31 PoCo properties may get zoned for apartments
It may be the end of the waiting and the beginning of some consolidating.
A total of 31 single-family properties in the 2200-blocks of Manning and Fraser Avenues as well as Shaughnessy Street are set to be zoned for residential apartments, following a recent decision from Port Coquitlam council.
After the province passed legislation allowing four to six units of housing on parcels formerly zoned for single-family houses, the 31 Port Coquitlam properties were granted a “grace period,” explained the city’s planning manager Jennifer Little.
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Besides assessing infrastructure in the area, the delay was meant to stop new small-scale houses from being built on the lots, which would make it harder to build high-density developments.
However, with that grace period set to expire at the end of the year, council is obligated to rezone the properties, paving the way for lot consolidation and redevelopment, Little explained to council on Tuesday.
While the higher density is “achievable,” Little cautioned that major upgrades would be necessary.
The area “will require significant improvement to road and service infrastructure,” according to a city staff report.
“There’s a lot to be consolidated,” said Coun. Darrell Penner.
The process will likely take a long time, Penner said, adding: “they’re all separately owned.”
While 11 of the properties are privately held, the city owns 20 of the parcels
“We do own a fair chunk of this area,” Little said, noting the city would work with other owned on potential consolidation and redevelopment.
The rezoning still requires a formal council vote.
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