Port Coquitlam's biggest-ever development is still on ice. But the city has moved quickly on everything else. The Official Community Plan update is now law, passed by council in December 2025 ahead of the provincial deadline. A new policy push is trying to unlock rowhouse development on hundreds of lots where townhouses have stalled. And downtown is still actively being built - crane installed, completion still targeted for 2027. If you own land or are watching the Tri-Cities market, here is where things stand right now.
Port Coquitlam's most ambitious development - a six-tower, roughly 2,000-unit mixed-use project at the PoCo Place site on Lougheed Highway at Westwood Street - remains paused indefinitely. Developer Wesbild put the project on hold and planning director Bruce Irvine confirmed the situation in May 2026, citing market conditions.
"The market just doesn't support that in their opinion," Irvine said, describing the current shift in BC's housing market as "the most dramatic" in more than 20 years. The core problem is the pre-sold investor condo model that has driven much of Metro Vancouver's tower development over the past decade. "Where the market has completely collapsed, is the pre-sold, pre-purchased, investor, multi-family tower," Irvine said.
The project was positioned to replace the existing PoCo Place strip mall, with construction originally targeted for as early as 2027. Alongside the residential towers, the proposal included significant retail space and a childcare facility. Wesbild's project page still lists the property status as a formal rezoning application submitted to the City of Port Coquitlam in November 2024.
The demand signal is real - the city still needs approximately 550 new units per year to meet its growth projections. But at current construction costs, financing rates, and presale absorption levels, large-scale towers are not pencilling out in PoCo or most of Metro Vancouver. The form that pencils out right now is smaller and faster.
Jay's Take:
The tower presale model is in reset. Until it pencils again, the near-term opportunity is likely smaller, faster, phased, or rental-heavy projects.
Port Coquitlam council unanimously passed amendments to the city's Official Community Plan on December 9, 2025 - more than three weeks ahead of the provincial deadline of December 31. The updated plan puts an emphasis on affordable housing and rental supply, and locks in the city's housing mandate for the next two decades.
The numbers are significant. Port Coquitlam needs 15,249 new housing units over the next 20 years to accommodate approximately 20,000 new residents and 10,000 new jobs. In the near term, the city must add 4,727 new units in the next five years - including 1,784 new market rental units, 1,136 new non-market rental units, and 1,013 ownership units across various affordability levels.
The context behind those targets is stark. The city's rental vacancy rate sits at 0.2 percent - far below the 3 to 5 percent that defines a healthy rental market. More than 27 percent of Port Coquitlam renters are in core housing need. There are approximately 264 homeless people in the city. "No median-earning households can currently afford a single-detached dwelling," according to a city staff report.
One of the more concrete land use signals in the updated OCP: land near Lougheed Highway and Shaughnessy Street that was previously designated for building supply stores and supermarkets is now earmarked for larger mixed-use developments with housing and commercial - the same corridor where PoCo Place was proposed.
A longer-term and more comprehensive OCP refresh is also in progress, a separate process that council began scoping in January 2026. That process will involve public consultation and is expected to unfold over several years. But the mandated provincial compliance update is done.
Jay's Take:
The key number is 4,727 homes in five years. Sites near Lougheed and Shaughnessy should be rechecked under the new OCP direction.
With townhouse development stalling across Port Coquitlam, the city is making a policy move to unlock a different form of ground-oriented housing: the rowhouse.
In June 2026, city staff recommended that council amend the OCP to allow rowhouses on approximately 289 lots currently designated for townhouses. The rationale is practical: those lots do not have sufficient depth for conventional townhouse construction, but they can accommodate rowhouses - smaller attached homes separated by a bit of yard, with a garage accessed off a rear lane.
The proposed change would also increase the allowable lot coverage from 40 to 45 percent, making the form more viable on tight sites. Mayor Brad West expressed support when council discussed the recommendation in June.
"I hope it does," West said of the potential to spur new rowhouse construction. "If it doesn't, we may need to make further adjustments."
The shift reflects a broader trend that both the city and developers have flagged: townhouse development has slowed significantly, hit by difficulty assembling land and by BC's Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing legislation, which has narrowed the cost-benefit margin for townhouses relative to smaller infill forms. Rowhouses are typically smaller, easier to finance, and appropriate for shallower lots that have been sitting idle.
If you own a lot in one of the 289 affected areas and have been waiting for a form that works, this is worth watching. If the OCP amendment passes, a pre-application meeting with the city now - before the new rules are finalized - puts you ahead of the queue.
