Coquitlam city council was caught off guard Monday when it caught criticism at a public hearing for a planned Burquitlam development having too little density.
Boffo Properties has applied for a rezoning to build two six-storey wood-frame buildings at Como Lake Avenue and Dogwood Road. They would be built on eight lots, four facing Como Lake and four behind them on Lea Avenue, just east of Clarke Road, and would comprise 90 one-bedroom, 46 two-bedroom and 40 three-bedroom condos for a total of 176 units.
But a resident of the neighbourhood, Don Violette, said since the location is a short walk from the Burquitlam SkyTrain station, highrises should be built there because that’s the type of housing the area should have.
“Planning seems to get in the way of politics, or vice versa, politics get in the way of planning” Violette said. “The density falls far short of what is promised to province, country and [the region].”
His comments ran counter to criticism of too much density in the city frequently levelled during the recently concluded civic election campaign and at previous public hearings.
“It’s not often we get the message that we don’t have enough density,” said Mayor Richard Stewart during the subsequent council meeting, when second and third readings of the rezoning were approved.
Stewart told Violette the city’s official community plan and neighbourhood plan called for medium density on the properties and Boffo planned a development based on that. He added it would be hard for council to reject the application when the developer met the requirements for what has already been determined to be the best land use.
Several other speakers at the public hearing praised the project for its aesthetics and amenities. One of those was a retired provincial transportation planner who worked on the Evergreen Extension who said the project was exactly what planners had envisioned.
