Four storeys added to PoCo gateway development

It’s grown since last year.

Port Coquitlam council officially voted Tuesday to add four storeys to one of the two highrises set to be built at Westwood Street and Anson Avenue.

“I think this is awesome this is moving forward,” said Coun. Glenn Pollock, who was also serving as acting mayor at Tuesday’s meeting.

A 32-storey tower – previously capped at 28 storeys – can now be built alongside the 30-storey highrise already under construction.

While the schedule is tentative, a representative from Mosaic previously predicted the south tower would be ready for occupancy by the spring of 2027.

Expected to house between 850 and 1,000 residents, the site was formerly occupied by four houses.

During a previous discussion, Coun. Darrell Penner described the four-storey difference as negligible.

“It just made sense,” he said. “Why wasn’t it another five or 10?”

Those extra storeys also mean an extra 42 units, including five non-market and three market rentals. In total, the towers are set to provide 358 units including 54 non-market rentals and 24 market rental units.

In exchange for the extra floors, Mosaic development company has offered to pay the city an extra $1.26 million, bringing the project total to approximately $16 million.

Putting an extra four floors on the site generally aligns with the city’s goals for density near transit areas, according to a city staff report.

Council’s decision followed new provincial housing legislation which designated the area – approximately 400 metres from Lincoln SkyTrain station – a Transit-Oriented Area earmarked for increased density.

A park, parking and traffic

A 1,485 square foot park is set to be built near Woodland Drive and the Anson Avenue extension.

The project includes a plan to extend Anson Avenue east toward Westwood Drive and to put two new left-turn lanes on Westwood.

A previous traffic assessment based on the addition of 282 new units and 480 residents estimated the project would put another 102 cars on the road during afternoon rush hour, according to draft by Binnie and Associates.

The site is set to include 660 parking spots.