North Lougheed Area Plan

Frequently Asked Questions

• What are the benefits of developing the North Lougheed Area?

  Developing the North Lougheed Area has many benefits, including:

  • Variety of housing options. Mixed-use and multi-family developments are being considered to help address the city’s housing needs.
  • Close to transit. The location allows for housing, employment, a potential post-secondary educational campus and recreational amenities—all within a five-minute walking distance to transit.
  • Space for local businesses and jobs. Economic development will be enhanced with more space for growing local businesses and sustainable jobs.
  • Increased tax base. Property taxes will be spread among a greater range of land uses and allow for enhanced services and amenities for the community.
  • Agricultural benefits, including improved safety. Traffic calming along Old Dewdney Trunk Road and diverting traffic onto the new North Lougheed Connector (NLC) will reduce traffic volumes in the agricultural area, improving safety for slower moving farm vehicles and machinery. 
  • Reduced congestion and improvements to traffic flow. Development will support the construction of the NLC. Tied to other highway improvement projects, this will reduce traffic congestion and improve traffic flow. The NLC will also provide a secondary arterial connection to north Maple Ridge.
  • Improved north/south community connectivity. In addition to the NLC, a proposed pedestrian and cyclist overpass connecting with Harris Road Park will improve community access across Lougheed Highway.
     
• What is the difference between the draft North Lougheed Area Plan prepared in 2020 and the draft North Lougheed Area Plan prepared in 2026?

  The 2020 draft Area Plan included a range of policies and a land use plan to guide new development in the North Lougheed Area. The policies were arranged according to six guiding principles:

  1. All development should celebrate the natural, built, and cultural heritage and identity of Pitt Meadows and the North Lougheed Area.
  2. All development proposals should directly address climate change adaptation, employ greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction and green building strategies, and increase or enhance available wildlife habitat to increase the environmental resilience of the community.
  3. All development should support sustainable transportation choices.
  4. All development should contribute to the economic vitality of the community.
  5. All developments should contribute to community wellness and inclusivity.
  6. All developments should incorporate buffering, transitioning, and/or mitigation strategies to address real or perceived conflicting needs between different land uses.

  The 2026 draft Area Plan still embodies these principles; however, input from the q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie) First Nation, plus additional technical work, has informed a revised structure and policy enhancements. The 2026 draft Area Plan now features:

  • New and enhanced policies that aim to recognize the historic and ongoing significance of the lands to q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie) First Nation.
  • Consolidation of other policies, and the addition of new policies, into the following sections:
    • Neighbourhood Character – policies fostering a strong neighbourhood character in the North Lougheed Area that honours the past and contributes to the city’s small-town feel.
    • Land Use – policies facilitating a variety of uses, including new housing and employment opportunities, that contribute to the city’s long-term sustainability.
    • Transportation – policies promoting a safe, multi-modal mobility network that supports active transportation and public transit.
    • Parks and Community Amenities – policies ensuring the North Lougheed Area provides for a variety of high-quality park and community amenities to support community spirit and wellbeing.
    • Agriculture – policies protecting surrounding agricultural areas from urban development within the North Lougheed Area, and encouraging opportunities for appropriately scaled agriculture and supporting uses.
    • Environment – policies conserving and enhancing natural features within the North Lougheed Area and promoting climate-resilient urban development.
    • Utility Services – policies identifying that development within the North Lougheed Area will be serviced with City water, sanitary and stormwater systems.
    • Implementation – policies outlining key implementation steps that are meant to be undertaken before development in the North Lougheed Area.

  Some 2020 policies were removed because they have since been incorporated into more recent City plans and strategies (e.g., the Climate Action Strategy) that also help to shape future development.

  A revised conceptual land use plan is also included in the 2026 draft Area Plan. The land use concept changes were informed by a recent commercial retail market study, market changes, and further consideration of local features (e.g., watercourses and adjacent agricultural land).

• What informed the preparation of the 2026 draft North Lougheed Area Plan?

  The preparation of the 2026 draft Area Plan was informed by:

  • The extensive planning and public engagement work undertaken in 2019 and 2020, including the Area Plan presented to Council in September 2020
  • Further input from government agencies, interest holders and q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie) First Nation
  • Policies, plans and assessments developed since 2020, including the 2022 OCP, 2023 Agricultural Viability Strategy, 2023 Active Transportation Plan, 2024 Urban Forest Strategy, 2025 Climate Action Strategy, and 2025 Complete Communities Assessment
     
• What has been the project timeline to date?

  The North Lougheed Area has been the subject of various planning initiatives and applications to the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) since the 1980s.

  In 2011, a comprehensive land use plan was prepared for the North Lougheed Area that built on years of previous planning for the southern portion of the area. The 2011 plan identified a combination of mixed employment and retail commercial uses. 

  A commercial and industrial land study completed in 2019 for the City’s Official Community Plan (OCP) review, however, indicated that the market had changed significantly and that there was no longer a need for the amount of retail commercial space included in the 2011 plan. This meant that the 2011 plan was no longer economically viable, and a revised comprehensive land use concept was required to meet community and regional needs.

