North Road office building gets delayed for third time following two-year pipe problem

Despite getting a green light three years ago, a Coquitlam retail/office building proposed by the Hanin Investment Group remains stalled.

In 2022, Coquitlam city council approved a six-storey commercial/office building for 323 North Rd.

At the time, Michelle Kim, the property manager at nearby Hanin Village, asked council to defer their vote, citing issues including the potential relocation of a drainage pipe that served the H-Mart building.

Before any shovels could hit the ground, the Hanin Investment Group was obligated to work out an arrangement regarding the pipe. The initial failure to make a deal on the pipe resulted in city staff approving a one-year delay.

However, the drainage pipe was eventually revealed to be a non-issue.

“After nearly two years of negotiations, it was confirmed the pipe in question had already previously been decommissioned,” a city staff report stated.

With the 2022 approval set to expire, the office project was back in council chambers recently. The Hanin Investment Group asked for a one-year extension, in part, to: “secure appropriate financing after re-evaluating its design.”

The issue between neighbours was an “absolute mess,” Coun. Dennis Marsden said during the June 23 council meeting.

With office space needed in the city, Marsden supported giving the developer until June 2026 to clear up any outstanding issues.

“Would love to see this get built sometime very soon,” he said. “Let’s get it done.”

Speaking on behalf of Hanin Investment Group, Michele Chow previously touted the need for office space in the neighbourhood.

“With the densification of Coquitlam there is a lack of replacement commercial and office space. There is a further demand in this neighbourhood given that this is considered the hub of the Korean business community,” she said.

The project is set to consist of four floors of office space over two floors of commercial/retail, totalling 58,616 square feet. The building would replace an auto shop.

The project was previously estimated to generate approximately $802,600 for the city, including $300,000 as payment-in-lieu for a 10 percent parking reduction.

Council unanimously supported the extension.

Coun. Steve Kim, who previously recused himself from the project in 2022, reversed his recusal at the June 23 meeting.

Kim’s father was on the board of a credit union that was set to be part of project. However, the credit union didn’t become part of the project and his father is no longer on that board, Kim explained.