
About 150 acres are in Anmore while the remaining 83 are in Port Moody.
"We're letting these people know that they have to deal with both cities," said Anmore Mayor John McEwen said of the MOU. "To develop the lands, there's road issues with the David Avenue extension going through Anmore, water issues have to be accessed through Port Moody. We wanted to work as a group on how the lands are developed or how they're even planned."
Architect James Cheng, who is representing the buyer, said the company has had meetings with staff in both municipalities as they continue the research phase of the project, which also included meeting with the Port Moody Heritage Society.
As well, environmental consultants AquaTerra Environmental Ltd. are returning to the site to do further research on the creek running through the Ioco townsite. That work is expected to take another month, after which Cheng said planning will begin for the public consultation process.
"We want to officially start very soon to meet with the neighbours and other stakeholders," Cheng told The Tri-City News, but there's more research that needs to happen before then. "We want to be very familiar with the site before we meet with them. They've been living there all their lives and we need to catch up."
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