New schools in Burke Mountain, City Centre, part of 10-year plan
With nearly 5,000 more students on the way, the Tri-Cities is going to need another five schools over the next decade, according to projections from School District #43.
Coquitlam council unanimously approved the district’s school sites proposal on Monday, which includes two elementary schools in northeast Coquitlam as well as one in Fraser Mills and another in City Centre.
While there were no issues with the sites, two members of council called on the province to come up with more money, and to come up with it quicker.
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“Maybe the province can come on board and realize that we need to build complete communities by them allocating budgets that are sufficient,” Coun. Trish Mandewo said.
To avoid having portables pile up on other school grounds, it’s crucial the province moves faster, said Mayor Richard Stewart.
“The province tends to approve funding for schools about 10 years too late.”
When a major housing development is under construction, roads, parks, and utilities tend to be built alongside that project.
“Schools and transit are the two that tend to lag by about a decade or more,” Stewart added.
Including the proposed Port Moody Centre Elementary, the school district is looking to pick up 8.6 hectares for approximately $163-million.
With market land costs of $45-million, City Centre elementary would be the most expensive site in Coquitlam, with Fraser Mills representing the lowest cost at $26-million.
The lower cost of the Fraser Mills site is due to a density transfer between the city and developer Beedie Living.
The Fraser Mills and City Centre elementary schools would likely be built on 1.2-hectare parcels – approximately half the size of other school sites, likely meaning more floors and different parking arrangements.
The other two schools are for Riverwalk and Hazel-Coy. City staff are set to start the Hazel-Coy planning process later this year.
Approximately 27,325 new units expected to be built in the school district over the next 10 years, serving as homes for about 4,950 school-aged children.
About two-thirds of those units – 18,140 – are set to be built in Coquitlam, with another 7,005 in Port Moody.
The district is required to submit the school sites proposal to the Ministry of Education.
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