Burke Mountain rec centre rezoning gets final approval

They rezoned a mountain on Monday.

The Burke Mountain Community Centre can move ahead following Coquitlam council’s unanimous approval of a rezoning that switches land use from agricultural and rural to comprehensive development.

The land in question is south of David Avenue and north of Fremont Park. As the municipality owns the land, the applicant before Coquitlam city council was the City of Coquitlam.

There was no discussion Monday.

The change allows for the development of the 80,000 square foot community centre, the Burke Village Park, as well as one lot reserved to protect Partington Creek.

The rezoning also creates a lot that could potentially be used for residential development, such as townhouses, or commercial uses ranging from a bar to a grocery store to a pet care service.

The area is surrounded by three parcels earmarked for townhouses and subdivisions.

Coquitlam has selected EllisDon Construction Ltd. to build the Burke Mountain rec centre, which is tentatively slated to be complete by 2029.

The centre is set to include a six-lane pool, a double gymnasium, fitness centre, and a branch of the Coquitlam library.

The project was initially slated to cost $152 million and open in 2027. Development money is set to pay most of the cost of the centre, with the city leveraging debt financing as needed.

Given recent tariffs and counter-tariffs, “the scale, duration, and specific goods affected continue to shift significantly,” according to a 2025 city staff report.