Eleven new homes are slated to be built above the Evergreen Line tunnel in Burquitlam.
On Monday, Coquitlam city council gave first reading to a rezoning bid for David Lin Design Studio to build four strata units in two buildings on a residential lot at 707 Clarke Rd.
A public hearing on the application will be held July 30, along with a similar proposal to build a triplex and fourplex, with seven homes, down the road at 792/794 and 796/798 Clarke Rd.
Both projects fall under the Housing Choices initiative, a city policy designed to encourage more density on larger lots in Burquitlam and southwest Coquitlam neighbourhoods.
Raul Allueva, Coquitlam's manager of development services, said while the RT-3 Triplex and Quadruplex zone has only received third reading by council, the bylaw is expected to be brought forward for formal adoption when the 707 Clarke Rd. bid is considered.
"The bylaw will move forward concurrently," he said.
The Evergreen Line, from Lougheed Town Centre in Burnaby to Coquitlam Town Centre via Port Moody, is set to be running by the summer of 2016.
Meanwhile, city council also granted first reading at Monday's meeting to rezone land on Burke Mountain for a proposed subdivision at 3475 Darwin Ave., and 3466 and 3468 Roxton Ave. Owners Brian and Susan Reaveley are planning nine large village single-family lots and a large property for four future lots on a total of two acres, bisected by West Smiling Creek. The bid will also go to public hearing on July 30.
Other Coquitlam council news:
VOTERS
The list of registered voters in civic elections should be made public as a way to get more people to the polls, a Coquitlam city councillor says.
On Monday, Coun. Terry O'Neill put forward a notice of motion to ask the provincial government to change the Local Government Act to allow inspection of the voters' list at any time - not just in the eight weeks following a municipal race, as is currently permitted.
The list, which cannot be photocopied, is often used by campaign organizers to obtain names of people who cast ballots, although no information on whom they voted for.
O'Neill argued that by having the voters' list easily accessible - in printed form and online - "voters would respond positively to the knowledge that such a list would be published by voting in large numbers."
Last November in Coquitlam, 21% - or 17,961 of 82,839 - eligible voters cast a ballot.
O'Neill is also asking council to lobby the Lower Mainland Local Government Association to amend the provincial rules for the two-month window.
Council is expected to debate the motion on July 30.
