New skyline with 5,500 homes to rise on Coquitlam's Fraser River waterfront

A major new skyline of towers is set to rise along Coquitlam’s Fraser River waterfront.

After many years of planning for the new Fraser Mills neighbourhood since the 2000s, local developer Beedie announced today it is now launching the first phase of the expansive project.

The redevelopment is located on a 96-acre Fraser River industrial waterfront site in southwest Coquitlam — at the foot of King Edward Street, just south of the Trans-Canada Highway, IKEA, Cineplex, and newly opened T&T Supermarket, and west of Hard Rock Casino Vancouver.

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There will be about 5,500 homes, including 460 market and non-market rental homes and over 5,000 condominium homes.

Residents will have access to services in close proximity, with the development set to provide at least 100,000 sq ft of retail/restaurant uses, including a grocery store. Such commercial uses are in addition to the light industrial uses, bringing Fraser Mills’ total employment spaces to about 800,000 sq ft, supporting at least 1,700 on-site jobs.

The various mixed uses will be contained within 16 towers, with heights ranging from 29 storeys to 49 storeys, plus various low- and mid-rise buildings. Altogether, there will be about six million sq ft of residential and employment spaces.

Existing condition:

Location and walking distance of Fraser Mills to SkyTrain Braid Station. (Google Maps)

Existing condition of Fraser Mills on Coquitlam’s Fraser River waterfront. (Google Earth)

Future condition:

Updated artistic rendering of Fraser Mills in Coquitlam. (Beedie)

2022 revised concept: Tower heights of Fraser Mills. (Beedie)

“We are incredibly excited to bring Fraser Mills to life. As Coquitlam’s first and only waterfront community, the prime location on the river offers a vibrant mix of homes, workplaces, and public spaces that cater to every stage of life,” said Ryan Beedie, president of Beedie, in a statement.

Additionally, a private amenity building for residents has been upgraded into a 50,000 sq ft public community and recreational centre with an aquatic centre.

Other public benefits provided by the developer in exchange for the City of Coquitlam’s approval of the significant market residential density include over 16 acres of park and open spaces, mainly along the riverfront, including a pedestrian-only, riverfront plaza for community gatherings, a new Fraser Mills pier, a dog park, a water park, and urban beach. Space has also been set aside for an elementary school and childcare facilities with spaces for an estimated 400 kids..

Updated artistic rendering of Fraser Mills in Coquitlam. (Beedie)

Updated site plan of Fraser Mills in Coquitlam, with the park, open space, and recreational facilities highlighted. (Beedie)

2022 revised concept: Phasing plan of Fraser Mills. (Beedie)

2022 revised concept: Site plan of Fraser Mills. (Beedie)

The redevelopment will be built in six phases, with work beginning on the western parcels and then gradually eastward. This will start with two industrial buildings, and then the first 2,000 homes — including all of the rental housing — plus the initial retail, childcare facility, riverfront park, wharf, Historic Como Creek Greenway, and two industrial buildings.

The area’s new road network will include a new east-west bridge across the Historic Como Creek Greenway to link the extension of King Edward Street with Brigantine Drive. Additionally, the developer has committed to funding a new and improved TransLink bus route to link Fraser Mills with SkyTrain Braid Station, which is currently about a 22-minute walk from the new neighbourhood’s northwest corner.

The redevelopment of the old Fraser Mills site was previously green-lit in 2008 under the city’s Waterfront Village Centre Neighbourhood Plan, but since the initial approval, the project has evolved and grown in size.

The footprint of the development site, largely previously a sawmill, has grown with the acquisition of the former ICBC Air Care site.

2022 revised concept: Artistic rendering of a residential building in an initial phase of Fraser Mills. (Beedie)

2022 revised concept: Artistic rendering of an industrial building in an initial phase of Fraser Mills. (Beedie)

2022 revised concept: Artistic rendering of a residential building in an initial phase of Fraser Mills. (Beedie)

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• Revised plans for Coquitlam waterfront: 5,500 homes with more rentals, public amenities
• Developer to fund the annual operating cost of new TransLink bus route
• 2,400 homes in eight towers proposed next to New Westminster SkyTrain
• Massive redevelopment proposed to replace Amazon warehouse in New Westminster
• New renderings of massive redevelopment next to Coquitlam Central SkyTrain