Skip to content

Fraser Health eyes housing at ERH in Port Moody

Public invited to open house on changes to OCP to permit high density development
Hospital redevelopment
An open house is planned for Wednesday, March 7 between 4:30 and 8 p.m. at PoMo city hall for people to have a look at the proposal for redeveloping two parcels of land next to the current 34-year-oldEagleRidge Hospital.

One year after hospital expansion plans were announced for Eagle Ridge Hospital in Port Moody, Fraser Health’s real estate development arm is seeking public feedback on a proposal for a high-density development at the site.

And some of it could be for housing for people with modest incomes.

An open house is planned for Wednesday, March 7 between 4:30 and 8 p.m. at PoMo city hall for people to have a look at the proposal for redeveloping two parcels of land next to the current 34-year-old hospital, with Fraser Health planning to start the first phase of an Official Community Plan amendment for the property.

"Our application aligns with the province’s goal of improving access to rental housing for low income households. It also aligns with the Metro Vancouver Affordable Housing Strategy’s goals of increasing the supply and diversity of modest cost housing, and the city’s Official Community Plan Housing Goals and Policies of providing a variety of housing types in the community, including affordable housing,” stated Jacqueline Blackwell, senior public affairs consultant for Fraser Health, in an email to The Tri-City News.

Port Moody has received an OCP amendment for the project, limited to a small portion of the approximately 10.5 hectare (25.9 acre) property.

The sites for possible redevelopment include a parking lot on the western edge, near Noons Creek Drive and a treed area on the eastern edge near Guildford Way.

According to an advertisement in Wednesday’s Tri-City News, Fraser Health is seeking to introduce a “new mix of uses to the site to help support the current and future health care needs of the community.”

The open house is expected to provide the public with background materials, and the goals and objectives of the project.

The property is currently zoned P1, Public Service. And while the application is limited to a proposed change to the OCP land use designation for the two areas identified in the plan from P1 to High-Rise Residential, future development of the lots would require a rezoning to a site specific comprehensive development zone, according to the city.

Last March, Fraser Health announced it will kick in $22.6 million toward the cost of a $27.6 million ER expansion that will double the number of beds, reduce wait times for patients and provide isolation rooms for those with infectious diseases.

The community is expected to raise the other $5 million and a $1 million gift to expand the emergency and cardiology department has already been announced.

However, the city has not yet received a development application for the hospital expansion.

Interested members of the public can make their comments on Fraser Health’s proposed redevelopment plan via feedback@fraserhealth.ca