Port Moody City Council gives final approval for Woodland Park's 2,000 homes

2021 concept for the Woodland Park redevelopment at 1142 Cecile Drive and 300 Angela Drive, Port Moody. (Acton Ostry Archtects/Edgar Development)

The 24-acre Woodland Park redevelopment has been given the full green light to proceed, following Port Moody City Council’s approval of the fourth and final reading on Tuesday evening.

This approval provides the necessary bylaw amendments to the city’s Official Community Plan (OCP) and the rezoning required, which will allow the property to transition from its 1960s-era low-rise structures with 200 townhouses to building heights between six storeys and 19 storeys.

You might also like:

The L-shaped site at 1142 Cecile Drive and 300 Angela Drive is located in the general vicinity west of the intersection of Barnet Highway and Clark Road, and just east of the Suncor Energy facility.

To achieve the $1.1-billion construction cost of the overall project and the affordable housing component, Edgar Development is partnering with Woodbourne Capital and BC Housing.

woodland park 1142 cecile drive 300 angela drive port moody

Site of Woodland Park redevelopment at 1142 Cecile Drive and 300 Angela Drive, Port Moody. (Acton Ostry Archtects/Edgar Development)

2021 concept for the Woodland Park redevelopment at 1142 Cecile Drive and 300 Angela Drive, Port Moody. (Acton Ostry Archtects/Edgar Development)

There will be roughly 2,050 homes, including 1,590 condominium units, 132 market rental units, and 325 below-market rental homes.

The below-market housing component will be achieved with $140 million in construction financing through BC Housing’s HousingHub program of partnering with for-profit and non-profit developers to build affordable homes for middle-income households. Edgar will also gift a five-acre parcel of the site, worth $21 million, to BC Housing to fulfill the below-market rental housing component.

“This project is a rare opportunity to create a unique, large-scale comprehensive development in a growing community that is becoming an increasingly popular destination for young professionals and families,” said Peter Edgar, president of Edgar.

“We’re extremely excited about the plans for this site, and the support we’ve received from council, staff, residents and other community partners.”

2021 concept for the Woodland Park redevelopment at 1142 Cecile Drive and 300 Angela Drive, Port Moody. (Acton Ostry Archtects/Edgar Development)

To support the new population density, there will be 19,000 sq ft of neighbourhood-serving retail including a grocery store, as well as an 11,800 sq ft childcare facility with a capacity for 93 kids, and three acres of green spaces for two neighbourhood parks and a 1.5-km-long public, multi-use trail. The project will also set aside more than five acres of the site’s riparian and environmentally sensitive areas for protected and enhanced natural green spaces.

Other requirements include a public art budget of $2.85 million, and a contribution of roughly $30 million to acquire land and fund a new access road, with excess land provided to the municipal government for its civic priorities, such as a potential site for a new replacement fire hall.

Guided by the approved revisions to the OCP and zoning, the developer will now proceed with seeking building permit approvals over the coming year.

Construction on the first phase is expected to begin in 2022, with all seven phases built over 10 to 15 years. The first and second phases involve the entirety of the below-market housing component, spanning a total floor area of about 300,000 sq ft. A non-profit housing provider will be selected by BC Housing as the operator.

The third phase of the redevelopment will include Edgar’s secured market rental housing component. To support the creation of informal, unsecured rental housing, the municipal government has also mandated that strata owners will not be restricted from renting their units.

2021 concept for the Woodland Park redevelopment at 1142 Cecile Drive and 300 Angela Drive, Port Moody. (Acton Ostry Archtects/Edgar Development)

In July 2021, as a condition of the project’s third reading approval, Mayor Rob Vagramov placed a condition directing city staff to work with TransLink on exploring the feasibility and cost of building an additional SkyTrain station west of Moody Centre Station to better serve Woodland Park’s density.

However, no conditions related to a new SkTrain station were attached to city council’s decision this week in exchange for the project’s final approval.

Late last month, Vagramov told Daily Hive Urbanized that it is feasible to add a third station in Port Moody, based on the findings of a consultant report commissioned by city staff. When the Millennium Line Evergreen Extension segment of track near the foot of Queens Street was first built, it was designed in a way that allowed for a future station to be constructed.

He says Moody Centre Station, the closest station to the Woodlands Park development site, is too far to adequately serve the project’s new density. It is about a 30-minute walking distance away.

According to the consultant, the estimated cost for any additional station option between Moody Centre Station and the east tunnel portal is in the range of $50 million to $100 million.

“This shows just how important it is to properly plan before concrete is poured. Why wasn’t there a station identified underground? If funding was a concern, why wasn’t it at least roughed in so people in the future could decide it’s worth the investment?” said the Mayor.

“Seeing as the gap between Burquitlam and Moody is the largest in the entire SkyTrain network, I think decision makers of the past really messed up with that call.”

You might also like: