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Condo proposal not worthy of PoMo gateway — CPAC

A proposed 90-unit condo building that one Port Moody councillor suggested resembles a cruise ship isn’t the kind of image the city wants to project at one of its gateway entrances.
Condo drawings
An architectural drawing of a 90-unit condo being proposed for 2101 Clarke St. in Port Moody. One councillor at Tuesday's meeting of the city's community planning advisory committee to consider the proposal said it resembled a cruise ship.

A proposed 90-unit condo building that one Port Moody councillor suggested resembles a cruise ship isn’t the kind of image the city wants to project at one of its gateway entrances.

At its meeting Tuesday, Port Moody’s community planning advisory committee (CPAC) failed to endorse the project’s design as it moves towards consideration by city council.

The eight-storey project proposed by Spring Creek Development for a vacant, overgrown lot between Clarke and St. Johns streets where they meet Barnet Highway would comprise 38 one-bedroom and one-bedroom-plus-den units; 48 two-bedroom and two-bedroom-plus-den units; and four three-bedroom units. It would require amendments to the city’s official community plan as well as to the site’s zoning, which currently permits single detached residential, semi-detached residential and service station commercial, as well as variances to allow fewer parkings spots than required and a reduced setback from Schoolhouse Creek, which runs through the site.

But Coun. Meghan Lahti said the proposal doesn’t offer much to the city to justify those amendments.

“There’s just a lot missing here,” she said.

Among the things missing is a commercial component designated for the site in the OCP.

But the project’s architect, Marco Ciriello of Lo Studio Architecture in Richmond, said the site’s distance from Port Moody’s commercial strip along St. Johns and Clarke streets would make shops on the first floor economically unviable.

“Commercial spaces that are not used are quite depressing,” he told the committee.

But Coun. Hunter Madsen said the eventual redevelopment of the Andrés Wine site across Clarke Street and the growth expected in the rest of the Moody Centre neighbourhood, the site won’t be a distant outpost for long.

Coun. Barbara Junker said the site’s location at the city’s western entrance from the busy Barnet Highway demands special treatment.

“It is a gateway and we do have the expectation that there’s going to be something spectacular there,” she said.

Committee member Callan Morrison suggested even incorporating a significant piece of public art as part of the project would help.

“There’s no grand statement about what makes this building part of the City of the Arts,” he said, referring to Port Moody’s motto.

Other members of the committee suggested including components like car charging stations, bike and car share programs, a daycare or medical centre on the ground floor, or a portion of units designated for affordable or seniors housing would go a long way towards winning council’s favour when it’s presented.

mbartel@tricitynews.com