Plans to subdivide a small strip of land at a Coquitlam school so it can be sold for housing will go to public hearing later this month.
On Monday, city council unanimously granted first reading to change the official community plan (OCP) and rezone the 1.26 acres at the northeast end of Parkland elementary, at the corner of Como Lake Avenue and Poirier Street.
The proposal to generate funds for the cash-strapped School District 43 comes two years after the board of education stopped its bid to sell a portion of the Porter Street elementary school property following a large public outcry.
Last year, when the city asked for preliminary comments about the Parkland bid, it received a 1,444-signature petition and several responses. As a result, city council sent SD43 back to the drawing board.
But Graham Farstad of The Arlington Group Planning and Architecture Inc. told council-in-committee on Monday that its open house at Parkland last November attracted only 12 participants and no written responses. And he said 87% of the names on the petition opposing the sale of any SD43 land were from outside the Parkland catchment.
Farstad said the surplus 122 m facing Como Lake Avenue are not used by Parkland and they are not maintained by the city (the two nearby sports fields are considered a shared-use site by the city and SD43).
Asked if the district had considered other uses for its excess land other than subdividing it into eight residential lots, Farstad said single-family homes were the best option for the neighbourhood, and the proposal includes an 8 m-wide lane in the rear.
SPEAK UP
Have a compliment or criticism about Coquitlam city hall? Council and senior staff will be on hand to hear comments at the city's next town hall meeting on Saturday.
The meeting will take place in the council chambers from 2 to 4 p.m. For residents wanting to participate but unable to attend, the event will be webcast live at www.coquitlam.ca/webcasts.
Online questions can also be submitted after 1:45 p.m. via email ([email protected]); Facebook (facebook.com/cityofcoquitlam); and Twitter (@cityofcoquitlam).
