PORT COQUITLAM, BC – July 15, 2020… More progress has been made on a major housing and commercial project expected to kick off the transformation of McAllister Avenue and Port Coquitlam’s downtown.

Tuesday, the Committee of Council approved in principal a five-storey building proposed for 2241-2251 McAllister Ave., the site of a city-owned parking lot and former commercial building.

Council is expected to vote July 28 on the proposal’s development permit and development variance permit, a significant milestone for the project anticipated to bring 63 new homes, seven commercial units and a pedestrian plaza linking to an extension of Donald Pathway.

“This is incredibly positive for our community. It not only has an extremely attractive design, but it would bring so many benefits for residents of that area and the city, including new pedestrian links and places to gather,” Mayor Brad West said. “It would create a lot of energy on McAllister Street and be a linchpin to creating the kind of downtown people have been asking for.”

The design of the Quarry Rock Development project would combine traditional and contemporary building features and use a mix of brickwork, steel, glass, colours and textures. The plans include:

• 63 apartments ranging from 646 to 1,237 square feet and from one to three bedrooms, all with access to a balcony or patio,
• Almost 20,000 square feet of commercial space in seven street-level commercial units,
• Underground residential parking, and two rear loading bays,
• A 2,500-square-foot plaza that will border Donald Pathway and feature landscaping, street trees and decorative pavers,
• A fifth-floor outdoor common area for residents with seating, tables and children’s play space, adjacent to an indoor amenity space, and
• Bicycle parking for shoppers and residents.

“This is a great fit for our downtown and will kickstart the major infrastructure changes planned for McAllister Avenue,” said Cllr. Dean Washington, Council’s designate for budget and infrastructure matters. “I’m looking forward to seeing this project begin and the modern streetscape that will come with it.”  

If approved, it would be the first major building to conform to a new McAllister Avenue streetscape concept adopted this spring to create a lively and walkable tree-lined street where people will gather, shop, stroll and celebrate. Elements include underground wiring, a wide pedestrian concourse and a level street surface that provides greater flexibility for events.  

The developer has requested a development variance permit to add an additional 5,250 square feet of residential space and to reduce the required on-site parking spots, which would align with the Downtown Action Plan and generate a $680,000 cash-in-lieu payment toward the future construction of a downtown parking structure. Based on the city’s tree bylaw, Quarry Rock will also replace three trees to be removed for construction and contribute $500 cash-in-lieu for each of five additional trees, with the funds to be used to plant trees elsewhere in the community.  

Input from community on the requested variances will be considered when Council votes on the permits July 28.

The next steps for the project are anticipated to include a building permit application and steps to finalize Quarry Rock’s agreement to purchase the city parking lot at fair market value. The developer already owns the adjacent former commercial site, formerly home to Martha’s Bakery.  

The city is also moving forward on further design work for the McAllister streetscape plan and the extension of Donald Pathway through the civic complex and downtown. The work follows the path set out in the downtown concept plan that envisions redevelopment of selected under-utilized properties to make way for tree-lined streets and paths, apartment-style housing and a mix of existing and new shops, businesses and restaurants.

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MEDIA CONTACTS

Pardeep Purewal
Manager of Communications & Admin Services
City of Port Coquitlam
Tel 604.927.5335 Cel 604.218.0533
Email purewalp@portcoquitlam.ca