A plan to significantly increase housing density along the Evergreen Extension in the Burquitlam and Lougheed neighbourhoods has the support of a majority of Coquitlam residents, city staff say.
According to data collected during the public input process, 59.4% of respondents supported the Burquitlam-Lougheed Neighbourhood Plan, which would see an additional 9,000 to 10,000 new dwellings and 20,000 new residents over the next 25 years.
Another 19.8% of respondents said they opposed the plan while 18.5% were neutral or unsure.
“The results indicate there is enough support to proceed as planned,” said Carl Johannsen, the city’s manager of community planning, during a presentation to council last week.
More than 4,000 residents provided their feedback through various interactions, he added, noting that most aspects of the plan had a majority of support.
For example, the city’s approach to transportation in the area was favoured by 70.6% of respondents while the approach to parks received 75.8% support. A clear majority, 60.6%, said they supported the range of housing options that are included in the plan.
Still, some aspects of the document raised concerns for residents. Only 49.9% of respondents said they support the city’s approach to parking management in the neighbourhoods, with 13.7% saying they are opposed and 34.6% saying they are neutral or unsure.
Andrew Merrill, Coquitlam’s major project planner, acknowledged the concerns about an influx of traffic congestion in the area but said that much of the increase will be mitigated by the presence of rapid transit.
“Staff would note that the experience of other neighbourhoods with rapid transit stations and high-density development demonstrates that vehicle growth will be lower than what is perceived and [is] expected to be within the city’s ability to manage as the area evolves,” staff said in a report.
The Burquitlam-Lougheed Neighbourhood Plan has been in the works for two years and has a goal of guiding development in the 1,400-acre area along North and Clarke roads for the next 25 years. The document is a response to the demand for more homes in the area since the arrival of the Evergreen Extension as well as a way of meeting Metro Vancouver’s population targets in its most recent regional growth strategy.
A key aspect of the plan calls for high-density developments along the SkyTrain line, then tapering off from medium to lower-density in the areas further away from rapid transit.
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