COQUITLAM, B.C., Aug. 1, 2023 – Coquitlam continues to support the delivery of much-needed housing as it launches of a new online portal that makes it easier to submit development applications.
Funded by a $465,000 grant from B.C.’s Local Government Development Approvals Program, administered by the Union of B.C. Municipalities, the Coquitlam’s new Development Application Portal will enable online applications, payments and document submission, allow applicants to track submissions, and improve communication between applicants and City staff.
A key milestone in Coquitlam’s Development Application Process, this improved application process will also lead to better quality development applications, reducing the resources and time needed to advance housing and other community amenities.
During the initial phase, the portal will allow the user to submit development applications and pay fees related to those applications with their credit cards. The next phase will expand to renewing business licences and submitting building permits.
Service Improvements Enable New Housing
Through the City’s Development Application Process Review, which kicked off in 2018, Coquitlam has implemented a number of improvements to the development process to support new housing and other community amenities. Operational efficiencies, the use of automation, enhanced customer service, and more input from the development industry, have been key to the City’s ongoing work to meet the urgent need for more housing in the region, while also ensuring that development in Coquitlam is still happening in alignment with all regulations, plans and best practices.
Key achievements in the five years of the program include:
- Efficient file management: Through software upgrades, new online functions for managing application information are helping improve consistency, tracking, transparency and record keeping for application files. These improvements will be particularly helpful for large-scale multi-year projects when City or applicant staff assigned to a project may change over time.
- New Development Information Online Map Tool: Launched in 2022, this interactive map shows properties with current or recent development applications and provides details, such as linked reports and feedback opportunities.
- Digital Plan Review : Continued focus on expanding the electronic plan (ePlan) program for ePlan submissions, and using Bluebeam to review digital plans, saving time, paper, and improving communication with applicants.
- Enhanced Support for Development Applicants: Applicants now have the option of scheduling an enquiry meeting with staff prior to completing an application. The pre-application process has been refocused to provide development applicants feedback tailored to the different stages of the development process.
- Better Use of Technology and Automation: Upgrades to technology and automation have moved significant portions of the development approvals process online including referrals, financial calculations, plans review and file management. This earned the City a 2022 Granicus Digital Government Award as a Tech Trailblazer.
About the Development Application Process Review
The Development Application Process Review is a top-level priority in Coquitlam’s annual business plan and supports the City’s strategic goal of Excellence in City Governance. With the aim of enhancing all aspects of the application process, the work has entailed a detailed review and update of workflows, timelines, tools, standards and associated guidelines and policies.
The process review builds on in-house expertise with best practices and industry feedback. This has included quarterly meetings between the City and Urban Development Institute, along with a Developer Forum workshop series. Coquitlam also helped form Municipal Innovators Community – West, a network of public servants across Metro Vancouver that meets to share innovative process improvements, best practices and lessons learned. In 2022, the project team launched the Development Information Portal that allows users to look up Development Projects by status within the City of Coquitlam. Learn more at coquitlam.ca/dapr
Coquitlam a Regional Housing Leader
Unique in Metro Vancouver, Coquitlam’s Housing Affordability Strategy has significantly improved the City’s rental housing landscape. Since the adoption of the strategy’s rental incentives in 2017, there have been over 937 new rental homes occupied, of which 732 are market rental units and 205 are below or non-market rental units. Further, there are a record 11,344 new units of purpose-built rental and 2,128 units of below-market and non-market rental in the development process in Coquitlam.
Through its Housing Affordability Strategy, the City leverages its role and available tools as a municipality to:
- Offer developers density incentives (more units) to create rental units;
- Secure partnerships with the development sector, senior levels of government and housing providers; and
- Redirect some developer density bonus contributions to the Affordable Housing Reserve Fund to support new affordable housing projects.
Over the past five years, the City of Coquitlam has granted $17.3 million through the Affordable Housing Reserve Fund to support the creation of more than 750 non-market and below-market rental units. The City has also committed to leasing two parcels of land at a nominal rate to non-profit housing providers in order to create affordable housing for seniors.
The results, as reported in Coquitlam’s Housing Affordability Strategy 2022 Progress Report, have positioned Coquitlam as one of the major contributors of secured rental housing within the region. To learn more, visit www.coquitlam.ca/housing.
Media contact
Andrew Merrill
General Manager, Planning and Development
604-927-3430
amerrill@coquitlam.ca
We acknowledge with gratitude and respect that the name Coquitlam was derived from the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ word kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (kwee-kwuh-tlum) meaning “Red Fish Up the River”. The City is honoured to be located on the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem) traditional and ancestral lands, including those parts that were historically shared with the sq̓əc̓iy̓aɁɬ təməxʷ (Katzie), and other Coast Salish Peoples.