The City of Coquitlam is moving forward with plans to ensure new apartment developments include more family-oriented housing options, through a proposed Housing Unit Mix Policy introduced to Council earlier this week.
According to a city staff report presented Monday, the policy aims to create “complete communities” by requiring a more balanced distribution of unit sizes in new developments. The proposal sets both minimum and maximum thresholds for unit types to encourage a supply of larger, functional homes for families.
Under the draft policy, no more than 60% of units in an apartment project could be studios or one-bedrooms, while at least 40% would need to be two- or three-bedroom homes. Within that, a minimum of 10% of units must include three bedrooms. These requirements would apply to all apartment forms—low-rise to high-rise—and cover both strata and rental housing.
The policy would not apply to Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing or ground-oriented townhouses, which typically already offer larger layouts.
The initiative follows findings from Coquitlam’s 2022 Housing Needs Report, which identified a shortage of three-bedroom units and noted that many families are being priced out of larger housing types, such as townhouses or duplexes. “In areas like City Centre and Burquitlam-Lougheed, where most new housing is higher density, the supply of family-sized homes hasn’t kept pace,” the report said.
In addition to the unit mix policy, city staff also introduced a proposed Bedroom Standard that would set a minimum bedroom size and require exterior windows for bedrooms in apartments. According to the city, this standard is intended to ensure functional layouts and livable spaces as Coquitlam continues to grow.
City staff will now gather feedback from developers and the housing industry before finalizing the policy and accompanying Zoning Bylaw updates for Council consideration in 2026.
More details about the proposal are available at coquitlam.ca/FamilyFriendly.
