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Vancouver Sun
7 days ago
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
A proposed development that could triple its population has divided this B.C. village
A proposal to build 2,200 housing units in Anmore has some residents concerned about over-extended infrastructure and a lack of exit routes in case of wildfire. The development, known as Anmore South and undertaken by real estate developer Icona Properties, would take about 25 years to reach completion in the village of 2,300, just across the water from Port Moody. The proposed development covers 61 hectares of forest adjacent to Belcarra Regional Park. Stay on top of the latest real estate news and home design trends. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Westcoast Homes will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'It would potentially triple our population — we don't know,' said Harriette Chang, who has lived in Anmore for 17 years. 'I think development is inevitable, but that's not what we are concerned about, so much as the planning. 'I'm a resident in Anmore, and I would love to have some say in what that's going to look like.' Chang is one of many residents who have posted 'Pause Anmore South' signs, most of them calling for a referendum — 'Change this big demands one,' 'Back to the drawing board,' 'Process tainted,' and, 'The studies are wrong. What now?' A group calling itself the Anmore Neighbours Community Association hired a lawyer to write village council a letter on May 16 stating that the development process is 'flawed' and criticizing the 'suppression of political expression' in Anmore. 'My client and its many members and supporters have serious concerns about the manner in which Anmore's council is proceeding with the proposed amendment to the Official Community Plan that will allow the Anmore South development to proceed,' lawyer Sean Hern wrote. There are two overarching problems, he stated: A majority of the five-member council have already made up their minds, and that the village council 'has been violating Anmore residents' rights of free expression in an unacceptable manner, suppressing and silencing voices that wish to be heard in relation to the Anmore South development.' For Chang, her biggest concern is the thought of escaping during a wildfire. She pointed to the Paradise, Calif., fire of 2018 that destroyed the California town, killing 85 people and destroying about 19,000 buildings. 'They had a great evacuation plan, but the road infrastructure was insufficient to sustain that amount (of people trying to flee in their cars),' Chang said. 'I think about that, and I think about our hot, dry summer that we just about always get, what could that potentially look like. 'It's terrifying.' Greg Moore , the CEO of Icona Properties, disagrees that there has been no opportunity for Anmore residents to voice their opinions. The former councillor and mayor of Port Coquitlam for 16 years, and a city planner before that, said community engagement began four years ago. Over that period, there have been 28 public engagements and community meetings, he said, on top of open houses, focus groups and neighbourhood meetings. 'I've been in local government for 25 years and I've never seen this level of community engagement for land-use planning,' Moore said. He added that he appreciates that some residents don't want any development at the site, that they would like to keep it the way that it is, or they would like single-family homes. 'But it isn't for the lack of community engagement that we've got to this point to try to find a balance between a diversified housing stock, bringing in some commercial, some recreation, and some other amenities that Anmore just doesn't have right now.' Addressing infrastructure concerns, Moore said Icona is committed to hooking Anmore up to Metro Vancouver's water supply and sewer system. For now, Anmore gets its water from Port Moody and has no sewer infrastructure. Ioco road would need upgrades, Moore said, and Anmore's volunteer firefighting service would, as well. 'We have done a full wildfire study,' he said. 'The biggest challenge there now is there is no water, not even wells, to fight a fire.' A trunk line from Metro Vancouver would mean fire hydrants, which may even extend to Belcarra Regional Park, he said. 'You would create, actually, a safer environment to be able to fight fires when they start.' As for transportation, Moore said Icona will seek a community sponsorship or partnership with TransLink, a case-by-case program the transportation authority has in which new projects may be funded under a 10-year investment plan. As it stands, Anmore is an eight-minute drive from a SkyTrain station. Anmore Mayor John McEwen said the village did all the requisite traffic analysis, as well as financial and environmental impact studies. Holding a referendum is only allowed by local governments for disposal of certain utilities such as water or sewage, disposal of specific parkland, municipal boundary extensions, and municipal loan-authorization bylaws, he pointed out. Anmore resident Leslie Hannigan said she has heard it all before. 'At first glance, you may be convinced that Anmore South is a perfect place for 2,200 homes and an ideal response to the housing crisis,' she said. 'But take another look.' The Anmore Neighbours Community Association's consultant disputed Icona's traffic study, Hannigan said, finding that only 40 per cent of the proposed dwellings could be built without exceeding road capacity. 'More worrisome, there is no evacuation plan in the event of an emergency. We are surrounded by forests at the end of one-lane roads.' Residents aren't against development, she said. 'We are against high-density development with unknown consequences. We want a well-planned community, with solid information on how we will be affected, and a clear, coordinated voice in the future of our village. 'It's time we stood up to the chaos.' gordmcintyre@
