Residents, businesses and other stakeholders are invited to share their vision for the future of Southwest Coquitlam as the City prepares to chart a renewed course for the area’s housing, transportation and neighbourhoods.
COQUITLAM, B.C., Oct. 22, 2020 – Residents, businesses and other stakeholders are invited to share their vision for the future of Southwest Coquitlam as the City prepares to chart a renewed course for the area’s housing, transportation and neighbourhoods.
Public consultation launches today for the Southwest Housing Review (SWHR), which will focus on the 38-square-kilometre area south of Barnet Highway that is home to some of Coquitlam’s most established and primarily single-family neighbourhoods. Input will be collected through an online engagement page and survey, public information sessions, stakeholder engagement sessions and other means.
This will be the first of several opportunities to provide input into the SWHR, an intensive two-year planning process that aims to create more affordable housing, sustainable transportation and active corridors, and livable neighbourhoods for families.
Many Options for Providing Input
During this first round of consultation, which is part of the first of five phases, the City is seeking public input on the values and objectives of the SWHR, including establishing a future vision for Southwest Coquitlam and considering the housing needs in low-density areas and along major road corridors.
Visit the City’s public engagement website www.letstalkcoquitlam.ca/swhr for information and a video on the process, along with various opportunities to provide input, including a survey, a tool for sharing ideas, and a map tool for identifying areas of interest.
Online information sessions will take place via Zoom video conference on Saturday, Nov. 7 and Tuesday, Nov. 17, with registration required through www.letstalkcoquitlam.ca/swhr.
In November, the City will also directly consult those living in or near six neighbourhood pockets where residents have requested a review of their future development options: Whiting-Appian, Guilby-Grayson, Charland-Joyce, Blue Mountain-Quadling, Miller-Grant and Austin-Poirier. Separate engagement sessions will take place with these residents.
The feedback received from this initial round of consultation will inform the approaches in the SWHR’s subsequent phases.
Planning for the Future of Southwest Coquitlam
Targeted for completion by mid-2022, the SWHR will build on the Southwest Coquitlam Area Plan and various neighbourhood plans. The project intends to study the potential of a more diverse range of housing options to an area where three-quarters of the 17,000 lots are designated for single-family homes, which are out of reach for many people.
Land-use changes as well as infill development – rebuilding within an existing neighbourhood – would help provide more affordable new housing options while respecting the character of the surrounding community. New development would also help to bring southwest Coquitlam’s infrastructure (like roads and sewers) and public amenities (like parks and open spaces) up to the modern standard seen in newer areas.
During this round of consultation, the public will be asked for feedback on the objectives of the SWHR:
- Create land-use concepts for the six identified neighbourhood pockets;
- Support the creation of vibrant, livable corridors with a focus on sustainable transportation, varied housing options, improved public spaces, local commercial opportunities and public amenities;
- Encourage more smaller-scale housing options;
- Provide opportunities for infill development such as carriage homes, garden cottages and smaller lot sizes, while refining the approach for managing the size of large single-family homes;
- Respect the history of Southwest Coquitlam while meeting the needs of current and future residents; and
- Provide more affordable housing options in Southwest Coquitlam.
Project Phases
All five phases of the project will include community engagement and public consultation opportunities:
- Phase 1 – Mid to Late 2020: Background research and consulting with the community on the overall vision for the Southwest Housing Review
- Phase 2 – Early to Mid 2021: Work directly with the residents and property owners in the neighbourhood pockets to create development options for these communities. Adopt some of those neighbouhood pockets into the Official Community Plan.
- Phase 3 – Mid to Late 2021: Develop corridor, infill and detached housing alternative proposals in consultation with the public.
- Phase 4 – Late 2021 to Early 2022: Develop and complete the vision for the corridor strategy and present it to Council. Consult further with the public on the housing choices and detached housing alternatives programs.
- Phase 5 – Early to Mid 2022: Prepare and present final report to Council.
More information is available at www.coquitlam.ca/swhr and www.letstalkcoquitlam.ca/swhr.
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Media contact:
Demian Rueter
Senior Planner
City of Coquitlam
604-218-1990
drueter@coquitlam.ca