Anmore South Community Engagement

The most recent Preferred Land Use Plan proposes to dedicate 10.72 acres (7%) for neighbourhood parks, which differs from the 5.58 acres (4%) map you have referenced. In addition, 53.18 acres (35%) of protected natural areas and greenways are also proposed to be dedicated as public land. This amount includes approximately 28 acres that are required to be preserved as watercourse setbacks and approximately 25.2 additional acres that icona has voluntarily chosen to protect as terrestrial habitat and natural recreation area. 

Detailed Riparian Areas Protection Regulation Assessment reports will be prepared prior to development in accordance with provincial government requirements, but the site design has already incorporated enhanced buffer areas based on the recommendations of a Registered Professional Biologist to account for anticipated regulatory setbacks.

As mentioned, when we don't have the answers, we need to check to make sure we are providing accurate information. We have just received the information and will respond to your initial question. 

When we (the engagement team) already have the information to respond to questions, we can do so fairly quickly. When we don't, we need to reach out to subject matter experts for the answer to make sure we are sharing accurate information. Your question was posted on Saturday, March 29. It's only been two business days since your post. We are doing our best to get back to you and will post the answer when we have it. 

As part of Phase 3 in the Terms of Reference for this project, technical reports are being completed to assess the infrastructure impacts on the wider Village of Anmore area. There will be little to no impact on Port Moody's infrastructure, as the proposed development would be serviced by Metro Vancouver rather than Port Moody's infrastructure. However, there would be some disruption to Port Moody's roadways during the construction of this infrastructure.

A Transportation Impact Assessment is part of this review, and it addresses projected traffic demands on Anmore roads and the roads entering our community, specifically Ioco Road and East Road. The ‘Civil Infrastructure Serving Report’ addresses projected servicing demands and required infrastructure for Anmore. Together, these reports outline the proposed infrastructure network, phasing, and recommendations to mitigate potential impacts.

These studies will be posted on Anmore’s website and on this project page when complete. There will also be an open house during Phase 3 community engagement to provide an opportunity for residents to meet with the subject matter experts who did the studies. The City of Port Moody will have the opportunity to review and comment on the proposed Official Community Plan amendment application, including the Neighbourhood Plan, in accordance with existing legislation.

The Village recently mailed out a letter to the owners and occupiers of properties within 100 metres of Anmore South, as well as a list of organizations and authorities as part of the referral process under Section 475 of the Local Government Act that was approved at the Regular Council Meeting on February 4, 2025. The letter is a formal notification that Council is considering an Official Community Plan Amendment Application. Information about the Section 475 referral process is included in the Phase 3 Community Engagement Plan posted on this project page under Phase 3 Materials, and it is also outlined in a Report to Council as part of the February 4 meeting agenda. The Preferred Land Use Plan and Land Use Designation Map were provided along with the letter, and these maps are posted here under Phase 3 Materials. These maps will also be shared as part of the Phase 3 community engagement, which will start when the technical studies are complete. 

Previous to this referral letter, an Anmore South Phase 2 update was mailed to all residents in December and printed copies are available at the Anmore Community Hub. The only other Village information that has gone out recently is the Anmore Advisor newsletter, which was just sent out on Friday, February 28.

We also confirmed that no documents have been sent out to the community by icona or Placemark in recent months.

Thank you for your interest in this OCP amendment and Neighbourhood Plan process. 

Regarding your first question about lighting, the Anmore South Neighbourhood Plan will address lighting conditions across the development, including within the street network. This will include policy around meeting Dark Sky Lighting Standards, which are set to limit ambient light pollution and preserve the visual quality of the night sky. 

Regarding Crystal Creek Drive, a local street connection to Crystal Creek Drive was requested by the Village. Currently, Crystal Creek Drive residents cannot directly access Anmore without driving through Port Moody. The Village is seeking to change this. This connection will be shown in the Preferred Land Use Plan currently being prepared; however, it will be generally like the design shown in Land Use Scenario Option 1 that was presented in Phase 2. This design indicates a local connector road between the ‘Upper Loop Road’ and Crystal Creek Drive, with an accompanying trail connection on the northern side and ground orientated residential housing on the southern side. The exact point of intersection with Crystal Creek Drive will be detailed at later design stages. The purpose of this road is not to create a primary thoroughfare, but to enhance the connectivity of Anmore’s public street network, including those who live on Crystal Creek Drive.

The Option 3 Land Use plan attached shows areas highlighted as ‘Protected Natural Area + Greenways’ (shown in the darker green). These are areas of existing forest proposed to remain and be protected from clear-cutting. This Option dedicates 21.81 hectares / 53.89 acres to this land use, representing 36% of the total planned area. This does not include additional forest which could also remain through other land use areas i.e., within neighbourhood parks or private residential open space.  

In comparison, under the current RS-1 Zoning (characterized by large, detached homes on large lots), a concept plan of this has shown 11.7 hectares / 28.91 acres (~19%) of dedicated area that would remain forest / green space. This means Option 3 is proposed to retain almost double the amount of forested area than under RS-1 Zoning.

It is important to note that the preferred land use plan being used for the Phase 3 studies is based primarily on Option 3 but with some adjustments to the map attached. This includes increasing the number of homes slightly to provide more park space, reflecting Council’s requested amendments given during a Committee of the Whole.

icona is the property owner of Anmore South and has no affiliation or connection with Gillic Development.

The Village has not defined “tower”; however, the National Fire Protection Association, NFPA 1710: Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments (2020 ed.), outlines operational requirements for fire departments for high rise buildings (more than 6 storeys). Buildings higher than 6 storeys would require 42-43 fire department staff compared to 21-28, a factor that has been considered by the Village. Additionally, the Applicant has advised that it will not consider a design option that includes any buildings greater than 6 storeys as part of the Neighbourhood Planning process.

We submitted your question to icona and received the following response:

Icona Properties has no affiliation or connection with Gillic Development. Our focus is solely on the planning and development of the Anmore South project as an independent entity.

Currently, our primary goal is to develop a comprehensive Neighbourhood Plan for the community, while actively engaging with local residents and stakeholders to ensure that it aligns with community values and needs. The construction phase is still several years away, and as we move closer to that stage, we will assess the most suitable approach to proceed with the build-out. Whether that involves self-managing the construction or partnering with other developers will be determined based on what best serves the project and the Anmore community at that time.

As the Village, we would also like to note that future development of Anmore South would need to adhere to the Official Community Plan, Anmore South Neighbourhood Plan and other Village policies, regardless of the developer involved.