The first Port Moody master-planned residential community in almost two decades is approved and moving ahead.

Construction of Portwood by Edgar Development is anticipated to start this summer. The $1.1 billion project will feature 20 buildings, with most at six storeys, set across five new neighbourhoods with a diverse range of housing, including 138 new market rentals, 328 below-market rentals for BC Housing, approximately 2,000 new market strata, grocery, retail and a new 12,300-square-foot childcare facility.

About 70 per cent of the total development will be green space, including two parks, a 1.5-kilometre walking trail, bike paths and public art.

“We have worked hard to make this a walkable community where pedestrians and green space are prioritized. In a typical development, homes would be fronted by streets and sidewalks. Here instead there will be green space between the buildings, providing common, open areas that will feel like you are living in a park,” ” said Mark Ostry, principal at Acton Ostry Architects.

The 23.7-acre site at 1142 Cecile Drive and 300 Angela Drive will eventually become home to some 4,000 residents and take more than a decade to complete. Unlike most other master planned communities, it will include a rare provision of amenities in the first phase, including the new childcare facility, grocery store, café and 1.5 km multi-use nature trail.

“We’re extremely excited about the plans for this site because people want to live in well-designed, thoughtful communities with access to parks, public art, retail, amenities and recreational facilities and that’s what we are building here,” said Peter Edgar, president of Edgar. “This is a truly complete community with a diverse range of housing, and we believe our collaboration with our many partners can serve as a model for bringing together different housing options in one location while rejuvenating a neighborhood over time.”