What Coquitlam's 2026 Southwest Plan Changed Around Austin Avenue and Burquitlam
If you own or are shopping in Southwest Coquitlam, around Burquitlam, Lougheed Town Centre or Austin Avenue, the rules that govern your street changed twice in May 2026. Here is what each change did.
The Southwest Shoulders and Corridors plan
Following a public hearing on May 27, 2026, Council adopted amendments completing the Southwest Shoulders and Corridors review, part of the city's Transit-Oriented Areas Update project.
The plan covers the neighbourhoods around the Burquitlam and Lougheed Town Centre SkyTrain stations and along Austin Avenue. Coquitlam's broader planning work on this also names Como Lake Avenue as a corridor under study.
The approved concepts are expected to add approximately 2,300 additional homes, along with local-serving commercial space, transportation improvements, parks and infrastructure.
Why a "shoulder" plan was needed
The province required cities to allow minimum heights and densities within 800 metres of SkyTrain stations. Those areas were drawn as rings measured from the station, which produced boundaries that cut across existing neighbourhoods without regard for what was planned there.
The city's position is that the provincial boundaries reduced areas it had previously planned for townhousing. The shoulder review is how Coquitlam responded: plan the land just outside the transit areas so that building heights step down gradually, and put townhouses back in places where the earlier plan had them.
We explain the transit areas themselves, and the tier system behind those rings, in Coquitlam's Transit-Oriented Areas.
What the adopted plan does
Council set out four intentions for the changes:
- Create clearer and more coherent land use transitions around Transit-Oriented Areas
- Support a wider range of housing choices, including townhousing
- Encourage walkable neighbourhoods with access to local shops and services
- Support long-term infrastructure and amenity planning alongside growth
Three final refinements were made before adoption, based on public feedback and technical review:
- Some existing small-scale residential areas were retained where townhouse development had previously been proposed.
- Transportation network improvements were adjusted.
- A new neighbourhood commercial node was added near Austin Avenue and Blue Mountain Street, so shops and services can open there as redevelopment happens.
The engagement behind those changes ran from August 2024 to January 2026 and included information sessions, surveys, open houses, meetings with community organisations and targeted discussions with residents. Residents raised safer streets, preserving natural spaces, housing diversity, access to amenities, and managing traffic and parking.
The other change: a much shorter Official Community Plan
On May 1, 2026, Council adopted an Interim Official Community Plan. An Official Community Plan is the document that sets out where a city expects housing, services, transport and amenities to go.
Coquitlam's previous plan had grown past 1,000 pages, with overlapping policies, multiple plans and layers of amendments. The interim version:
- cut the number of policies by 70%
- reduced land use designations from 55 to 18
- simplified more than 60 maps down to 19 citywide maps
- cut more than 1,000 design guidelines to 175
The city is explicit that this update did not introduce new land use policy or identify new areas for growth, except where provincial housing legislation required it. A fuller update is anticipated to begin later in 2027.
For a homeowner, the practical effect is that looking up what your property is designated for is now a much shorter task.
What this means if you own here
A land use plan sets out the city's intentions for an area. Your property's zoning did not change because the plan was adopted, and nothing obliges you to do anything.
What changed is the city's stated intention for the area. That matters in two ways. When someone applies to redevelop a site near you, the plan is the document the application is measured against. And when you sell, a buyer planning to build will price your land against what the plan supports.
If your block is one of those where Council retained existing small-scale residential rather than proceeding with townhouses, that is worth knowing too. It is the opposite change, and it has the opposite effect on land value.
What this means if you are buying
Southwest Coquitlam is going to be busier. Around 2,300 additional homes are supported across the plan area, spread over years rather than arriving at once, along with a new shopping node at Austin and Blue Mountain.
Walk the street you are considering and ask which side of the plan it sits on. A block designated for townhousing will see construction. A retained small-scale block beside it will not, at least not to the same degree. Those two blocks can be a five minute walk apart and are very different purchases.
