COQUITLAM, B.C., February 24, 2026 – Following public engagement in November and December 2025, the City of Coquitlam is sharing a summary of feedback received on the draft Interim Official Community Plan (OCP) as we work to a final plan this spring.

Official Community Plans guide how a city grows and changes over time, including where housing, services, transportation and amenities are located. 

This interim update focuses on streamlining the City’s existing OCP, improving usability by consolidating existing policies and incorporating changes required or necessitated by provincial housing legislation, while laying the groundwork for a more comprehensive review anticipated to begin in 2027. 

This interim update does not introduce new land use policy or identify new areas for growth, unless required by the provincial housing legislation. 

How the Community Participated

Residents shared input through online and in-person opportunities during November and December 2025, including public information sessions – both in-person and virtual – and an online survey. Staff also responded to questions and comments through emails and phone calls from residents throughout this process.

By the numbers, engagement included:

• More than 4,700 visits to the project webpage 
• More than 27,000 people reached through social media 
• Five public information sessions attended by over 200 participants 
• 131 completed surveys

What We Heard from the Community 

Based on feedback from the community, the City’s work to simplify and consolidate the OCP into a more user-friendly document was well received. Key themes identified during the engagement process included:

• Overall support for the draft Interim OCP: Participants generally supported the smaller, more streamlined document, with many finding it searchable and easier to use.
• Improved maps: The majority of survey respondents found the updated maps easier to use, indicating that simplification and visual clarity were effective.
• Consolidated land use designations: Nearly half of respondents felt that consolidating land use designations helped improve understanding of future land use and development.
• Urban Design Guidelines: Feedback suggests the refreshed guidelines were well-received.
• Clarity and Plain Language: Residents asked for clearer explanations, more visuals and less technical language to help interpret policies and planning concepts.
• Improved Navigation and Accessibility: Participants wanted information to be easier to find, with stronger organization and cross-referencing between policies, maps and topics. 
• Enhanced Mapping and Digital Tools: Feedback highlighted opportunities to improve digital maps and labelling so users can better understand land use and development expectations. 
• Understanding Provincial Changes: Many residents were interested in how new provincial housing legislation will be implemented locally and how it may affect neighbourhoods. 
• Interest in Staying Involved: Participants expressed strong interest in contributing to future planning work, particularly around neighbourhood planning, transportation, housing and parks.

A full What We Heard report summarizing the feedback is available to view at LetsTalkCoquitlam.ca/OfficialCommunityPlan. 

How Feedback Is Being Used

Building on the community engagement feedback and streamlining work to date, the City is refining the Interim OCP to address what was heard by:

• Adding clearer graphics and formatting
• Improving navigation and document structure
• Expanding plain-language explanations
• Providing more context to explain legislative changes and planning direction 

Staff will finalize these changes for Council consideration in 2026. The City will then begin preparing for the next comprehensive OCP update, anticipated to begin in 2027, and future Housing Needs Reports required by the Province. All feedback collected during this engagement period will be retained for consideration as part of the future comprehensive OCP update.

To learn more and to follow the OCP project, visit LetsTalkCoquitlam.ca/OfficialCommunityPlan.   

Media contact:
Renée De St. Croix
Director Urban Planning and Design
604-927-3430
DevInfo@coquitlam.ca

We acknowledge with gratitude and respect that the name Coquitlam was derived from the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (HUN-kuh-MEE-num) word kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (kwee-KWET-lum) meaning “Red Fish Up the River”. The City is honoured to be located on the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm traditional and ancestral lands, including those parts that were historically shared with the q̓ic̓əy̓ (kat-zee), and other Coast Salish Peoples.