PoCo gets intense on industrial land

It’s a new industrial building and – if Port Coquitlam council has their way – it’ll be the first of many.

Port Coquitlam council unanimously approved a pair of two-storey industrial buildings totalling 63,260 square feet at 2270 Tyner Street during Tuesday’s council meeting.

Located south of Kingsway Avenue near the Hawthorne Seniors Care Community, the two concrete buildings would be divided into a total of 14 units. The applicant, Lou Smith, would likely lease out those units, according to Port Coquitlam city staff.

Mayor Brad West encouraged industrial developers to “Come knock on our door” to advance similar projects.

“Hopefully, someone is listening and wants to build a multi-storey industrial building in Port Coquitlam. And, if so, my email is westb@portcoquitlam.ca.”

Coun. Darrell Penner made a similar point, stating that he hoped the Tyner Street project would serve as a catalyst for similar developments that provide an intensification of industrial land.

“I’m looking forward to us moving forward as a city where we would see this as a five-storey, or an eight storey,” Penner said.

The project is intended to offer a chance for “new industrial businesses to locate in the community,” according to a staff report.

Located in the city’s floodplain, approximately 80 percent of the 1.9 acre site’s surface would be impermeable, the report stated. Permeable pavers are proposed for the parking areas.

The application also includes a plan to plant 18 new trees on the site.

In an effort to quiet the noise and limit light pollution, the buildings are set to be flanked by walls to the north and south.

Building height is capped at about 33 feet.