Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam permitted extra time to implement provincial housing mandate

High school students are not the only ones afforded extensions on a major assignment. 

A pair of communities in the Tri-Cities have had their timeline to implement provincial housing legislation extended by multiple months. 

On Monday, the province announced that Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam were granted nine and 15 more months, respectively, to amend zoning bylaws to comply with small-scale, multi-unit housing legislation (SSMUH).

The bill was adopted last fall, without consultation of local governments, to increase housing supply in the province. 

Communities across B.C. were given until Jun. 30, 2024 to implement the changes, which largely focused on adding density minimums — primarily in areas previously zoned for single family homes — and infrastructure to meet demand for housing. 

Cities with a population of more than 5,000 residents were required to have three or four units of SSMUH in single family and duplex zones, and six units near certain transit stops, among other mandates. 

But Coquitlam city council, a collective that has voiced its displeasure with new housing rules, now has until Jun. 30, 2025 to meet the provincial marks. 

The extra time will allow planners to conduct engineering modelling across Coquitlam to ensure the infrastructure — sanitary, sewage, among other utilities — will be able to handle the demand from new townhouses, triplexes and fourplexes. 

“Most of the city wasn’t designed for even that modest increase in density,” said Andrew Merrill, the city’s general manager of planning and development. “Particularly in parts of older Coquitlam. Some of the pipes in the ground in those areas of southwest [Coquitlam] are 50, 60, 70 years old.” 

The extension comes about four months after the Coquitlam applied for more time to implement new housing bylaws, following city staff’s environmental and infrastructure concerns with the rollout of SSMUH in the city. 

SSMUH mandates are expected to impact about 25,000 properties across Coquitlam. 

“City staff believe that an extension to SSMUH adoption deadline is warranted,” stated a report to council from May. “Given that there is a risk to health, public safety or the environment due to infrastructure capacity or condition.” 

The motion to request a deadline passed unanimously at a May 27 council meeting.

The city has been looking to expand the areas where triplexes and fourplexes are permitted for at least 14 years, Merrill said. 

The work, concentrated in Austin Heights and Maillardville, identified some spots that may place a strain on the city’s utilities network. But following provincial legislation, Coquitlam must now identify infrastructure needs at single family lots across the entire city where SSMUH could be applied. (And eventually figure out how to pay for the necessary upgrades.)  

“We suspect the same utility constraints exist in a lot of other parts of the city,” Merrill said. “But we don’t know because we haven’t modeled it yet. . . . So we requested a one year extension.” 

Port Coquitlam, meanwhile, has until Dec. 31, 2025 to amend bylaws specifically in the Lougheed/Shaughnessy area. 

The city applied for an extension for an area between Fraser Avenue and Manning Avenue, a corridor that is sandwiched between Lougheed Highway and Shaughnessy Street. 

Although Port Coquitlam has bought multiple lots in the area — which is currently zoned for single family homes and duplexes — several properties are still privately owned. The extension would give Port Coquitlam more time to come up with the proper land use for the area, according to a report from earlier this year. 

A total of 21 communities in B.C. were granted extensions to implement SSMUH. 

As of Sep. 16, 91 per cent of local governments in the province have adopted SSMUH, according to a press release. 

Ravi Kahlon, the province’s Housing Minister, told the Tri-City News this week that the results prove B.C. is making progress on adding housing, a crisis that some experts believe has gotten worse in recent years. 

“It shows that communities do have the infrastructure for this housing,” he said. 

Seven communities — including Maple Ridge and Langley — had their requests for extensions denied. 

The Ministry of Housing didn’t explain why specific applications were rejected. 

However, each application had to prove that SSMUH posed a risk to health, safety or the environment of a specific area. And that local governments were in the process of upgrading infrastructure, according to a statement from the Ministry of Housing. 

“We are working with communities to implement these changes, so that more townhouses, duplexes, and triplexes can be built,” the ministry wrote. 

After securing an extension, Coquitlam is scheduled to host a pair of information sessions next month. The engagement opportunities will focus on explaining the provincial legislation and the city’s planning and how development may impact property taxes.

“We want to inform them about all these changes and what it means for them, because their neighbourhoods are evolving,” Merrill said. 

Residents can also ask questions at the session, fill out an online survey at a later date or reach out to DevInfo@coquitlam.ca with feedback. 

The first session is slated for Oct. 3 at the Town Centre Park Community Centre. 

The next session is expected to take place six days later at the Coquitlam Bettie Allard YMCA.