Port Moody city council has declined to fast-track Anthem Properties’ proposed high-density rental development in Moody Centre, The Tri-Cities Dispatch reported.

Council advanced the rezoning bylaw only through first reading and required design and unit-size revisions before proceeding further.

Councillors rejected staff’s recommendation to grant all three readings in one night — a step that would have moved the project directly toward a development agreement — despite staff noting the proposal complies with the city’s official community plan and provincial legislation that eliminates public hearings for OCP-consistent residential rezonings, according to the report.

Several councillors cited concerns about livability, density trade-offs and the pace at which major projects are being advanced under the city’s transit-oriented development framework. Debate focused heavily on the size of family-oriented units, building massing along St. Johns Street and the project’s overall community benefit.

Anthem is proposing to redevelop lands at St. Johns, Williams and Spring streets into a mixed-use complex featuring a 26-storey purpose-built rental tower, a six-storey low-rise building and a two-storey commercial podium. The project would contain 321 rental units and nearly 33,000 square feet of retail and office space, along with a publicly accessible landscaped pedestrian connection between St. Johns and Spring streets.

While 35% of the units would be two- and three-bedroom homes in line with the city’s family-friendly housing policy, councillors raised concerns that most of the three-bedroom units fall short of BC Housing’s minimum size guidelines, according to the Dispatch. Only 12% of the proposed three-bedroom homes meet provincial standards.

In response, council approved an amendment requiring that at least 50% of the three-bedroom units meet BC Housing’s minimum size requirements before the project advances.

Beyond unit size, councillors directed Anthem to revisit the building’s massing and design. Council asked the developer to explore reducing the height of the six-storey low-rise component along St. Johns Street to mitigate concerns about a continuous “walling effect” and to lighten the darker charcoal exterior palette introduced in recent design iterations to help address potential urban heat island impacts.

Although staff highlighted that the project would contribute approximately $8.73 million through density bonus payments, community amenity contributions, public art funding and development-cost charges, some councillors expressed concern that the development relies heavily on cash contributions rather than delivering significant in-kind community amenities. The proposal does not include childcare space, with staff noting such facilities are being distributed across multiple projects in the transit-oriented development area.

Staff also estimated the commercial component could support approximately 175 jobs, a substantial increase from the roughly 31 jobs currently on site.

Rendering: Anthem Properties