What this comes down to
- Council adopted the Southwest Shoulders and Corridors plan after a public hearing on May 27, 2026.
- It covers neighbourhoods around Burquitlam and Lougheed Town Centre stations and along Austin Avenue, and supports roughly 2,300 more homes.
- A new neighbourhood commercial node was added near Austin Avenue and Blue Mountain Street, and some blocks proposed for townhouses were kept as small-scale residential.
- The Interim Official Community Plan, adopted May 1, 2026, cut policies by 70% and land use designations from 55 to 18.
- Contact our team to find out how a specific Southwest Coquitlam address is designated, or browse listings in the area.
Plan your next step
Read the Coquitlam area page for how the neighbourhoods differ, and use neighbourhood checks to walk the block before you commit to it.
Frequently asked questions
What did Coquitlam Council adopt in May 2026?
Following a public hearing on May 27, 2026, Council adopted amendments completing the Southwest Shoulders and Corridors review. It sets updated land use and servicing concepts for the neighbourhoods around the Burquitlam and Lougheed Town Centre SkyTrain stations and along Austin Avenue, and forms part of the city's wider Transit-Oriented Areas Update project.
How many new homes does the Southwest plan allow?
The approved concepts are expected to add approximately 2,300 additional homes across the plan area. That figure is the city's own estimate of what the new land use designations support over time. How many homes are actually built depends on applications, financing and market conditions over the coming years.
What is a shoulder area?
It is the land just outside a provincially designated Transit-Oriented Area. The province drew those areas as circles measured from SkyTrain stations, which produced irregular boundaries and cut through neighbourhoods. The shoulder work plans the land on the outside of those lines so heights and densities step down gradually instead of dropping off a cliff.
Why did Coquitlam need this plan at all?
Provincial housing legislation set minimum heights and densities near SkyTrain stations, and those boundaries did not match Coquitlam's existing neighbourhood plans. The city says the provincial boundaries reduced areas previously planned for townhousing. The shoulder review was the city's way of restoring housing choice and creating logical transitions between the new high-density areas and the streets beside them.
Is a new shopping area being added on Austin Avenue?
Yes. As a final refinement before adoption, Council supported adding a new neighbourhood commercial node near Austin Avenue and Blue Mountain Street, so local-serving shops and services can open there as redevelopment occurs. The intention is that people living in new homes nearby can walk to everyday shopping rather than drive.
Did Council reduce any of the proposed townhouse areas?
Yes. Based on public feedback and technical review, Council supported retaining some existing small-scale residential areas where townhouse development had previously been proposed. Council also adjusted transportation and park proposals. Those changes came out of engagement that ran between August 2024 and January 2026, including information sessions, surveys, open houses and meetings with community groups.
Does this plan change the zoning on my Coquitlam property?
A land use plan sets out what the city intends for an area over time. Your own lot keeps the zoning it had, and the plan does not oblige you to do anything with your property. Where the plan designates an area for a different form of housing, that matters when someone applies to redevelop nearby, and it feeds into what the land is worth.
What is the Interim Official Community Plan?
Coquitlam's Council adopted it on May 1, 2026, replacing a plan that had grown past 1,000 pages. The streamlining cut the number of policies by 70 per cent, reduced land use designations from 55 to 18, simplified more than 60 maps down to 19, and cut more than 1,000 design guidelines to 175. It also aligned policy with provincial housing legislation.
Did the Interim Official Community Plan create new growth areas?
The city states that this interim update did not introduce new land use policy or identify new areas for growth, unless required by provincial housing legislation. Its purpose was to consolidate an unwieldy document and bring it into line with the new rules. A fuller update to the Official Community Plan is anticipated to begin later in 2027.
Should I buy in Southwest Coquitlam now?
It depends on what you want from the street. These neighbourhoods will see more applications, more construction and more people over the coming years. That suits buyers who want new shops within walking distance and rising density nearby. It suits less well anyone who wants the street to look the same in ten years.
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