Port Coquitlam sends affordable housing project back to drawing board over parking and operator concerns

An affordable housing project in Port Coquitlam has been sent back to the drawing board as city council is citing concerns over the future of the building.

Port Coquitlam city council says it’s in need of more information before approving an affordable housing project for people in need of mental health supports.

The 74-unit project is owned by BC Housing and operated by New View Society, and is slated to be built at 2365 and 2371 Kelly Ave.

At a recent council meeting, councillors pointed to the number of parking spaces at the building, and if the building’s usage were to change in the future, how that would impact the site’s parking.

Proposal sent to committee

Coun. Glenn Pollock said he lives near the site, and that parking is already an issue in the neighbourhood.

He added that typically, a building with 74 units would require the same number of parking stalls.

Pollock said by the project not providing the maximum number of stalls, the parking variance would amount to about $2.5 million.

Council ultimately voted to send the report back to a committee meeting.

“We didn’t turn down the application,” he said. “It’s going to move forward, I’m sure. It’s just we need to hear from BC Housing whether they’ll grant New View a longer operating contract, or if they’ll add a bit of extra parking to allay those fears of future uses.”

‘Disappointing’

Chantelle Burga, the executive director of New View Society, said the project has been in the works since 2021.

“We’re four years in and we haven’t broken ground, which is really disappointing,” she said.

Burga said the site is proposing 18 parking stalls comprised of resident, guest and staff parking.

She added that most of New View’s clients don’t own vehicles.

“It’s expensive to drive, and people are living on a limited income,” she said.

Burga said the organization was hoping to break ground on the project in the fall.

She said this decision could put the project four to six months behind.

“This decision from city council is really unfortunate and disappointing, because at the end of the day, it doesn’t impact you or I, or even them,” she said. “The people that really are impacted are the people that need the housing, that are struggling with housing instability, and that instability is impacting their mental health.”

Province weighs in

Ravi Kahlon, B.C.’s Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs, said he was also disappointed with city council.

“I would prefer them to just say no if they’re not interested in affordable housing, instead of using parking and other different rules to try to delay and increase the cost of this project,” he said.

Kahlon added he hopes Port Coquitlam’s mayor and council will approve the project.

“If communities want to ensure that there’s no more encampments, that people are not struggling, the best way to do it is to have more affordable housing so we can catch people before they find themselves vulnerable,” he said.

Coun. Pollock said he disagreed with Kahlon, pointing to a number of affordable projects the city is building, such as one on Kingsway Avenue and another at Welcher Avenue.

“I think we’re hitting above our weight as far as affordable housing is concerned,” he said.

Signs posted

On Wednesday, signs asking people to contact the city and province about the site had been posted around the development.

The signs made claims that people “involved with criminal justice systems” would be living at the Kelly Avenue Housing Project.

Coun. Pollock dispelled some of the misinformation in the letter, calling those claims “entirely untrue.”