‘Not an appetite for this density’ Village council tweaks Anmore South proposal

The Anmore South project is set to shed a few apartments.

With the village largely split over the transformative development proposal, council voted unanimously May 27 to back Mayor John McEwen’s motion to substantially reduce the number of apartments.

McEwen said the apartments would be scuttled in favour of more ground-oriented units, reducing the overall unit count.

“What I’ve heard loud and clear from the community . . . is that there is a general understanding that something will happen at Anmore South,” McEwen said.

However, the previous density seemed excessive for many residents, he added.

“There is not an appetite for this density,” agreed Coun. Paul Weverink.

Of the 2,200 proposed units, the development was set to include 1,302 apartments. With heights ranging to six storeys, apartments would have taken up about six acres, or 10 percent of the site.

“I don’t think they have a place here,” said Coun. Doug Richardson, adding that six-storey apartments are generally within 800 metres of a SkyTrain station.

Following a village staff discussion with Icona about the financial impact of the change, the project is set to come back to council, where another affirmative vote would send the project to a public hearing.

The project was also set to include 760 townhouses, 120 duplexes, and 20 single-family houses.

The push to reduce density in Anmore South follows an engagement process which found the community to be split on the project.

For 39 percent of respondents, the top priority was maintaining current zoning. For 38 percent of residents, providing a mix of housing options was the top priority.

With traffic described as a “dominant concern,” many residents expressed a desire for a referendum, according to research from Mickelson Consulting Inc.

Built in six phases over 25 years, the project was set to include a community centre and more than 50,000 square feet of commercial space.

The addition of 2,202 new housing units in Anmore was estimated to more than double the amount of property tax collected in the village, increasing from $2.94 to $6.58 million, according to a staff report.

The project was also intended to provide water and sewer connections for the municipality.

The project has faced criticism recently.

A neighbourhood group recently threatened village council with legal action due to what the group’s lawyers described as bias and democratic suppression.

Port Moody council has also raised concerns about the project’s impact on infrastructure and emergency services, while environmental stewardship group Burrard Inlet Marine Enhancement Society opposed the project, citing potential harm to Mossom Creek.