A proposal that could transform the site of Port Moody’s old fire hall and current public works yard into a mixed-use development that could include condo towers and commercial space is going back to city council with the support of the city’s community planning advisory committee.
The committee, comprised of councillors and representatives from the community, gave its assent to rezone the site and amend the city’s official community plan on Tuesday after a debate that lasted almost two hours.
That rezoning of the site from public service to comprehensive development, along with the OCP amendment to change its land use designation from public and institutional to mixed use, could pave the way for the city to sell the property to developers. It would also be subdivided into two lots at Suterbrook Creek to make them more attractive to prospective purchasers and buy the city time to finalize a plan for moving its public works yard to the site of an old landfill on Barnet Highway.
Coun. Meghan Lahti said it was important the proposal move forward to provide the public even more opportunity to speak up as it goes through council and eventually to a possible public hearing.
“Moving this to council does not negate concerns,” she said.
And the committee heard plenty of those from a packed gallery Tuesday in the Inlet Theatre.
Several speakers said they don’t want to see more highrises built in an area that already has towers in the neighbouring Newport Village and Suter Brook developments.
“Too many highrises create a sterile environment,” Yvonne Harris said.
“If you agree to this land use change, you’re paving the way to a world view that makes everything look like Brentwood Mall,” said another speaker to cheers and applause from the gallery.
Other speakers said the property, at the corner of Ioco Road and Murray Street, and then stretching west along Murray Street, is too important as a civic asset to sell to private developers.
“It’s an incredible backward step to sell our public lands,” Gerry Kent, a candidate in last September’s council byelection, said of the site, which is located next to Port Moody’s city hall and recreation complex. “We have a piece of public land that is a treasure.”
But several members of the committee didn’t share that view.
Mayor Mike Clay said the site represents an “opportunity… that you just don’t shut out.”
He said after past proposals for the site that included a hotel, seniors housing and an extended-care facility were never realized, the city has a chance to start anew and leverage its control to attain public amenities like park space, a new library, seniors housing and even below-market housing in exchange for density bonuses that would allow developers to build towers up to 34 storeys — currently 26-storey towers are allowed in the Inlet Centre area.
But Coun. Rob Vagramov said not retaining the site for possible future expansion of city services amounts to “a 34-storey fire sale” that is more about financial gain than residents’ quality of life.
Committee member Wilhelmina Martin said much of the opposition she heard was more about residents in neighbouring developments worried they would lose their views if towers are built on the site. And, she said, even if the city decides the site should be redeveloped exclusively for seniors’ housing or a health care facility, its zoning and land-use designation still has to change.
“We have to look at what’s best for the entire city,” she said. “This development is going to become a massive election issue.”
