The Tri-City area is made up of three cities ( Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, and Port Moody) and two villages (Belcarra and Anmore) -- all living within easy reach of one another. In this article, mayors Richard Stewart, Greg Moore, Mike Clay, Ralph Drew, and Heather Anderson speak about what makes these communities special and some of the issues they are facing.
Our best features
Our mayors love the centrality of their location as well as the beauty of their natural surroundings. "We really have the best of worlds here," said Mayor Stewart. "We are in the middle of the Lower Mainland so our community has all of the benefits of what people describe as one of the best metropolitan regions in the world, without some of the challenges other parts of our region have. We also have tremendous cultural diversity and a really good recognition of how that diversity contributes positively to our community."
Mayor Moore was also enthusiastic about his city's attributes. "Port Coquitlam has a unique combination of family-oriented lifestyle with lots of parks, sports and arts programs," he said, "but it's nestled right into the natural environment. People love that we're right next to the mountains and we're surrounded by rivers and a unique trail system that actually encompasses our whole city."
Port Moody's setting is a big draw for Mayor Clay too. "Our natural surroundings give us the benefit of having access to the protected waters of the Burrard Inlet as well as the mountains and the trails and the lakes. Those mayors and councillors who came before me have protected that and built the city respecting the natural environment that we're in."
"Belcarra is situated on the spectacularly beautiful Indian Arm fjord, and in many ways is like an island community in that it is surrounded on two sides by water and on the other two sides by the forests of Belcarra Regional Park," commented Mayor Drew.
That rural sensibility extends to Anmore. "When you drive into Anmore, you're struck by the amount of trees and natural green space that we have throughout our community and that we have been able to do development while protecting the natural environment as much as possible," said Mayor Anderson.
Planning growth
Growth and adding density are not issues in our villages, but they are subjects that are very much on the minds of our cities' mayors. Growth is happening throughout Coquitlam, with the new Burke Mountain community one of the latest developments to come online. Port Coquitlam knows it has to densify as it has no more room to grow outwards. Likewise, Port Moody planners are concentrating growth at stations along the coming Evergreen Line.
"We're looking at going back into the older existing areas of Port Moody where the SkyTrain will be coming through and adding density to those neighbourhoods," said Clay. "There will be lots of services and amenities and opportunities to build up around the line so that we're not adding to road congestion and having to build new infrastructure when we can just densify existing neighbourhoods."
"We're going to see more apartment buildings being built in the downtown and we're going to see smaller lots created in our single-family areas," said Moore. "One of the unique things about Port Coquitlam is we actually have a downtown and part of its economic development is increasing density so you can live and work and recreate all in the same area."
"Our city centre is truly becoming an amazing downtown: walkable; close to transit; and truly liveable," added Mayor Stewart. "We're densifying throughout the city both around transit nodes and in general in order to create a city whose population will support public transit. Wherever there's a SkyTrain station, we need to put high-density housing and office space because we want as many people as possible living and working near those stations. We can't keep pushing development out into the valley and up into the mountains."
Ensuring good transportation routes
Transportation is a key issue for the region and all the mayors are looking forward to the opportunities the Evergreen Line will present when it begins operating.
"We've been working for 25 years to get the Evergreen Line underway and it's now finally happening," said Stewart. "We also have to move goods and vehicles around. There has actually been more transportation investment in Coquitlam per capita than in any other city in North America. We have about $4 billion in transportation investment this decade and that, I think, is one of the key advantages that we have moving forward. We want our road network to accommodate the traffic and avoid congestion but also to be a safe way of getting around."
In Port Coquitlam, city officials are reviewing its transit system to determine how it will connect with the Evergreen Line and make it easier for residents to use public transportation. Mayor Moore also spoke of other recent changes. "Two years ago we opened the Coast Meridian Overpass which was a $132 million dollar overpass connecting the north and south side of Port Coquitlam. This was the biggest infrastructure investment we've ever made in our city's history and probably will be for a very long time. We've done a lot of other minor projects along the way, so we do have a very efficient traffic system right now."
The last word goes to Mayor Clay.
"I think the city is on the cusp of undergoing major change with the introduction of the SkyTrain into Port Moody. How we plan for that and how we build and see the vision for our community develop around that is important and we really need to make sure we do it right. I think you do that by having a good blend of working with professionals and consulting with the community. There are always people who don't want to see change but I think as long as everyone knows where you're heading and why you're headed there and how it's going to happen, you will get their support."
Transportation is a key issue for the region and all the mayors are looking forward to the opportunities the Evergreen Line will present when it begins operating.
