At Port Moody’s Special Council Standing Committee meeting on September 15, staff presented the Draft Official Community Plan – Port Moody 2050. The presentation included the proposed outline for the next steps in the OCP update process, with a Public Hearing anticipated on December 2. More information can be found in the full staff report.   

Entry title: Neighbourhood Energy Utility Preliminary Design Report 

Secondary heading:   

At Port Moody’s Regular Council Meeting on September 16, staff provided an update on the Neighbourhood Energy Utility Preliminary Design Report. Council endorsed the report and the following next steps: 

• Report back to Council in fall 2025 with the completed business case, including user rate analysis, capital structure, and cost allocation and recovery.  
• Prepare a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEOI) to start selecting a private utility partner in a design build finance operate maintain (DBFOM) arrangement.  
• Develop NEU connection guidelines to provide specifications to ensure new construction is compatible with the NEU.  
• Implement a NEU service area bylaw which, would set the Moody Centre buildout in which new developments within that boundary would be required to connect to the NEU.  
• Consult with instream developers on design interface between building and NEU.  

More information is available in the full staff report. 

July 21, 2025

At the City Initiatives and Planning Committee on July 15th, Council directed staff to proceed with next steps, including the presentation of the draft OCP for readings on September 16th, 2025. Notable changes are as follows: 

• Land Use Strategy:
  • New Low Density Residential land use designation applies to all single detached and semi-detached areas, which reflects new Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH) zoning.
  • New Multi-Residential 3-Storey, Multi-Residential 6-Storey, and Urban Industrial land use designations to facilitate a range of housing and limited commercial opportunities in neighbourhoods while also supporting the retention of industrial uses in the City.
    • Updated terminology to clarify where transit-oriented development is permitted and how it relates to the City’s pre-existing transit-oriented development areas.  
    • The land use designation for Moody Centre Station Transit-Oriented Area – Core has been renamed to reflect the potential for additional building height consideration on a case-by-case basis determined by area specific policies; and
    • Updated land use designation for Mixed Employment to encourage second-storey job space compatible with adjacent residential uses.
  • New section on when public hearings are now required.
• Natural environment - Additional Urban Forest policies:
  • Expand on tree canopy coverage policy to encourage redevelopment to meet or exceed land use canopy coverage target in the UFMS;
  • Complete an inventory of existing healthy trees prior to establishing the location and size of a proposed development’s building envelope;
  • Enhance the adaptive capacity of urban forests to withstand climate change impacts by increasing the use and diversity of native and climate change adapted species on public and private lands; and
  • Manage forest fire interface to improve species diversity and reduce risks from disease, wildfire and windthrow.
• Built environment:
  • New section on Housing Needs Report; and
  • TOAs and the minimum density framework.
• Transportation and mobility:
  • Updated parking and transportation demand management requirements to reflect TOA parking restrictions.
  • New policies to continue to explore shared micro-mobility options in the community and work toward the goals of the Tri-Cities Zero Emissions Mobility Plan.
  • Updated policies related to a potential future SkyTrain station in the Queens Street area and water-based transit connecting Rocky Point to the north shore by supporting opportunities and exploration of these options.  
• Various updates to neighbourhood plan areas;
• Development Permit Area Guidelines:
  • Designation of new Development Approval Information Area to gather information about the anticipated impact of development on the City, including impacts to infrastructure and utility networks, transportation systems, parks and recreational spaces, environmentally sensitive areas, etc.
  • New Development Permit Area 6 (DPA 6) for Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH), which replaced Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit Intensive Residential Development (laneway housing). 

Council passed a motion to hold a Special Council Meeting prior to First Reading of the OCP bylaw to hear public feedback and for Council to ask questions of staff and direct any amendments. Planning is underway for the Special Council Meeting to be held in September. 

More information can be found in the full report by City staff. 

January 12, 2024 

At Special Council on December 5th, 2023 Council received the Draft Official Community Plan - Port Moody 2050 for information. Port Moody 2050 has evolved from a focused Official Community Plan (OCP) update initiated in late 2020 to a full revision of the OCP in both content and format. Throughout the update process, input and feedback from residents and stakeholders were sought, summarized, and incorporated into policy helping to shape the plan through all phases.

