Jan 23,2015 Tri City News

Date: 23-Jan-2015

Ioco lands an opportunity for Anmore, Port Moody to work together

  • by  Diane Strandberg - The Tri-City News
  • posted Jan 23, 2015 at 10:00 AM
  • A Vancouver architect who advised Imperial Oil for nearly a decade on its Ioco land holdings expects no sod to be turned on recently sold land in Anmore and Port Moody until a lengthy community planning process is undertaken.

    And Michael Geller would like to see the two municipalities work together with architect James Cheng on a comprehensive plan for the 232 acres now owned by Brilliant Circle Group Investments Ltd. so the community is designed as a whole rather than piecemeal.

    “I think one can anticipate an extensive community consultative process and one of the things I was hoping to see was a more joint planning process, given that the lands fall within both Anmore and Port Moody,” Geller said.

    While comments from both Port Moody Mayor Mike Clay and Anmore Mayor John McEwen on the sale have been cautious, Geller said, the two appear to be on the same page when it comes to co-operation.

    “I think that’s much more feasible today with Mike Clay and Mayor John McEwen, who seem to appreciate the need for more joint planning and collaboration, not just on the Ioco lands but on a broader range of issues of interest,” he said.

    Geller also said Cheng is the right man for the job of planning for the future for the area because he has experience working with multiple stakeholders on projects that include  heritage and environmental components.

    Cheng previously told The Tri-City News that while he is noted for designing towers such as the Palisades and the Shangri-La, his work on designing the new Nordstrom building, Port Moody city hall and turning the former Vancouver Public Library building into a mixed-use development while maintaining its mid-century modern details are lesser known but still evidence of his experience in designing “intimate, human-scale developments.”

    “To us, this is more satisfying,” Cheng said.

    @dstrandbergTC

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