Public consultations to be held in May
By Colten Kamlade, Staff Reporter
If housing is a concern for you, it should come as welcome news that the City of Coquitlam is seeking to address this issue through their Housing Choices Program.
According to the City of Coquitlam website, the program is meant to provide more options for those looking to invest in a home, but who are stuck choosing between an expensive house and a tiny apartment. It is also meant to provide seniors with the option to stay in familiar neighbourhoods when they wish to downsize.
Recently, the City has decided to review the program and consult with the community. The first half of public engagement began in the fall of 2017 and continued into early 2018. This was on the proposed expansion of backyard suites in Southwest Coquitlam. The second stage has already begun, and the city will be focusing on bringing more duplexes, triplexes, and quadraplexes into areas of Coquitlam.
There will be several opportunities to participate in this round of consultation. Specifically, there will be an online survey open until May 14, a community information session on May 3 at the MacDonald-Cartier Room at Poirier Community Centre, and a pop-up kiosk at the Poirier Street Farmers Market at Dogwood Pavilion on May 6. Community input will help shape the objectives of the program, which will again be subject to revision after another survey.
In an email interview with the Other Press Andrew Merrill, community planning manager for the City, elaborated on the focus of this phase of community engagement.
“This first round of consultation in this second phase of the Housing Choices Review will look at the community’s values and objectives as they relate to housing options, infill policies and neighbourhood character in existing areas that are designated as being allowed to have Housing Choices units such as garden cottages, laneway homes, duplexes, or triplexes,” he said.
In the future, a third phase will deal with a wider swath of Coquitlam.
“The previously-endorsed Phase 3 will be replaced by a new, separate project which will involve a broader review of housing options and land uses across Southwest Coquitlam, and could be initiated after the end of the Housing Choices Review (anticipated in early 2019),” Merrill said.