Jay's Take:
Rowhouses may be the missing format for shallow sites. If your lot is affected, start the pre-application conversation early.
While the city's biggest residential project is on pause, downtown Port Coquitlam is still actively being built.
Porthaven, a six-storey mixed-use development by NorthStar Development Group, broke ground in fall 2024 and has hit another construction milestone: the crane is installed on site. The official project site lists move-in for Spring 2027. The project sits at the corner of Wilson Avenue and Donald Street, adjacent to Leigh Square in the heart of downtown.
The building includes 108 condominiums ranging from studios to three-bedrooms, arranged in a horseshoe configuration with a landscaped second-floor courtyard. On the commercial side, the project includes ground-floor commercial space, with city-controlled units facing Leigh Square and additional strata commercial space fronting Wilson Avenue.
Porthaven sits within a broader downtown revitalization effort that has been underway since 2019. The city has already completed the 205,000-square-foot Terry Fox Community Centre, transformed McAllister Street into a pedestrian corridor, and upgraded Veterans Park. Leigh Square is being renovated as an open-concept festival and daily-use park with a new stage, improved seating, lighting, and landscaping.
If you are looking at commercial real estate in the Tri-Cities, Port Coquitlam's downtown is increasingly worth watching. The infrastructure investment is substantial, and Porthaven will bring new residents within walking distance of Leigh Square by 2027.
Jay's Take:
Porthaven shows downtown mid-rise mixed-use can still move. The city-controlled retail fronting Leigh Square is the piece to watch.
Port Coquitlam is moving to lift decades-old restrictions on what kinds of entertainment businesses can operate in the city - a change that, once finalized at council, will have direct implications for commercial property owners and hospitality operators.
On June 10, 2026, the city's Committee of Council unanimously recommended a package of regulatory improvements following the completion of Mayor Brad West's Hospitality Roundtable. The recommendations are now heading to a full council meeting for final approval.
The proposed zoning bylaw amendments would remove outdated definitions - including references to cabarets, dance clubs, dance floor size restrictions, and amusement machines. The changes would also add entertainment facilities as a permitted commercial use, remove barriers for live events and entertainment, and allow uses such as pool halls, trampoline parks, and escape rooms in commercial zones.
On the liquor licensing side, the proposed changes would allow city staff to approve minor applications - such as temporary changes and minor endorsements - without requiring a full council vote. Larger applications, like a new liquor retail store or liquor primary venue, would still go to council.
The Hospitality Roundtable, chaired by Mayor West, brought together hospitality operators, the Tri-City Chamber of Commerce, and the Port Coquitlam Business Improvement Association. The city also plans to advocate to the Province on issues such as liquor review timelines and occupant load confirmation processes.
If you own commercial property in Port Coquitlam, this is worth tracking through final council approval. Once the bylaw passes, the potential tenant mix for downtown commercial space will expand to include entertainment venue operators and hospitality concepts that were previously blocked.
Jay's Take:
If approved, this widens the tenant pool for PoCo commercial space. Entertainment and hospitality concepts could become much easier to place.
Sources
Tri-Cities Dispatch - PoCo Place project hits pause: https://tricitiesdispatch.com/poco-place-project-hits-pause/
Wesbild - PoCo Place Redevelopment: https://wesbild.com/mixed-use/poco-place-redevelopment/
Tri-Cities Dispatch - Port Coquitlam council unanimously passes OCP update: https://tricitiesdispatch.com/port-coquitlam-council-unanimously-passes-ocp-update/
City of Port Coquitlam - Official Community Plan: https://www.portcoquitlam.ca/our-government/reports-plans-publications/official-community-plan
Tri-Cities Dispatch - Port Coquitlam embarks on OCP refresh: https://tricitiesdispatch.com/port-coquitlam-embarks-on-ocp-refresh/
Tri-Cities Dispatch - PoCo making a move from townhouse to rowhouse: https://tricitiesdispatch.com/poco-making-a-move-from-townhouse-to-rowhouse/
Porthaven project website: https://porthavenpoco.com/
RENX - Northstar’s Porthaven leads downtown Port Coquitlam rejuvenation: https://renx.ca/downtown-port-coquitlam-hits-prime-time-as-northstar-project-launches
City of Port Coquitlam / CivicInfo BC - Hospitality regulations: https://www.civicinfo.bc.ca/news?newsid=9860
Tri-Cities Dispatch - PoCo looks to loosen liquor rules: https://tricitiesdispatch.com/poco-hospitality-arcades-nightclubs/
