COQUITLAM, B.C., February 10, 2026 – The City of Coquitlam has leveraged federal government investment through the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) to make strong progress on initiatives that are delivering more homes to the community.

Like communities across the region, enabling housing continues to be a top priority for Coquitlam. The City has long been recognized as a regional housing leader, seeking to address the imbalance between rising housing costs, pressure on existing housing stock, and ensuring that new housing development keeps pace with population growth and community needs.

Through the $27.5-million investment from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), the City is advancing a coordinated action plan that aims to reduce approval timelines, modernize development processes, lower construction barriers and bring new housing opportunities across the city.

Coquitlam Exceeding HAF Housing Targets

Through the HAF program, Coquitlam committed to increasing its annual housing supply by approximately 15% above historic averages. In 2025, the City issued building permits for 2,590 net new homes, exceeding the annual HAF target of 2,164 homes, keeping the City on pace to meet the total four-year target of 6,523 homes by 2027.

These homes include a mix of multi-unit, missing-middle (i.e. townhomes, duplexes, triplexes, etc.) and housing near transit and neighbourhoods. 

Note: The Housing Accelerator Fund target of 6,523 units by 2027 is separate from, and not aligned with, the Province’s Housing Target Order, which requires progress toward 6,481 new housing units by August 2030. The two targets differ in methodology: CMHC measures progress based on building permits issued, while the Province measures progress based on housing completions.

Progress on Action Plan Initiatives

To date, the City has received $13.3 million from the federal grant, with additional instalments scheduled through 2027. 

Of the eight initiatives through the action plan, all are either complete or well underway. Three initiatives are complete, including:

• Delegated Authority for Minor Development Variances: Enables staff to approve low-risk minor zoning variances, significantly reducing approval timelines for eligible projects. Since implementation, this change has resulted in time savings of approximately three to four months per application and has supported projects representing about 90 new housing units.
• Urban Design Guidelines Review: Streamlined to provide clearer, more consistent direction on on-site design expectations, improving efficiency for applicants and staff. The work is complete, with final adoption planned as part of the Interim OCP in spring 2026.
• Strengthened Non-Profit Housing Partnerships: Completed an inventory of non-market housing opportunities on City-owned lands and introduced new processes to support and fast-track non-profit housing projects, including the City’s Priority Review Policy for Non-Market Housing. These changes have strengthened internal capacity and created clear pathways for future partnerships to deliver affordable housing.

Three initiatives are approximately 90% complete, pending Council review and approval, including:

• Rental Incentive Program Review: The City is updating its rental incentive program to align with new provincial legislative requirements while continuing to support the delivery of purpose-built rental housing. 
• Citywide Parking Review: On-site parking requirements and clearer curbside management policies are being finalized to reduce construction costs, improve project viability, and minimize redesigns and approval delays, supporting more efficient housing delivery.
• Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing and Transit-Oriented Area Updates: Through Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing zoning, approximately 22,000 lots previously limited to single-detached homes now allow small-scale housing. The corridor and shoulder studies are nearing completion to support additional infill and transit-oriented growth through Stage 2 of the Transit-Oriented Area update.

Two initiatives are in progress, with completion deadlines in 2026:

• Building Permit Digitization: The City is transitioning to a fully digital building permit process to improve the applicant experience and streamline internal review. The initiative is approximately 60% complete, with a staff report to Council scheduled for March 2026.
• Exploration of a Certified Professional Program: The City is assessing the feasibility of introducing a Certified Professional program to help expedite building permit reviews by supplementing staff capacity. Draft Building Bylaw amendments are under development, with Council consideration anticipated in early 2026.

About the Housing Accelerator Fund 

In April 2023, the CMHC launched the Housing Accelerator Fund, a $4-billion federal program designed to help local governments streamline planning regulations and accelerate housing delivery. The program aims to increase housing supply by targeting a minimum 10% annual increase in new dwelling units, measured through building permit issuance.

The HAF program focuses on:

• Removing barriers to housing supply;
• Supporting complete, affordable, inclusive, and diverse communities; and
• Encouraging low-carbon, climate-resilient development.

Based on current applications in the development pipeline, Coquitlam has sufficient approved projects to meet its overall HAF housing targets. While economic conditions and construction timelines remain outside municipal control, the City continues to work closely with CMHC and senior governments to monitor risks and maintain progress.

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.