Coquitlam council gets first look at six-tower gateway project

It would mean the end of Denny’s and the beginning of approximately 2,400 new housing units on North Road across from Lougheed Town Centre.

Coquitlam council got its first official look at Wesgroup development company’s plans for the 7.8-acre site on the border of Coquitlam and Burnaby. The project spans the area from the Denny’s at Austin and North Road to the lot including the now-defunct Independent grocery store.

“I look forward to seeing what I think will unfold to be an absolutely great gateway into our community,” Mayor Richard Stewart said during a council meeting Monday.

Scheduled to be completed in four phases, the project is tentatively slated to include about 2,470 units arrayed between two rental buildings and four strata towers, as well as 111,000 square feet of commercial space, including a new grocery store.

While council was generally enthusiastic about the project, there were a few concerns about the city’s need for office space as well as the importance of interesting design.

“Let’s make sure we don’t have what is immediately to the northwest of this site, because that is just an atrocious mess,” said Coun. Dennis Marsden.

Marsden advised against what he called a “rectangle in the sky” design style, asking the developer to include something distinctive to mark the gateway into the city.

“You’re not in the City of Lougheed, you’re in the City of Coquitlam,” he said.

While Coun. Craig Hodge expressed misgivings about losing Denny’s he was enthusiastic about a community plaza, noting a Brentwood development that ended up hosting Canucks viewing parties.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to redevelop one of our oldest shopping areas and one that, is in my view, badly in need of refurbishing and renewal,” Hodge said, suggesting the location might be ideal for pubs and restaurants.

Hodge was one of several councillors who broached the idea of using a district energy system that extracts heat from another source, such as incineration, and allows for a more efficient heating system.

This project would yield approximately $132.5 million for the city in through a density bonus as well as development cost charges.

Wesgroup are planning to include a daycare with space for 127 children.

The development is tentatively slated to come back to council for first reading in early 2025.

Mayor Stewart added that he was sorry the process has taken so long, noting the irony that provincial measures intended to speed up housing approvals have resulted in delays in Coquitlam.

There are more than a dozen tower applications at various stages of approval in the general area, including a potential 80-storey tower on Austin Avenue in Burnaby.