42-storey tower may be coming to Burquitlam; councillor calls for non-market housing

While it’s still a few votes away from shovels in the ground, a development that would bring 744 new units to Burquitlam-Lougheed took a major step forward Tuesday evening.

Coquitlam council unanimously voted to give first reading to a development that includes a 42-storey condo highrise, a 16-storey condo tower, and a pair of six-storey rental buildings.

Located on the 600-blocks of Claremont Street and Gardena Drive, the project spans 12 lots over approximately 2.24 acres.

While he dubbed the project a “great development,” in part due to the inclusion of market and below-market rental, Coun. Chris Wilson underlined the importance of including some non-market housing.

“What we really need in our community is for these kinds of projects to include two or three non-market units so that we can slowly transition people out of homeless shelters into permanent housing.,” Wilson said.

Breakdown

Market condo units: 526
Market rental units: 189
Below-market rental units: 29

The project’s 77 three-bedroom units are set to be divided between 54 strata and 23 rental units.

Floor area ratio: 5.5 (floor area ratio measures a project’s total floor space against its lot size)

Parking spots: 808 (all underground)

A new road would divide the project between north and south sites. The area’s topography slopes approximately 10 metres from the southeast to northwest corner.

No comment

Four months after a development sign was put on the property this spring, city staff have yet to receive any comments on the proposal, according to a city staff report.