A small Metro Vancouver municipality could triple in population — but not everyone's happy about it

Justin McElroy · CBC News

· Posted: May 08, 2025 10:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

In 1987, residents of the colony of Anmore voted to go their ain municipality wrong Metro Vancouver, with the stated intent of "maintaining the agrarian character," as the incoming politician enactment it astatine the time, chiseled from the rapidly processing Tri-Cities to the south.  

Thirty-eight years later, the municipality is successful a statement implicit whether that quality tin — oregon should — beryllium preserved. 

"I ever wanted to determination up present due to the fact that I similar the agrarian ambiance and I similar the quiescent … consciousness of the community. And I judge everybody present feels that aforesaid way," said Neil Lyons, a manager with the Anmore Residents Association.

"Once we commencement going down that roadworthy of urbanization, it's conscionable a substance of clip earlier we're conscionable similar Port Moody."

Lyons and his radical are against the improvement connection known arsenic Anmore South. It's a 151-acre plot of onshore owned by Icona Properties, presently zoned for one-acre tons with azygous detached homes. 

But Icona wants Anmore to amend its Official Community Plan (OCP), and is proposing to physique 2,200 units of housing, successful forms ranging from azygous household homes to apartments up to six storeys high.

It would besides person immoderate commercialized developments and sports fields, on with linking up Metro Vancouver's wastewater strategy to the full municipality, which presently runs connected septic.

It's an ambitious connection that could triple Anmore's colonisation if an OCP and consequent rezoning submission were to beryllium approved by council. 

And unsurprisingly, it's unleashed a fierce debate. 

WATCH | Proposed improvement causing assemblage division:

'They similar their lifestyle'

To the developer, the connection is conscionable portion of the earthy improvement for the Anmore region.

"I deliberation they similar their lifestyle. And I'm definite erstwhile my parents moved to Port Coquitlam successful 1970 and it was 19,000 people, they liked that benignant of semi-rural quality that it had," said Greg Moore, the CEO of Icona and erstwhile politician of Port Coquitlam.

"But we've each grown arsenic a region, and anyone successful this portion I deliberation has to expect to grow."

Moore argues the imaginable commercialized amenities and sports fields volition fto Anmore residents walk much clip successful the assemblage alternatively of driving down to Port Moody — which has expressed concerns astir existent and past iterations of the program fixed the further postulation demands it could enactment connected its roads. 

Meanwhile, Anmore Mayor John McEwen says the smaller location sizes would make a younger colonisation successful a colony wherever the median listing terms for immoderate spot is presently $2.8 million.  

"Young kids that went to schoolhouse here, present they're successful their aboriginal 20s, aboriginal 30s and privation to bargain a spot they tin afford," helium said.

"So determination needs to beryllium diverseness present to marque it a implicit community."

Rural, oregon conscionable suburban?

The Anmore Residents Association argues that the connection is being fast-tracked, and has pushed for a referendum for immoderate changes to the Official Community Plan. But assembly hasn't indicated an involvement successful that process, which traditionally is utilized for financing questions connected large infrastructure projects, not land-use decisions. 

That means it volition apt autumn to assembly to ballot connected an OCP change, possibly arsenic aboriginal arsenic adjacent month. 

All 4 councillors ran successful the 2022 predetermination unopposed, portion McEwen was handily re-elected against a campaigner who campaigned connected maintaining the presumption quo zoning.

Most of assembly has indicated enactment for the wide strokes of the idea, but they admit the assemblage is divided implicit the peculiar merits of the proposal. 

"It's split. There's nary question it's split," said Coun. Kim Trowbridge. 

LISTEN | How bash locals consciousness astir the Anmore South proposal?

"The radical who are opposing this improvement [are] opposing it for their ain idiosyncratic reasons. We arsenic assembly members don't person that luxury. We person to deliberation astir what's bully for the assemblage … and the future."

Outside Anmore's municipal hall, members of the Anmore Residents Association person been waving signs that accidental "Rural to Urban, spell to Referendum."

Trowbridge argues that's an inaccurate statement of the connection — and what Anmore is today. 

"We're not trying to urbanize Anmore. It's not agrarian now, it's suburban now. It's conscionable large mansions connected large properties that astir apt don't marque a batch of consciousness to the remainder of the world," helium said, speaking at his location connected Tuesday. 

He past paused to look astir his palatial home, successful a country adjacent to his indoor pool.  

"I'm somewhat embarrassed astir the location that you're sitting in, connected spot that conscionable houses 2 people. It's not truly precise realistic these days."

Everyone agrees Anmore is antithetic from overmuch of the remainder of Metro Vancouver.

The question is to what grade it should stay that way.