We are facing a housing affordability crisis in Metro Vancouver and although increasing supply is only part of the solution, the city of Coquitlam is working hard to produce more housing through zoning. However, the Whiting Way – Appian Way pocket neighbourhood may be a missed opportunity for more density. The map in this post is an excerpt from the proposed re-zoning. It includes a mix of high-density apartments, medium-density apartments, townhomes, and single-family homes. The density colour coding goes pretty much from dark to light. The questionable part is the light brown near top, between Ebert and Perth avenue. This area, which is a 10-15 minute walk from Burquitlam Skytrain station, is designated for townhomes. But we could be providing 10 times the density with 10-20 story towers. The residents of the area thought so as well and brought a petition to city council in February. This area plan comes for public hearing tomorrow May 30th and it would be interesting to hear what council and staff have to say about this opportunity to build more homes near skytrain. Find information on council meetings here.