CBC
08-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
A small Metro Vancouver municipality could triple in population — but not everyone's happy about it
Social Sharing In 1987, residents of the village of Anmore voted to become their own municipality within Metro Vancouver, with the stated intent of "maintaining the rural character," as the incoming mayor put it at the time, distinct from the quickly developing Tri-Cities to the south. Thirty-eight years later, the municipality is in a debate over whether that character can — or should — be preserved. "I always wanted to move up here because I like the rural ambiance and I like the quiet … feel of the community. And I believe everybody here feels that same way," said Neil Lyons, a director with the Anmore Residents Association. "Once we start going down that road of urbanization, it's just a matter of time before we're just like Port Moody." Lyons and his group are against the development proposal known as Anmore South. It's a 151-acre plot of land owned by Icona Properties, currently zoned for one-acre lots with single detached homes. But Icona wants Anmore to amend its Official Community Plan (OCP), and is proposing to build 2,200 units of housing, in forms ranging from single family homes to apartments up to six storeys high. It would also have some commercial developments and sports fields, along with linking up Metro Vancouver's wastewater system to the entire municipality, which currently runs on septic. It's an ambitious proposal that could triple Anmore's population if an OCP and subsequent rezoning submission were to be approved by council. And unsurprisingly, it's unleashed a fierce debate. WATCH | Proposed development causing community division: Anger in Anmore over proposed development 12 hours ago Duration 2:54 'They like their lifestyle' To the developer, the proposal is just part of the natural evolution for the Anmore region. "I think they like their lifestyle. And I'm sure when my parents moved to Port Coquitlam in 1970 and it was 19,000 people, they liked that sort of semi-rural character that it had," said Greg Moore, the CEO of Icona and former mayor of Port Coquitlam. "But we've all grown as a region, and anyone in this region I think has to expect to grow." Moore argues the possible commercial amenities and sports fields will let Anmore residents spend more time in the community instead of driving down to Port Moody — which has expressed concerns about current and past iterations of the plan given the additional traffic demands it could put on its roads. Meanwhile, Anmore Mayor John McEwen says the smaller home sizes would create a younger population in a village where the median listing price for any property is currently $2.8 million. "Young kids that went to school here, now they're in their early 20s, early 30s and want to buy a place they can afford," he said. "So there needs to be diversity here to make it a complete community." Rural, or just suburban? The Anmore Residents Association argues that the proposal is being fast-tracked, and has pushed for a referendum for any changes to the Official Community Plan. But council hasn't indicated an interest in that process, which traditionally is used for financing questions on big infrastructure projects, not land-use decisions. That means it will likely fall to council to vote on an OCP change, perhaps as early as next month. All four councillors ran in the 2022 election unopposed, while McEwen was handily re-elected against a candidate who campaigned on maintaining the status quo zoning. Most of council has indicated support for the broad strokes of the idea, but they admit the community is divided over the particular merits of the proposal. "It's split. There's no question it's split," said Coun. Kim Trowbridge. "The people who are opposing this development [are] opposing it for their own personal reasons. We as council members don't have that luxury. We have to think about what's good for the community … and the future." Outside Anmore's municipal hall, members of the Anmore Residents Association have been waving signs that say "Rural to Urban, go to Referendum." Trowbridge argues that's an inaccurate description of the proposal — and what Anmore is today. "We're not trying to urbanize Anmore. It's not rural now, it's suburban now. It's just big mansions on big properties that probably don't make a lot of sense to the rest of the world," he said, speaking at his house on Tuesday. He then paused to look around his palatial home, in a room next to his indoor pool. "I'm somewhat embarrassed about the house that you're sitting in, on property that just houses two people. It's not really very realistic these days." Everyone agrees Anmore is different from much of the rest of Metro Vancouver. The question is to what degree it should remain that way.
