A proposal to turn a former car dealership on Port Coquitlam's north side into a retail hub was met with approval from nearby residents during a public hearing Monday night.
If council votes in favour of fourth reading of the development at Lougheed Highway and Oxford Street, it will add 45,000 sq. ft. of commercial space on a site that has sat vacant for more than two years.
Five residents spoke in favour of the rezoning application, while a sixth person sent a letter also supporting the proposal. One resident spoke against the plan.
Kyle Shury, the principal and founder of Plat:form Properties, which is overseeing the application, said he is currently in talks with a grocery store company that could potentially be the site's anchor tenant.
"By no means is that a finalized plan, but we just want to be current in our information," he said. "Attracting new tenants is a very difficult task."
While most of council supported the zoning amendment bylaw, several voiced concerns about the impact additional large-format retailers would have on existing business in the city's downtown and north side neighbourhoods.
Coun. Mike Forrest said one proposal taken by itself will not likely cause problems but multiple developments could have a cumulative effect.
Coun. Dean Washington, who voted against the proposal, went one step further, adding that the city has not seen the impact of the new big-box retail developments on PoCo's northeast side.
"I am not in favour of this development," he said. "We haven't begun to see the fallout of the developments we have in place or planned in the Dominion Triangle."
He said he had particular concern over the fact that the rezoning application would allow the retailers to set aside 20% of their total floor area for health and personal services.
gmckenna@tricitynews.com
