Several Coquitlam council members fired back this week against accusations that development on Burke Mountain is hurting Port Coquitlam.
At Monday’s council meeting, Mayor Richard Stewart said the draft Northwest Burke Vision, which foresees an additional 3,000 new housing units on Burke over the next 30 years — and was largely panned by PoCo councillors last week — adheres to the Metro Vancouver Regional Growth Strategy.
Because of the Tri-Cities’ irregular municipal boundaries, he added that some crossover should be expected as residents who live in one area take advantage of services in a neighbouring community.
“The borders don’t make a lot of sense,” Stewart said. “When we are planning things, I contemplate if the borders weren’t there, what would we do? We should be laying out our communities as though the boundaries didn’t exist.”
PoCo Mayor Greg Moore sent a letter to Stewart last week stating development on Burke has put pressure on infrastructure, schools and watercourses in the neighbourhoods at the bottom of the hill.
“We’re planning a livable community,” Moore said last week. “It’s hard to plan that when you’ve got potentially 38,000 people living above you using your streets to exit their community through ours.”
But Coquitlam has more through-traffic than any other community in the Metro Vancouver area, Stewart said Monday, adding that municipalities in a region cannot plan in isolation.
Coquitlam Coun. Mae Reid went one step further, noting that much of the traffic going into Port Coquitlam is from Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge. She also pointed out that Coquitlam’s Town Centre is a hub for all of the Tri-Cities and that many PoCo residents take advantage of services in their neighbouring communities.
“We have both done things that I think have benefitted everyone,” she said. “Most people who live in the Tri-Cities live in the Tri-Cities.”
In response to Port Coquitlam’s feedback, Coquitlam council voted to establish an inter-municipal working group with staff members from both communities and to discuss the issue at the next Coquitlam/Port Coquitlam joint council meeting in the fall. Stewart is also expected to write a letter to Moore.
The Northwest Burke Vision outlines land use plans for four new neighbourhoods above the areas currently being developed on the mountain.
The plan includes two neighbourhoods — Hazel Coy and Burke Mountain Creek — that sit north of the current Upper Hyde, Smiling and Partington creek areas, and two other neighbourhoods — Riverwalk and Goodyear Creek — which sit to the west and straddle the Coquitlam River. Coquitlam city staff said the document will guide development in the area for the next three decades.
The city of Port Coquitlam was not the only respondent to have issues with the Northwest Burke Vision document.
Residents of Park Ridge Estates raised concerns during the public consultation period regarding the extension of Oxford Street, which would be the secondary access point after Coast Meridian Road for the new neighbourhoods. The group filed a petition with the city and told council-in-committee during a meeting last month that its members are concerned increased traffic will make their streets more dangerous.
In a report to council, staff responded by noting that Oxford Street is built to handle the anticipated traffic volumes but signage is expected to be improved in the area.
@gmckennaTC
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MAYOR RICHARD STEWART'S LETTER
July 17, 2017
Mayor Greg Moore
City of Port Coquitlam
Dear Mayor Moore:
Re: Draft Northwest Burke Vision
Thank you for your letter of July11, 2017 regarding Port Coquitlam’s feedback on the Northwest Burke Vision. Wethankyou for providing your position and concerns regarding the perceived impacts from development on Burke Mountain, and we appreciate your insights and perspective.
The City of Coquitlam has a long-standing practice of collaboratively addressing intermunicipal issues when they arise, and has directed staff to organize joint meetings when coordinated municipal action is required or beneficial.
The Northwest Burke Vision (NBV) is a 30-year ‘game-plan’ that will guide the planning and development of the largest remaining greenfield area in Coquitlam. The NBV sets out generalized land uses, conceptualized road and trail networks, and utility servicing concepts to provide for balanced growth management on Burke Mountain. This will be further supported through subsequent detailed Neighbourhood Plans supported by robust technical analysis.
This long-range approach to community planning has benefits to the residents of both municipalities.
In response to the comments raised in your letter, I’d like to take the opportunity to note that the NBV area has been identified for many years to accommodate some of the region’s growth, is a future urban growth area in the Metro Vancouver Regional Growth Strategy, and is located within the Regional Urban Containment Boundary. The planned growth in this area aligns with the existing population projections outlined in Coquitlam’s Regional Context Statement, and forms part of RGS.
Building off of Coquitlam’s Regional Context Statement, the proposed NBV aligns with the Regional Growth Strategy’s goals to create compact urban areas and develop complete communities. The proposed NBV is an important next step in making the transition from the goals and objectives of the Regional Growth Strategy and Coquitlam’s associated Regional Contact Statement to community-level planning by establishing a vision for how this area of Coquitlam can develop over the next 30 years.
Coquitlam utilizes the science-based Riparian Areas Regulation (RAR) assessment for the protection of watercourses. This is determined by a Qualified Environmental Professional (QEP) as an appropriate method to determine watercourse setbacks, and follows Provincial and Federal legislation.
Prior to development occurring in new neighbourhoods, the City requires the preparation of integrated watershed and stormwater management plans that follow sound principles and address downstream impacts. This includes the Hyde Creek Integrated Watershed Management Plan (IWMP) which was jointly approved by Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam Councils in 2004.
The recently completed Tn-Cities Recreation User Study (April 2016), supported by Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam and Port Moody, showed that all three municipalities benefit from each other’s recreational facilities. Coquitlam has historically funded many recreational services that benefit its neighbours, as outlined in the recently approved Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan.
Coquitlam has made significant efforts to advance innovative solutions to the provision of schools on Burke Mountain. This included working with SD43 to service future school sites and urging the Province to adequately fund future Burke Mountain schools, so that residents do not have to travel to attend school. Coquitlam also provides detailed long-range population projections to SD43 annually to assist in the preparation of their Eligible School Site Proposal for the Ministry of Education. Port Coquitlam’s support in encouraging the Provincial Government to adequately fund Burke Mountain schools would be welcomed by Coquitlam.
Coquitlam welcomes the opportunity to discuss joint approaches to Inter-municipal transportation issues noting that all municipalities in Metro Vancouver have a role to play in addressing regional transportation. Coquitlam has previously provided Port Coquitlam with a list of appropriate planning principles on how to collectively approach these discussions. In addition, a key goal of the proposed NBV is to improve public access to Pinecone Burke Provincial Park, which will benefit all residents of the Tn-Cities.
Moving forward, there are a variety of approaches for addressing the items above. We recommend:
• Establishing an Inter-municipal senior staff working group comprising key Planning, Engineering, and Parks and Recreation staff from both municipalities; and
• Adding this topic to the agenda of the upcoming Coquitlam/Port Coquitlam Joint Council meeting scheduled for October 18, 2017.
We look forward to continuing our collaborative approach to address potential downstream impacts of development on Burke Mountain, as we continue to work with Metro Vancouver on sustainable growth to accommodate the region’s needs.
Richard Stewart
Mayor
c - Peter Steblin, City Manager
Jim Mcintyre, General Manager Planning and Development
Laura Lee Richard, Director of Development Services, City of Port Coquitlam
