Port Coquitlam council unanimously passes OCP update

More than three weeks ahead of deadline, the plan is now official.

Port Coquitlam council formally approved amendments to the Official Community Plan on Dec. 9 to better align with provincial housing legislation and Metro Vancouver’s growth strategy. The province mandated the OCP to be updated by Dec. 31.

The plan puts an emphasis on affordable housing and rental stock, largely to address people struggling with the cost of housing.

With the region’s population set to keep growing, Port Coquitlam is projected to need more than 15,000 units of housing and 10,000 new jobs to accommodate 20,000 new residents.

Slightly more than half of single mothers in Port Coquitlam are considered in core housing need – defined as spending more than 30 percent of your income on shelter or living in a home that’s cramped or in need of repairs.

Port Coquitlam’s rental vacancy rate is 0.2 percent. A healthy rental market tends to have a vacancy rate between three and five percent.

To remedy that situation, the city needs to protect its rental stock from development while adding 1,784 new market rental units over the next five years, according to a city staff report.

Many seniors struggle to afford rent, as 76 percent of renters 85 and older are in core housing need, necessitating more downsizing options and supportive housing, according to a city staff report.

Overall, 27.5 percent of the city’s renters are in core housing need.

With the demand for non-market rental housing at a historic high, the city will need 1,136 new non-market units over the next five years.

There are about 264 homeless people in Port Coquitlam.

With homeownership out of reach for many households, Port Coquitlam is projected to need 1,013 ownership units “across various affordability levels” over the next five years.

“No median-earning households can currently afford a single-detached dwelling,” according to a staff report.

Overall, Port Coquitlam requires 4,727 housing units over the next 5 years and 15,249 units over the next 20 years

The OCP is also set to rezone some land near Lougheed Highway and Shaughnessy Street. Instead of building and gardening supply shops and supermarkets, the lands would be earmarked for larger developments with a mix of housing and commercial space.