Coquitlam boosts rental stock with Sproule/Robinson development
Coquitlam is about to have some ex-duplexes.
Three six-storey rental buildings are set to replace duplexes spread across 17 lots on Sproule Avenue and Robinson Street just off Clarke Road, following a unanimous vote from city council Monday.
While few councillors raised concerns about the project’s large number of one-bedroom units, the prospect of bringing 306 new rental units to the city outweighed those qualms for Coun. Matt Djonlic.
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“It’s a fully rental building, the economics are different,” he said. “That’s why I’m supporting this even though I share some discomfort around the unit makeup.”
The project includes a total of 241 studio and one-bedroom units, approximately 80 percent of the total. The one-bedroom units range from 509 to 722 square feet with many including dens that can be used as second bedrooms or flex spaces, according to city staff.
The development also includes 36 three-bedroom units.
Following Monday’s vote, the project still requires a development permit contingent on road widening and other traffic concerns.
Given that the nearly two-acre site is about 1.8 kilometres from Burquitlam SkyTrain, those elements are key, Djonlic said.
“Having the road network in place through redevelopment is going to be critical so people can move around here because this isn’t one of those sites that’s right next to a SkyTrain station.”
The project includes 279 parking stalls divided between two underground parkades.
Woodbridge Homes development company is set to be on the hook for approximately $7.72 million in development cost charges and community amenity contributions paid to the city. That sum includes $50,000 for a two-stall parking shortfall and $6,000 for transportation demand management.
The developer is also set to pay the city rather than provide a childcare with 20 spaces.
The project’s density is more typical for seven-storey buildings. However, the extra cost of building a concrete-frame seven storey building could result in fewer rental units than squat, six-storey timber-frame buildings, explained city staff.
The project’s floor area ratio – which calculates a building’s total floor space against its lots size – is 2.68 on Sproule and 2.58 on Robinson.
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