The first purpose-built office tower will go up in two years in Coquitlam’s City Centre neighbourhood.
But the high-rise will be five storeys taller than when the permit was first approved a decade ago.
March 8, council unanimously OK’d the amended permit for the office building at 2992 Glen Dr. that, when built in the spring of 2023, will complement Cressey’s nearby M1, M2 and M3 residential towers.
In a letter to city council, Cressey’s development manager Patrick Lanigan wrote that the storey increase was because of the completion of the Evergreen Extension to City Centre four years ago.
And he said the tower will result in up to 300 jobs for the area, where 24,000 more residents will call home over the next 25 years as envisioned in the updated City Centre Area Plan, adopted last year.
According to the plans, the 14-storey office building will have three commercial/retail units at grade, and the building will increase in floor area from 52,671 sq. ft. to 77,976 sq. ft., for 64 office units.
As well, there will be 6,594 sq. ft. of outdoor amenity space for a rooftop lounge and a roof deck.
The office tower will be built on a vacant site, where there is currently a sales centre and parking lot.
“It’s great to see that this is going to be a high-rise for office,” Coun. Brent Asmundson told council. “It’s something that’s desperately needed in this region and it’s something that we hope will continue to keep more people working closer to home and help bring jobs, rather than leave on SkyTrain.”
But councillors Chris Wilson and Bonita Zarrillo voiced concern about the amount of parking: a total of 145 spots are allocated including six for visitors. As well, only three spots are designated for disabled.
“We feel very confident that the number in this development will be sufficient,” said Jaime Boan, the city’s general manager of public works and engineering, noting the building is close to public transit.
“I think it’s going to be a great building. I just don’t want to hear in three years that there’s not enough parking for employees,” Wilson said, adding he doesn’t want the lack of parking to be a deterrent for companies looking to relocate to Coquitlam. The tower will result in about $588,000 in development cost charges for the city plus $108,000 for payment-in-lieu of a parking reduction.
Jim McIntyre, Coquitlam’s general manager of planning and development services, said he’s asked the acting economic development manager to keep in contact with Cressey, on their future tenants’ uses.
Boan also said staff are reviewing parking along the transit corridor, from Burquitlam to City Centre.
