A motion by Port Moody Coun. Meghan Lahti that would have restricted the future development plans for much of the Ioco lands to single-family homes was rejected by council on Tuesday.
But what will be built on those lands is still up in the air.
Tony Cai, the CEO of Big Circle Group, the development company seeking to transform the 250-acre site at the end of Ioco Road that encompasses the historic Ioco townsite, said the firm will move forward with the input it received from the community during a third round of consultations that was to wrap up today (Friday).
“We will consider everything we’ve heard as we determine next steps in our planning and design process,” Cai said in a statement. “We are in no rush.”
Indeed, Kevin Ramsay, a former Port Moody city manager who has been hired as a government consultant for the Ioco project, told council the company doesn’t expect to apply for any kind of development permits until 2019 “at the very earliest.”
In making the motion, Lahti said the city needs to take a breath as it considers a variety of major development projects that could explode Port Moody’s population and strain its infrastructure, especially transportation.
“It’s not the right time for densification of an area that’s not well-serviced and is completely dependant on automobiles,” Lahti said. “Even contemplating development of an area that is solely accessible by cars is a step backward.”
One of the key components of the redevelopment of the Ioco property is the construction of an alternate access route to ease the traffic burden on narrow, twisty Ioco Road. At its June 13 meeting, Moody council approved a study of five possible routes to create a second connection to the Ioco townsite from the rest of the city. At the time, some councillors suggested if the redevelopment weren't comprised of anything more than single-family homes, a second road may not be needed.
One of the routes being considered is an extension of David Avenue to April Road that would bisect the 311-acre Bert Flinn park — a route that has been on the books for two decades.
Hunter Madsen, who started the Friends of Bert Flinn Park to try to prevent that from happening, told council the Ioco site isn’t appropriate for dense development.
“Densification is not necessarily the best solution for every neighbourhood,” he said.
Lahti said her motion wasn’t about the road, or the park.
“This is not a cheap political move,” she said. “We have an opportunity to create something out there that doesn’t burden our road network.”
But Coun. Zoe Royer said a development of single-family homes would do just that.
“The city would be burdened with the cost of supporting roads, fire, police services in the area,” said Royer, who voted against Lahti’s motion, along with councillors Diana Dilworth, Rob Vagramov and Mayor Mike Clay. A component of the motion urging staff prioritize high-density developments in the Inlet Centre and transit-oriented development areas passed unanimously. “Even adding several hundred homes will be unmanageable for Ioco Road.”
Kari Dow, an associate of the project’s architect, Peter Busby, stated: “You don’t get an opportunity like this to create sustainable development every day. Give us a chance to show what a jewel this can be.”
Which is exactly the challenge council is giving the developer, said Coun. Diana Dilworth, who added, “We can allow the land owner to bring forth their plan and then we can say yes or no.”
