COQUITLAM, B.C., May 5, 2021 – Oakdale residents and other interested stakeholders are invited to give feedback on proposed revisions to the neighbourhood’s transportation network.
The City of Coquitlam is hosting an online information session on Wednesday, May 19 from 6 – 8 p.m. A registration link is available at letstalkcoquitlam.ca/oakdale. A survey will also be available at the same link until Friday, June 4.
Refining the Oakdale Land Use Designation Update (OLUDU)
On February 24, 2020, Council approved the Oakdale Land Use Designation Update (OLUDU). This decision followed an extensive consultation process involving Oakdale community members and stakeholders. The approval updated the land use designations in the Oakdale neighbourhood, as well as the transportation network, including streets, lanes, greenways, and cycle routes.
During the OLUDU process, staff completed a high-level analysis of the transportation network to determine what new street connections and intersection upgrades were needed to accommodate the traffic volumes that would come with the proposed new land uses. This analysis determined the general alignments of the new streets, lanes, greenways and cycle routes. This high-level exercise is a normal part of road network planning for a neighbourhood plan.
Since that time, staff noticed that development enquiries and land assemblies were avoiding properties that include the new street connections and intersection upgrades. Of special concern is the avoidance of the Kemsley-Jefferson connector over Harmony Creek, which was to form the key east-west collector street for the neighbourhood. Because of the environmental setbacks required from Harmony Creek, as well as the current location of Gardena Drive and Claremont Street, it may be challenging for there to be enough developable land left over to fund the construction of this connector based on the current lot pattern.
With all this new information, staff took on a more detailed transportation network analysis. A revised transportation network is proposed to shift the proposed collector route further south, eliminate the need for the Kemsley-Jefferson crossing, and to create a transportation network that is more feasible to build, with less of an impact on the neighbourhood overall.
Because streets often form the boundary between two different land use designations, staff are considering some minor changes to the boundaries of the land use designations to match the revised street network.
The proposed transportation improvements are available to review at letstalkcoquitlam.ca/oakdale.
How We Got Here: About the Oakdale Land Use Designation Update
During the development of the Burquitlam-Lougheed Neighbourhood Plan (BLNP), a series of land-use options were presented for different portions of the Burquitlam-Lougheed Plan area. Feedback on these options was then used to develop the draft BLNP.
Consensus was reached in most areas, with residents consistently supporting proposed land-use changes. However, in Oakdale, a sub-area within the Burquitlam-Lougheed Neighbourhood, consensus could not be reached among stakeholders at that time. As a result, Oakdale was designated a Future Planning Area in the BLNP with direction to review and determine appropriate land uses for the neighbourhood through a separate, future planning process. Subsequent to the adoption of the BLNP, Coquitlam received numerous petitions, letters and phone interactions with residents seeking an Oakdale-specific planning process.
Public consultation for the Oakdale Land Use Designation Update (OLUDU) took place in 2018 and 2019 and the amendments to the Burquitlam-Lougheed Neighbourhood Plan were adopted in early 2020.
What’s Next
Feedback on the revised transportation network will be analyzed and used to further refine the proposal. This information will be presented back to Council in the summer.
To stay informed as this project progresses, subscribe for updates at letstalkcoquitlam.ca/oakdale.
Media contact:
Andrew Merrill
Director, Development Services
604-927-3416
amerrill@coquitlam.ca