Plans for what is expected to be a significant commercial and residential hub on Coquitlam’s Burke Mountain are one step closer to final approval.
On July 12, council voted in favour of the Partington Creek Neighbourhood Centre concept, which envisions a business area with mixed-use developments and open spaces. The document calls for higher densities on the site in order to support the commercial enterprises the city hopes to attract to the mountain.
“We want a commercial area that is vibrant,” said Coun. Brent Asmundson, a Burke Mountain resident. “So you are not having an area of no stores, or stores that are constantly turning over.”
Council’s vote came after a public hearing; fourth and final reading is expected to be granted at a future meeting.
The Partington Creek Neighbourhood Centre Plan covers a 39-acre area east of Mitchell Street, south of David Avenue and north of the future Burke Village Promenade. An extension of Princeton Avenue will be the focal point of the neighbourhood, chosen because it has some of the lowest grades in the area, making it more walkable, staff said. Several pedestrian plazas and open spaces are outlined in the document along with a new park area toward the southeast corner.
“What we are seeing now in the sketches is pretty exciting,” said Coun. Terry O’Neill, later adding: “It is going to be quite a lovely place.”
But not everyone supports the city’s plans for Partington Creek.
Several people who spoke during a public hearing said they had concerns about parking and traffic. Some took issue with the fact the new neighbourhood would require the removal of a forested area. Others said the plan is not large enough.
Jim McNeill, president of the North East Coquitlam Ratepayers Association, said there is not enough commercial space to support the 30,000 people expected to move into Burke Mountain over the next few decades.
“This is equivalent to the entire population of Port Moody and as such, will require more than a couple of dozen small stores,” he wrote to the city. “The retail area should be much larger than the proposed site in order to be anywhere near the equivalent to the Port Moody retail service area.”
Plans for Partington Creek were first unveiled in 2013, covering a larger land area, but a report to council said topography and anticipated demand and viability of the proposed commercial uses determined the final location and size of the site.
Staff said consultants had analyzed the need for commercial space on the mountain and believe that what is called for in the latest Partington Creek plan is sufficient.
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