McLean Avenue warehouse proposal gets support from PoCo council

Despite being short on parking spots, a project that would put a five-storey warehouse/storage facility beside the Cat and Fiddle generally garnered support from Port Coquitlam council recently.

The one note of dissent at the Dec. 16 meeting came from Coun. Steve Darling, who voiced concern over a reduction of parking at the Cat and Fiddle pub.

“I’ve been there many nights and it’s packed,” he said. “Right now, I think I’m probably against this.”

The project would replace the home at the front of the lot with eight warehouse units beneath a four-storey indoor storage area. Combined, the warehouse and the pub would provide 93 parking spots – 15 fewer than the city’s requirement.

Peak demand for storage parking and peak demand for pub parking will likely be at different times, said Mayor Brad West.

“I personally am pleased to see a more intensified use rather than a large sprawling use,” he said.

West pinpointed a row of nearby parking spots. The parking stalls aren’t included in the project because they’re not owned by the applicant, West noted, adding that they are used “every single day.”

“If we were to acknowledge that those 14 spaces exist, we’re now down to a parking variance of one stall,” he said.

While acknowledging that storage isn’t his favourite industrial use as it doesn’t always generate much employment, West said he supported moving the project forward due to the need.

Several emails of support for the project underscored the need for more storage space as the city grows.

“I’ve been slinging drinks in Port Coquitlam longer than some of our servers have been legal to drink them, and I can tell you this: space is tight around here. Just ask anyone who’s ever tried to find room in their garage for both hockey gear and Christmas decorations,” one project supporter wrote to coucil.

However, one neighbour described the project as a “visual blight” that will: “damage the quiet, family-oriented character of our neighborhood.”

Besides the scale of the approximately 81,000-square-foot structure, the loss of parking will exacerbate the parking problem.

“Our residential streets, specifically Taylor Street and the intersection at Taylor and McLean, are already consistently overburdened by patrons from nearby restaurants and shops using our free street parking,” according to the resident.

Names of the writers were redacted in the staff report.

Addressing concerns about neighbourhood character, Coun. Glenn Pollocked noted there are already industrial businesses in the neighbourhood.

“There’s industrial already on three sides of it,” he said. “I think that ship has sailed.”

The rezoning and subsequent redevelopment “would likely increase the assessed value of the land and resulting property taxes,” according to the staff report.

The project will need to come back to council for approval and a development permit.

Council voted unanimously to move the project forward.