The City of Coquitlam and the YMCA of Greater Vancouver have signed an Agreement in Principle to develop a new 50,000-60,000-square-foot community recreation facility in the Burquitlam community of Coquitlam, B.C. A site for the new facility has not yet been selected, though city officials are eyeing the location of the future Burquitlam Evergreen Line rapid transit station.
The City of Coquitlam previously addressed the need for a new community recreation centre, citing an expected population increase of 62 per cent over the next 20 years, and this facility will seek to fill that need. It will include:
- An indoor pool for teaching, fitness and rehabilitation services;
- Change and locker rooms;
- Public spaces and common areas;
- A gymnasium, studios and strength and conditioning areas;
- Multi-purpose rooms for child, youth and community programs;
- A daycare area;
- A Family Development Centre; and
- Underground parking.
“Our Burquitlam neighbourhood is a major focus for many of the City of Coquitlam’s initiatives,” says Richard Stewart, Mayor of Coquitlam. “We know that a recreation facility is a priority for the community there and we look forward to bringing this to reality. With the partnership of the YMCA of Greater Vancouver, we can deliver even more than we would be able to do acting alone. This partnership speaks to the City’s reputation of finding innovative solutions to address community needs to everyone’s benefit.”
The development, which will be geared towards youth and children under the age of 18 as a result of the region’s rapid school district growth, is expected to open in 2018.
As a busy Coquitlam glass repair firm that regularly services this area, we are seeing so much new development occur it’s sometimes hard to keep track of it all. Once the new Evergreen line goes in – which should be very soon now – the area will not only attract new residents and investment, but also challenge the local municipal Government to more carefully plan for density and future expansion. We can’t help but notice as we frequent the local area replacing glass for both residential and commercial clients, that in just a few short years the area will transform with the ease of public transit servicing the area and start to look more and more like a modern downtown city hub in an of itself. Exciting times for sure, and we’re looking forward to it.