Baumer home to be preserved as Coquitlam approves extra density

The house has stood for 98 years, and now it should stand for a little longer.

In a unanimous vote earlier this month, Coquitlam gave final approval to a deal that essentially offers extra density in exchange for preserving the Baumer house.

Built in 1927 by millwright Arthur Baumer, the Craftsman house on Quadling Avenue is like “a step back in time,” said Coun. Craig Hodge during a previous discussion.

The heritage revitalization agreement allows the Baumer house to be moved, allowing room for a 7,556 square-foot triplex.

The house is owned by restaurateur and philanthropist Farhad Soofi and Mary Anne McNaughton. The applicant, CityState Consulting Group, is set to pay the city approximately $154,000 in development cost charges and community amenity contributions as part of the deal.

A rear porch and stairs that were not part of the original house are set to be demolished.

The floor area ratio – a measurement that calculates a development’s total floor space against its lot size – would increase from 0.75 to 1.23.

Council gave the deal final approval without discussion.

During a previous meeting on the subject, Hodge lamented new housing legislation that automatically allows extra density on single-family lots. With that change, the city has a much more difficult time offering density in exchange for heritage preservation, Hodge said.

“Many of the incentives that we’ve offered in the past to save heritage homes are actually being eliminated,” he commented.

“I worry that this is among the last ones,” Mayor Richard Stewart agreed.