Revitalizing Our Downtown

Leigh Square redevelopment is complete — a key component of our downtown revitalization. This follows the completion of the McAllister Avenue reconstruction (spring 2021 to spring 2022) and Veterans Park (completed late spring 2023). The vision for Leigh Square is an open-concept festival space for events and day-to-day social use with expanded space and capacity, bringing life and energy to Leigh Square at all times with an open and welcoming design.

The transformed Leigh Square now features:

• An extended Donald Pathway connecting Wilson and McAllister Avenues.
• Fully accessible pathways and surfaces.
• Improved lighting and clear sightlines for enhanced safety.
• New seating areas for relaxation and social interaction.
• A designated area for a future playground feature, designed for family enjoyment.
• Landscaping and a refreshing water feature.
• Rehabilitated streetscape on Leigh Square Place.
• A new stage facing City Hall for optimal viewing and event hosting.

Located in the heart of downtown Port Coquitlam, the updated Veterans Park features an open concept design that creates safe and welcoming spaces for visitors and residents of all ages to stroll and relax.

Site preparation began in March 2022 with construction in fall 2022 and completed in June 2023.

The design includes:

• A new entry plaza at the corner of Shaughnessy Street and McAllister Avenue,
• Accessible pathways crisscrossing the park for improved pedestrian access,
• Seat walls, furniture and open lawn spaces,
• New lighting, trees and planting beds,
• Clear, unobstructed lines of sight through the park,
• A prominent new location for the cenotaph in the central plaza, in consultation with Royal Canadian Legion Branch 133, and
• A new sidewalk on Shaughnessy Street fronting the park.

The reconstruction of McAllister Avenue begun in spring 2021 and was completed in spring 2022.

In February 2022 McAllister was re-opened to traffic in its final stage of construction, McAllister features a distinctive streetscape design focused on walking, socializing, shopping and celebrating, including:

• One-way east-bound traffic to provide more space for those on foot,
• Engaging street-level building design with patios and storefronts that spill out onto the sidewalk,
• A level street surface with unique paving materials, underground wires and drainage,
• Trees, landscaping and furniture that can be removed during events, and
• Electrical hookups for entertainers and food trucks.

In fall 2017, the City of Port Coquitlam completed a year-long planning exercise designed to identify opportunities to further develop the area’s potential while retaining its small-town scale and charm.

Consultant Cushing Terrell was hired to conduct research, review best practices and consult with stakeholders and an advisory group comprised of representatives of property and business owners, the Port Coquitlam Business Improvement Association, developers, non-profit associations, downtown residents and community members.

Objectives included:

• Attracting developers and businesses,
• Purchasing and selling lands to facilitate future developments,
• Creating opportunities for development that will be acted upon by owners, developers and desired businesses, and
• Offering incentives to promote growth.

The project, intended to build on Downtown Plan ’98 (see below), was part of the City’s current update to the Official Community Plan.

Recommendations and Concept Plan

The consultant’s report, Recommendations for a Downtown Action Plan [PDF/7MB], identified a number of actions that may be considered to achieve improvements in the downtown. The report was received by Council in September 2017 for information and planning purposes.

View:

• Staff Report to Finance and Intergovernmental Committee – Downtown Actions [PDF/798KB]
• Recommendations for a Downtown Action Plan [PDF/7MB]

In the fall of 2019, the City endorsed the Downtown Concept Plan, a high level conceptual framework for development of key sites in the downtown [PDF/645KB]. It included goals for the downtown to be connected, convenient, desirable, livable and walkable, with 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.

McAllister Avenue Development

Quarry Rock Development is currently redeveloping 2241-2251 McAllister Ave, the site of a parking lot and former commercial building, with a five-storey building featuring almost 20,000 square feet of street-level commercial space, an open public plaza, 63 apartments with one to three bedrooms, and underground parking.

In April 2020, the City approved an updated streetscape design for McAllister Avenue that includes a wide pedestrian and boulevard area and maintains a large portion of on-street parking. Construction is taking place from 2021 to early 2022. Read more:

• Staff report to Council of Committee
• Project website

In addition to the planning work related to the Downtown Action Plan, other planning for the downtown has included:

• 2003 Leigh Square development study – concept of an outdoor community “living room,” strong visual connections, a greenway and other enhancements in the Civic Centre.
• 2016 Cultural Plan (Imagine Port Coquitlam) – saw Leigh Square as a place for special events, experiencing art, visiting with family and friends, and connecting to civic services.
• 2020-2021 Preliminary design concept – based on the above plans.
  • Read the Mar. 9, 2021 Staff Report to Council on the Preliminary Concept.
• 2021-2022 – Detailed design of the Civic Centre redevelopment.
  • Read the Mar. 1, 2022 Staff Report to Council on design approval for Veterans Park.

