A plan more than eight years in the making for the largest neighbourhood on Coquitlam's Burke Mountain reached a milestone this week.
On Monday, city council unanimously voted for first reading of the draft Partington Creek Neighbourhood Plan (PCNP), a proposal to add up to 15,000 new residents on Burke's eastern slope, by Minnekhada regional park.
And next month, city council will open the floor for anyone who wants a say in its vision for the 595 acres to be developed over the next 20 years.
The PCNP calls for up to 5,700 new homes plus a commercial and recreational hub to be built, with $157 million in new infrastructure.
At Monday's council-in-committee, city planners put forward a servicing and civic facilities assessment - a PCNP companion document - showing $119 million for the works to come from development cost charges (DCCs):
transportation: $38.5 million
park acquisition: $22.8 million
park improvement: $16.5 million
drainage: $32.9 million
sanitary: $2.4 million
water: $5.9 million
The $40-million gap for non-eligible DCC items such as for a civic centre, gym and swimming pool could be funded through federal government grants, private partnerships, density bonusing and the new Community Amenities Contribution (CAC) program, city planner Andrew Merrill said.
Still, while councillors were generally pleased with the blueprint for Partington, some continued to voice their concern about the lack of green space in the neighbourhood where density will be high (three-quarters of Partington residents will be accommodated in multi-family homes).
Coun. Brent Asmundson, a longtime Burke resident, suggested stacked townhomes along collector roads to free up green space. "I would see that as entirely feasible in the Neighbourhood Centre," responded Jim McIntyre, general manager of planning and development, at the council meeting.
Coun. Craig Hodge, also a Burke resident, pressed for green streets - or common front yards - in Partington while Coun. Selina Robinson said the city should work on having parks within a 10-minute walk from homes.
And, at committee, Coun. Lou Sekora suggested the city should dedicate one acre of parkland for every 100 residents in Partington.
The public hearing for PCNP is scheduled for Monday, June 24.
