Coquitlam hits provincial housing targets; council hits back at housing legislation, targets province

“Unnecessary,” “stupid,” and “wasteful” were a few of the words used by Coquitlam council during a recent discussion about provincially imposed housing targets.

For the first year of the five-year plan, the province has tasked Coquitlam with adding 972 new units of housing.

In six months, Coquitlam added 1,032 units.

However, the province’s approach to speed up housing approvals has not resulted in more housing being built, emphasized Coun. Dennis Marsden.

“They are taking credit for the results, saying, ‘See, it’s working.’ No, it’s not.”

Marsden asked staff to add a disclaimer to Coquitlam’s housing completions report stating: “To be clear, these numbers pre-date your legislative changes. Applications since then: zero.”

Mayor Richard Stewart used the word “stupid” and its derivatives four times while discussing the legislation.

“The development sector is reeling. It cannot get financing. It cannot get projects started,” he said.

While that slowdown is partially due to external factors, some of the market sluggishness is because of provincial “ineptitude,” Stewart said, explaining no major building excavations are underway.

“If you’re not digging holes right now, two years from now you’re not cutting a ribbon,” he said.

The province has fostered a “two-year period of uncertainty,” which has hurt the housing market, said Coun. Steve Kim.

Other councillors complained that the province was mandating growth without making the necessary investments to support that growth. Coun. Robert Mazzarolo noted Coquitlam doesn’t have a hospital or a primary urgent care centre.

“We need the province to show up.”

So far, Coquitlam has added a net total of 349 rental units – about 106 units shy of being on pace to hits its five-year target of adding 4,548 rentals.

Coquitlam is trailing the provincial targets for below-market rentals, as the goal is “well beyond what is feasible” and would require: “significant contributions from senior orders of government,” according to a city staff report.

The city has added 100 below-market units added so far. To be on pace to meet its five-year target of 2,252 below-market units, Coquitlam would have needed to add approximately 225 units.

The city didn’t add any supportive below-market units. The five year target calls for 237 of those units.

The city is ahead of schedule on studio, one- and two-bedroom units, as well as market rental and owned units, such as condos.

The provincial target calls for Coquitlam to add a total of 6,481 housing units by 2030.