Pitt Meadows council has a new vision for the north Lougheed area, and it now includes dense residential development, including towers, mixed with restaurants and other commercial properties.
The area was previously proposed as a commercial district, with two-thirds shopping and one-third business park. There was no residential component in earlier plans, the first going back to 1985.
Development plans have been submitted by SmartCentres for the 51-hectare (127-acre) parcel, which borders Lougheed Highway to the north, between Golden Ears Way and Harris Road.
Council deferred the rezoning of the development indefinitely in 2015. But after the fall election, council voted to rescind the deferment and proceed with what Mayor Bill Dingwall calls one of the city’s last major areas of development.
A staff report said several factors have changed the recommended use of the site – key among them the new B-Line bus route that will take passengers from downtown Maple Ridge to the Skytrain at Coquitlam Central Station. There could be two B-Line stops along the North Lougheed property.
Residential towers and supporting businesses typically spring up near SkyTrain stations, noted Dingwall, so proximity to the B-Line would be attractive to apartment dwellers.
“Who knows, in 30 years, 40 years, maybe we’ll have a SkyTrain out this way, and it’ll run along the same route,” added Dingwall.
Another change in recent years is the lack of demand for big-box and other commercial properties as they compete with online retailers.
The highway property is in the Agricultural Land Reserve, and a condition of getting an exclusion is building a route from Harris Road to Golden Ears Way.
That North Lougheed Connector would relieve traffic congestion on Old Dewdney Trunk Road, which impedes farm vehicles. The estimated $16-million cost of the road would be paid for by the developer.
Dingwall said the city will consult with the Agricultural Land Commission once plans are more concrete to see whether it must re-apply for an exclusion.