What is Foster Avenue?
Intracorp is proposing to consolidate 18 existing single family lots, and a portion of City lane, on the South side of Foster Avenue between Whiting Way and Aspen Street. The purpose would be to apply to the City to design and build a new medium density street-oriented community of townhomes. This new development proposal would include approximately 125 new row-house style townhomes arranged across approximately 5.4 acres fronting Foster Avenue, a designated Collector Road. Sufficient on-site parking will be provided for visitors and residents in both attached garages and on detached, surface stalls. Each home will have at least two private parking stalls. The existing lane is proposed to be built to a City standard, allowing further access for visitor parking along a southern ‘green edge’. Access to the community is planned at two driveways along Foster Avenue.
Common areas, pedestrian pathways and green spaces are to be landscaped, with each home having access to a private front yard at the ground level, and a private deck off the main (second) level. These homes are intended to be affordable, charming and livable ground-oriented homes designed to meet the increasing demand for housing in this growing area known as ‘Burquitlam’.
The future Evergreen Line Stations planned to be located along North Road will provide convenient rapid transit options, and connectivity to the surrounding Tri-Cities neighbourhoods. This fact, coupled with a general lack of similar housing choices available in this area, suggest that residential and commercial densities in the adjacent neighbourhoods will experience pressure to increase. We are fortunate to be starting this process early enough to consult the neighbourhood on what this predicted increase in density would look like on these particular sites along Foster Avenue.
We are aware that another developer has been successful in gaining approval to build a project of three 4-storey apartment buildings across the road on the North side of Foster Avenue. We believe that the lower density (and smaller scale) of the development we are proposing – 3 storey row-homes approximately the same height as a typical new single family home – would assist in blending the future new apartments with the surrounding single family neighbourhood.
CWOCP Amendment and Rezoning
The assembled properties are currently zoned RS-1 One-Family Residential and designated One-Family Residential in the Lougheed Neighbourhood Plan of the Southwest Coquitlam Area Plan. Lands to the North and West across Foster Avenue are designated Medium-Density apartment Residential. Lands to the East and South are designated as One-Family Residential. It is anticipated that an Amendment to the Citywide Official Community Plan (CWOCP) would be required to designate the consolidated properties for multifamily townhomes. We believe that given the present and future context, a lower-density form of multifamily development would be appropriate to assist in ‘stepping down’ the density and scale from the higher density multifamily apartments existing and proposed on the North side of Foster Avenue, to the existing Single Family housing to the South and East of the subject sites. The proposed buildings have also been arranged on the site in order to keep the perceived size similar to the massing of a typical single family home, as seen from across the lane to the South.
Intracorp is engaged with the Community and the City through a neighbourhood consultation process in preparation for a Citywide OCP amendment application. As part of this process and as part of our desire to work with the Community, we have created this website to ensure we gather ideas and feedback.
This website will continue our dialogue with all our neighbours and others interested in the development. It is intended to:
- Provide community updates on the project, and;
- Provide an opportunity for you to ask any questions and to share your comments with us on the Foster Avenue Development proposal. We encourage you to participate in this website to connect with us and have your comments heard by clicking here.