Coquitlam's historic Booth Farm is an important part of the municipality's heritage and will one day be a significant civic facility.
But for now, it will be home to the four to five staff members on the city's gardening team, a move designed to improve security by creating more activity on the site.
On Monday, council voted unanimously in favour of changing the zoning of the property to civic institutional and the building will be used as a satellite office to the Austin works yard.
According to a city staff report, the building currently sits empty. By having employees and vehicles coming and going, it is believed security on the property will be improved, the document said.
Other Coquitlam news:
FOOD TRUCKS
Food trucks got the go-ahead from the city of Coquitlam Monday as council voted unanimously in favour of giving fourth and final reading to allow the vendors to operate in designated areas.
The decision paves the way for up to 10 licences to be issued for a variety of locations, particularly around the city centre and Douglas College neighbourhoods.
Council first considered the bylaw in October but several concerns were raised about how the carts and trucks would affect existing restaurants in the area.
Staff came back with a proposal that would put certain limits on vendors, who now must be at least 30 m from a restaurant.
Licensing fees have also been changed. For example, licensing costs for street vendors and food trucks were initially set for a $110 flat fee plus $25 for every square foot of space used, which worked out to an average fee of $2,500. Staff suggested a flat rate of $1,000 plus any lost parking revenue, which is closer to what other cities charge.
