Port Moody weighing ways to rescue and relocate homes being redeveloped

Following a successful relocation project in 2024, Port Moody is looking to save more homes from the wrecking ball.

On Jan. 21, council received a staff report regarding strengthening the city’s deconstruction, recycling, home-moving and re-use policies as a way to encourage more sustainable practices.

Stephen Cote-Rolvink, manager of building and bylaws with the city, said the re-use of existing homes is not only more environmentally friendly, but also a more affordable solution for first-time homebuyers.

“Most developers are trying to get rid of the house,” Côté-Rolvink said. “It’s a great concept, and it’s a great thing to do, but the general population doesn’t really know that this is a viable option.”

Last April, a partnership between Renewal Development, shishalh Nation, and Wesgroup Properties rescued 10 single-family homes slated for demolition at the latter’s Coronation Park development site.

The homes were lifted off their foundations and moved by truck and barge to the Nation’s Selma Park subdivision project in Sechelt, to serve as affordable homes.

Moving homes has always been an option in Port Moody, but staff began reviewing its policies to ease the process following a delegation headed by Renewal Development in June 2023.

Currently, an average of “maybe one” Port Moody house per year is relocated, Côté-Rolvink said.

While Port Moody does encourage owners and developers to investigate whether a home could potentially be relocated prior to seeking a deconstruction permit, Côté-Rolvink said the city has worked to streamline its application and permitting processes.

“We try to establish those conversations earlier in the process,” Côté-Rolvink said. “Start these processes now, so that you can catch up to it through the development cycle.

“Developers, a lot of the time, have this structured way that they want to do things. . . . Re-use of the building tends to be more of an afterthought, not the forethought.”

So far, staff have accelerated permitting and reduced permitting fees associated with house moves, increased refundable demolition deposits and the recycling rate threshold, updated the city’s removal assessment bylaw and procurement criteria, and are working to reduce valuation requirements for homes.

Côté-Rolvink also suggested using density-bonusing incentives to further encourage moving homes, noting the city’s policy is currently under review.

He said the success of any program on a large scale hinges on changes at the provincial level. The province produced a guidance bulletin in April 2024 to ease standards related to the BC Building Code for relocated buildings. 

But what is needed is a provincial registry for available homes, an advertising strategy, a review of lending and financing rules, and more consistent remediation enforcement, according to Côté-Rolvink.

Coun. Callan Morrison said he wants it to become common practice for staff to inquire early about home relocations when redevelopment is occurring in an area.

He said it will be important considering the new provincial density mandates around SkyTrain stations like Moody Centre.

“There’s going to be 10 and 15-year-old homes that are perfectly good that could be torn down for six- and eight-storey tall buildings,” Morrison said. “How can we incentivize saving more homes?”

Kate Zanon, general manager of community development, said a significant role for the city will be having clear processes around the physical move, such as designated routes and times.

“We can be a little bit more proactive to have our ducks in a row, so as some of those more technical pieces (from the province) are completed, we can be very responsive,” she said.

Coun. Haven Lurbiecki was against using density bonusing to encourage relocations, and inquired whether the city could force property owners through policy if a home met certain criteria.

Zanon said that would be challenging to justify as it would infringe on private property rights.

Mayor Meghan Lahti, however, said she thought the city could induce landowners toward the practice if that criteria is met, suggesting increasing fees if a home is being demolished, or further reducing fees if it is relocated.

“Perhaps maybe there’s more room there for us to actually explore around adjusting those fees,” she said. “So that it becomes a little bit more difficult, or a little bit more expensive, or a lot more expensive.”