Provincial legislation requires the City to allow for small-scale multi-unit housing (up to 4 units per property) on most single-family lots across Coquitlam. On June 9, 2025, Coquitlam City Council adopted Zoning Bylaw changes to comply with these provincial requirements. Please visit coquitlam.ca/SmallScale for more information.
Next, we’re updating the City’s Official Community Plan to align with these changes. This includes revising land use designations in low-density residential areas and developing policies to help guide future small-scale residential development and rezoning.
What is Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing?
The Province defines Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing as a range of housing options that are typically ground-oriented and generally compatible in scale and form with established single-family and duplex neighbourhoods. Examples include secondary suites, carriage houses, garden cottages, duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes.
Proposed Land Use Designation: To align with provincial requirements, improve clarity, and remove redundancy, areas currently designated for single-family, Neighbourhood Attached Residential, and Local Commercial land uses are proposed to be designated Small-Scale Residential.
Policies to Guide Future Development and Subdivision: What considerations should be given to small-scale residential developments? Where should intensive small-scale residential development, i.e. small-scale developments greater than four units (previously referred to as multiplex residential) be considered? Where should subdivision occur? Where should local commercial uses be considered under Small-Scale Residential?
The following proposed or existing OCP policies provide policy guidance to answer these questions:
| Topic | Policy (Proposed or Existing) |
|---|---|
| Small-Scale Residential Development on Arterials and Double-Fronting Sites on Collectors | (PROPOSED) Encourage small-scale residential development along arterial streets and double-fronting lots located on collectors by supporting additional density in these locations. This will support more efficient growth near these major transportation routes, and improve the public realm by reducing driveway accesses, where feasible. |
| Site Access | (EXISTING) Require vehicle site access to be from a lane, where feasible, before considering the next lowest street classification type (i.e., local before collector), and discourage vehicle access from arterial streets or access routes that cross micromobility paths. |
| Subdivision | (EXISTING) Consider local context, including existing lot size, setbacks, built form and landscaping, when considering subdivision applications. |
| Local-serving commercial | (EXISTING) Encourage small-scale, local-serving commercial developments along arterial or collector streets to provide amenities within walking distance of residential areas. The exceptions to this policy are locations within walking distance of a Neighbourhood Centre, where local commercial should be directed to the Neighbourhood Centre to maintain a centre’s role as the community focal point. |
*Upcoming Townhouse, Rowhouse and Intensive Small-Scale Residential Review! Targeted for 2026, City staff will begin a review of policies and regulations related to townhouses, rowhouses and intensive small-scale residential (formerly known as multiplex housing). This review will closely examine how these housing types are addressed in the Official Community Plan. For now, the proposed policies for intensive small-scale residential development are intentionally limited. This is to allow for a more thorough and informed update once the full review is complete.
Share your feedback on the Proposed New Small-Scale Policy! Call us at 604-927-3700 or email HousingChanges@coquitlam.ca.
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