A major rental housing project that would bring 331 new units and a childcare centre to a site just south of Lougheed Highway is up for a vote at Coquitlam City Hall today.
The proposal calls for three six-storey buildings on a consolidated site stretching across ten properties near Guilby Street and Edgar Avenue. The development would be 100 per cent market rental — a key detail that allows the project to tap into additional density incentives through the city’s Housing Affordability Strategy.
The site is located approximately one kilometre from both Braid and Lougheed SkyTrain stations, although it’s outside the boundaries of a designated Transit-Oriented Area. Under the Burquitlam-Lougheed Neighbourhood Plan, it’s earmarked for medium-density apartment housing.
The application seeks to rezone the land from single-family and infill residential to RM-3, a multi-storey apartment zone. The plans also include a childcare facility on site. Staff is seeking first, second, and third readings of the zoning amendment bylaws today.
Design Variances Sought
While the project meets general setback rules for its zone, the developer is requesting exceptions to allow certain building features, like balconies, canopies, and eaves, to extend closer to the property lines than normally allowed.
In one case, an overhang would project up to 3.7 metres into an interior lot line, beyond the 0.6 metres typically permitted. A few other projections would exceed the usual limits by up to 2.7 metres.
City staff support the variances, saying they are minor and will not significantly impact neighbouring homes or the street. “Staff worked with the applicant to minimize the impact to the neighbours,” the staff report notes, adding that earlier versions of the proposal had balconies projecting too far into private space. However, this concern has been resolved.
If approved, the project is expected to generate more than $7.7 million in development cost charges. The developer is also set to contribute $1.2 million in community amenity funds, as well as nearly $370,000 toward transportation. The project aligns with Coquitlam’s planning goals and will boost the city’s rental housing stock while adding local childcare capacity, staff says. If council gives the bylaws three readings today, a housing agreement bylaw would follow later to secure the rentals.