The report also includes an acknowledgment of recent Provincial legislative changes in the form of the Housing Statutes Amendment Act Bill 44 (Residential Development), Bill 46 (Development Financing), and Bill 47 (Transit-Oriented Areas). City staff highlight that the draft OCP was completed before these announcements and stands as a valid expression of community goals and priorities. Hence, staff recommend proceeding with the next steps in the OCP update process currently and addressing any future required OCP amendments to comply with provincial directions following OCP adoption.

Staff anticipate that Provincial directions will likely impact Chapters 4 (Overall Land Use Strategy), 7 (Built Environment), and 14 (Neighborhood Plan Areas). These impacts are outlined below:

• A preliminary staff analysis of the Small Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH) requirements of Bill 44 has found that once further guidance is received from the Province, staff can make amendments to the impacted OCP chapter (anticipated to be only Chapters 4 and 7).
• Based on provincial timelines, staff anticipate that if any additional changes are required to comply with Bill 44, these changes can be incorporated in January 2024, prior to beginning consultation.

Proposed Land Use Changes are summarized as follows:

• New and updated land use designation categories including:
  • New designations for Duplex, 3-storey Multi-Residential, 6-storey Multi-residential, Urban Industrial
  • Updated designations for Moody Centre Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Area and Mixed Employment
• Moody TOD expansion and policy refinements:
  • Expanded to the north to include Murray St. properties where the pedestrian overpass to the station and Dallas Creek daylighting is expected to extend
  • Expanded to the south to include 2 blocks on the south side of St. Johns St., one on either side of Williams St.
  • Expanded to the east to encompass lands within a 400m radius of the station and facilitate the extension of Golden Spike Way and Spring St.
  • Policy refinements to allow for flexibility in height maximums subject to achieving policy objectives; new policy section on Climate Change; and more detailed parks and open space policies
• Other proposed Moody Centre land use changes:
  • Expansion of 3-storey Multi-Residential use into 7 blocks west of Moody St. and the properties surrounding the Pinda Dr. and Edward Cr. Cul-de-sacs
  • Identification of a Cultural Node including Kyle Centre, PoMoArts and Queens St. and surrounding areas with an arts and heritage focus that promotes better connections between the north and south sides of St. Johns St.
  • Identification of a new West Moody Centre Study Area between Albert St./Barnet Hwy and Queens St. where more detailed planning is required prior to future land use changes
• Oceanfront District policy refinements:
  • More specific parks and open space, mobility and climate change policies
• Murray St. land use changes (south side):
  • Urban Industrial designation west of Moody St. (up to 3 storeys)
  • Extension of Moody TOD designation to include Murray St. properties where a pedestrian overpass and a daylit Dallas Creek is expected to extend (up to 12 storeys)
  • Mixed Employment designation on remaining properties; designation now includes entertainment uses (up to 6 storeys)
• Seaview Neighbourhood:
  • 8 areas identified for land use changes, primarily involving an evolution from single detached forms to multi-unit forms (townhomes and 6 storey apartments), as well as limited neighbourhood commercial areas
  • New policy framework reflecting values of protecting and enhancing trees and environmentally sensitive areas; improved trails and more open space; housing diversity and affordability; and locally serving commercial uses.
• Coronation Park:
  • Identification of a new study area east of Balmoral Drive
  • Redevelopment is subject to preparation of a detailed master plan that includes locally serving park space, range of housing types, tenures and affordability, and compatibility with adjacent uses

Staff recommend that the process to adopt Port Moody 2050 proceed without delay. This includes the following next steps and estimated timeline:

• Update the chapters impacted by the SSMUH requirements in Bill 44 (anticipated to be only Chapter 4 and 7) and any other provincial requirements in January 2024;
• Present a draft Regional Context Statement in January 2024;
• Community engagement on the draft OCP in February/March 2024;
• Reporting back to Council for first and second reading of OCP Bylaw in April 2024;
• Forwarding Regional Context Statement to Metro Vancouver in April/May 2024; and
• Public Hearing and adoption of Port Moody 2050 (sometime between July and September 2024).

More information can be found in the proposed communications and engagement approach, the draft OCP, and the full report by City staff.