Homes for 8,000 people proposed next to SkyTrain's Coquitlam Central Station

Preliminary conceptual artistic rendering of the proposed Marcon Coquitlam Centre redevelopment. (Perkins & Will Architects/Marcon/QuadReal Property Group)

One of Metro Vancouver’s single largest transit-oriented, mixed-use redevelopments is proposed for a site immediately east of TransLink’s Coquitlam Central Station.

A development application has been submitted by Marcon Developments and QuadReal Property to redevelop an 11.6-acre property at the southeast corner of the intersection of Barnet Highway and Lougheed Highway, which is currently primarily occupied by several car dealerships.

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The adjacent transit hub is served by SkyTrain Millennium Line, West Coast Express commuter rail, and a major bus exchange.

marcon coquitlam central lougheed highway development

Site of the proposed Marcon Coquitlam Centre redevelopment. (City of Coquitlam)

Site of the proposed Marcon Coquitlam Centre redevelopment. (Google Maps)

Up to nine towers reaching a height of as much as approximately 60 storeys are proposed for the project, which is currently in its preliminary stage of review with the City of Coquitlam. Perkins & Will is the project’s architectural design firm.

The proponents are looking to build homes for as many as 8,000 residents, including six condominium towers with about 3,000 homes for an estimated 6,000 residents, and two rental housing towers with roughly 1,000 homes for approximately 2,000 residents.

The first phase on the north side of the site comprises of both rental housing towers, including 150 units of below-market rental housing, as well as one condominium tower with about 500 homes.

Preliminary conceptual artistic rendering of the proposed Marcon Coquitlam Centre redevelopment. (Perkins & Will Architects/Marcon/QuadReal Property Group)

A significant commercial component is incorporated into the first phase, specifically 170,000 sq ft of office space, a three-star hotel with 150 guest rooms, a 20,000 sq ft conference centre featuring a 5,200 sq ft ballroom with a capacity for 400 people, and an anchor grocery store.

Most of the redevelopment’s 800 jobs will come from the office and hotel components, which share the same building.

To achieve a financially viable model for the conference centre, which is prescribed for this specific site by the municipal government under the 2020-approved Coquitlam City Centre Area Plan (CCAP), the developer has requested a financial contribution of $7.6 million from the municipal government towards the construction cost of the shell of the venue.

A 0.3-acre urban plaza is also included in the first phase.

Preliminary conceptual artistic rendering of the proposed Marcon Coquitlam Centre redevelopment. (Perkins & Will Architects/Marcon/QuadReal Property Group)

As for the second phase on the south side of the property, the proponents have outlined a plan for five condominium towers totalling 2,500 units, 47,000 sq ft of retail and restaurant space, and a childcare facility.

The completion of the second phase’s commercial component would bring the redevelopment’s total commercial space floor area to 582,000 sq ft.

Public realm components in the second phase entail a 1.2-acre, publicly-owned central urban park, a 0.6-acre site dedicated to the city for a future park, and a 10-metre wide greenway along the southern border of the second phase for pedestrian and cycling connections.

There would also be a pedestrian and cyclist bridge over Lougheed Highway for seamless active transportation connections between the second phase and the transit hub to the west.

Layout of the proposed Marcon Coquitlam Centre redevelopment. (Perkins & Will Architects/Marcon/QuadReal Property Group)

The proposed total floor area is 3.64 million sq ft, creating a floor area ratio density of a floor area that is 7.15 times larger than the size of the lot. This total floor area is comparable to the size of Senakw in Vancouver, and the Lansdowne Centre redevelopment in Richmond.

In exchange for the proposed uses and density, the developer’s estimated contribution to the municipal government is estimated to be $150 million in development cost levies, density bonus fees, and community amenity contributions.

It should also be noted that the municipal government is considering selling a portion of 2976 Pheasant Street, one of the parcels that make up the development site, to the developer.

Under the CCAP, high-density urban developments are envisioned for the area defined as Coquitlam City Centre, which is largely centred around the three easternmost terminus stations of the Millennium Line, and the redevelopment of the 60-acre Coquitlam Centre shopping mall.

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