Public consultation has included:

• The various planning initiatives referenced above included a significant public consultation component, including public surveys, workshops, a Downtown Action Plan Advisory Group. The City has also undertaken direct engagement of stakeholders including area property owners, residents, Royal Canadian Legion Branch 133, arts groups and Port Coquitlam Business Improvement Society, and will continue to do so throughout the process. The public and stakeholder input to date was instrumental in shaping the vision for the downtown that is guiding the City’s revitalization initiatives.
• The City collects public feedback each year through an annual budget survey to assess the community’s current priorities. The 2021 survey included an open-ended question about what improvements the public wants for downtown public spaces to provide more opportunities to gather and celebrate. The most common theme was to see more community celebrations and events, while a significant number wanted improved traffic flow and multi-use travel opportunities. This feedback is reflected in the planned outcomes for the revitalization work.
• Public feedback opportunity on the Civic Centre concept from Mar. 10 to 24, 2021.
• The City has kept the public informed of its progress on revitalizing the downtown through information in the media, the City website and publications, social media and other means.
• Additional feedback opportunities will be provided as the planning progresses.

Please note that due to the unpredictability of the construction market and supply chain issues, timelines for some projects have changed.

• McAllister Avenue reconstruction: Complete
• Veterans Park redevelopment: Complete
• Civic Centre redevelopment:
  • Council approval of preliminary design concept and public consultation: 2021
  • Detailed design: 2021-early 2022
  • Leigh Square improvements: 90% complete
• Donald Pathway extension: Complete

The work will be phased to allow for public space to continue to be open to the public when safe and feasible while other spaces are redeveloped.

Port Coquitlam’s 2022 Capital Plan included approximately $5.8 million for the Civic Centre redevelopment.

During and since the pandemic, all construction projects have been affected by inflation, labour and supply chain issues, causing costs to spike. The City has been working to shield taxpayers from these impacts, including closely assessing all project elements and materials, working with contractors to achieve cost savings, and evaluating project timing to gain construction efficiencies.

The total cost of these important projects totals $11.85 million, however the cost to city taxpayers is significantly less.

To fund these projects, the City was able to take advantage of a number of grant and external revenue sources to ensure minimal impact to taxpayers. Accumulated Surplus funds (largely resulting from provincial COVID-19 restart grants), along with the Province’s recent Growing Communities Fund grant were the largest sources for the projects. Federal, Translink and other external sources funded the remaining, leaving only approximately $360,000 that was funded from City tax payers.

During the late 1990s, Downtown Plan ’98 was developed through a public process to provide a guiding framework for the revitalization of the downtown area.  The municipal staff worked with community residents and businesses to determine a vision of what the core area could ultimately look like in the future.

Downtown Plan ’98 [PDF/6.7MB] illustrates this vision through various components such as policies and land use designations and is reflected in the Official Community Plan as a Development Permit Area for the downtown area.

Vision Statement

“Downtown Port Coquitlam will become the dynamic centre of a small, vibrant, livable city.  At its core will be lively “High Street” retail district – with one-of-a-kind shops, restaurants, specialty food stores and personal services.  It will also be characterized by attractive residential areas, with a variety of housing catering to many needs; a network of pedestrian and bicycle pathways; a wide array of public parks and amenities; and an impressive civic precinct.

Port Coquitlam has begun planning for changes to parking required as the downtown redevelops, to ensure parking is available for people who visit, shop and work at area businesses and City Hall.

The City has already started working on a strategy to ensure a variety of short and long-term off-street parking options are available in the downtown for those who visit, shop and work there. The strategy is based on the 2021 study conducted by an external parking engineer.

The City anticipates rolling out the first stage of improvements in summer 2024, including:

• Creating additional stalls in the City lots.
• Improving conditions and lighting at existing lots.
• Installing signs to create awareness of additional off-street parking in the downtown
• Exploring creative options for daytime use of existing parking stalls in the downtown that aren’t currently being utilized.
• Exploring opportunities for new long-term parking for City Hall and Annex staff, to free up spots for staff at downtown businesses.
• Working with area businesses and the Port Coquitlam Business Improvement Association (PoCo BIA) to ensure staff park in off-street parking lots so that timed street parking is available for customers.
• Update parking any existing parking lease contracts for downtown businesses (required by the provincial government).
• Encouraging visitors, shoppers and workers in the downtown to walk, cycle and use transit.

More information will be provided to the community, businesses and downtown property owners as the improvements take place in 2024.