  In 2019, the City initiated a multi-phase technical review and engagement process to develop a new land use concept that built on both the previous planning work, and more recent OCP review process. Listed below are some of the key project milestones between 2018 and 2020:

  • November 2018 – Council directed staff to re-examine the project and to make recommendations on moving forward with the North Lougheed Area Plan.
  • May 2019 – A scoping report was presented to Council describing the recommended timeline for engaging the public, updating technical studies and revising the land use plan.
  • July 2019 – Staff made a Council Presentation on preliminary findings from July community engagement.
  • October 22, 2019 – Three draft land use concepts were presented to Council.
  • October 29, 2019 – A fourth draft land use concept was presented to Council.
  • May 2020 – North Lougheed Land Use Plan, land use designations and policies, and summary of Phase 2 community engagement presented to Council.
  • July 2020 -  Council endorsed the revised North Lougheed Land Use Plan and development policies that were drafted with input from extensive public and stakeholder engagement.
  • September 2020 - Council granted first and second reading to OCP Amendment for NLAP.

  A public hearing scheduled for November 5, 2020 was cancelled to accommodate further discussions and engagement with various interest holders and organizations. 

  From 2020 to 2026, the City has focused on additional technical work and collaborative planning with q̓ic̓əy̓. These efforts are intended to support early consideration of cultural context and ensure that q̓ic̓əy̓ perspectives are reflected in the Area Plan, helping to improve understanding, reduce uncertainty and avoid unintended impacts as the area develops.

• How is the community being consulted?

  Over the years, there have been many rounds of community engagement for the North Lougheed Area Plan, including a public hearing in 2012, before the City applied to the Agricultural Land Commission to exclude the remaining part of the area from the Agricultural Land Reserve. 

  More recent community engagement has included:

  • Summer 2019 - Feedback was collected from the community and stakeholders both online and at several engagement pop-up events throughout the summer.
  • November 2019 to February 2020 - Using the information and ideas received in summer 2019, four NLSA draft land use concepts were developed and shared with the public for input online and at engagement events.

  In May 2020, a summary of the 2019-2020 public and stakeholder engagement was presented to Council along with the North Lougheed Land Use Plan, land use designations and policies.

  It is anticipated that there will be additional opportunities for the community to provide feedback as preparation of the North Lougheed Area Plan proceeds, including a public hearing on the proposed Area Plan. 
   

• When was the North Lougheed Area excluded from the Agricultural Land Reserve?

  The Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) agreed to a variety of conditional exclusions from the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) between 1985 and 2004. In 2013, the City received conditional approval by the ALC to exclude the remaining northern portion of the North Lougheed Study Area. There have been several developments which have met the exclusion conditions, including the Best Western (built in 1996) and the Nissan dealership (built in 2003), and are no longer in the ALR.

  
• What is the North Lougheed Connector?

  The proposed 2-kilometre North Lougheed Connector (NLC) is required by the Agricultural Land Commission as part of their conditional approval and will provide a direct link from Abernethy Way to the Lougheed Highway, at Harris Road. The NLC is intended to:

  • allow for traffic calming on Old Dewdney Trunk Road to make it safer for area residents and slower moving farm vehicles and machinery; and
  • provide a secondary traffic corridor to north Maple Ridge.

  Staff are working with the Ministry of Transportation and Transit and TransLink to determine how the NLC will connect to Golden Ears Way and to Lougheed Highway west of Harris Road. This work is anticipated to be tied to other highway improvement projects to improve traffic flow in the area.

• What type of development is being proposed for the area?

  The NLAP will guide the creation of a complete neighbourhood development that incorporates a mix of public green spaces, cultural heritage, and residential, commercial and employment uses. The vision for the North Lougheed Area is an inclusive, connected and resilient neighbourhood that acknowledges q̓ic̓əy̓, fosters a small-town feel, and provides opportunities to live, work, play and learn.

• Are high rise towers proposed for the area?

  The City may consider buildings over six storeys in height in specific areas, provided they respond to concerns around privacy, views, shading, and surrounding land use sensitivities. Taller buildings will take advantage of prominent views of the surrounding landscape, while also reducing the per capita costs of infrastructure and services.

  Building heights in the study area are limited to a maximum of 45.7m (150 feet) above the elevation of the Pitt Meadows Airport runway, due to federal flight path safety restrictions. Ground floors of the buildings must meet the City’s Floodplain Designation and Construction Control Bylaw elevation requirements. Together, these regulations restrict the maximum height of future development.

• When will development in the North Lougheed Area start?

  Following the completion of the North Lougheed Area Plan, a number of additional steps will be required before development proceeds within the area, including an amendment to the Regional Growth Strategy and the satisfaction of the various Agricultural Land Commission exclusion conditions.

  Development within the area will also require that property owners submit the necessary development applications for the City’s review. Please see the City’s Property Development webpage for more information about development application processes. 

• What is the difference between the North Lougheed Study Area (NLSA) and the North Lougheed Area Plan (NLAP)?

  The North Lougheed Study Area (NLSA) generally refers to the area that is being considered for future development through the preparation of the North Lougheed Area Plan (NLAP). The term “North Lougheed Study Area” generally reflects past terminology for the project. For improved clarity moving forward, the City will be using the terms “North Lougheed Area” to refer to the lands and the “North Lougheed Area Plan” to refer to the community planning project.