FAQs

The Official Community Plan(External link) (OCP) is our long-term vision for Port Moody’s future. It communicates our values and guides us as we make decisions about how we use land for housing, transportation, parks, environmental protection, economic development, and more.

The plan is a living document that is typically reviewed and updated regularly so it remains relevant as the community evolves. The last comprehensive review of the Official Community Plan was in 2014. As part of the suite of legislation enacted by the B.C. government, official community plans are now required to be reviewed and updated every five years.

Completed:

• Age-Friendly Assessment and Action Plan (2020 – 2030) (Age-Friendly Assessment and Action Plan(External link))
• Arts and Culture Master Plan (2018-2027) (Port Moody Arts and Culture Master Plan(External link)) 
• Child Care Action Plan (2022) (City of Port Moody Child Care Action Plan(External link))
• Climate Action Plan (2020) (Port Moody Climate Action Plan(External link))
• Council Strategic Plan 2023-2026 (2023-2026 Council Strategic Plan(External link))
• Economic Development Master Plan (2022) (Port Moody Economic Master Plan(External link)) 
• Heritage Strategic Plan (2016 – 2022) (Heritage Strategic Plan(External link)) 
• Housing Action Plan (2022 - 2032) (Housing Action Plan(External link))
• Inclusionary Zoning – Affordable Rental Units Policy (2022) (Inclusionary Zoning – Affordable Rental Units(External link))
• Industrial Lands Strategy (2023) (Port Moody Industrial Land Strategy Final Report(External link)) 
• Interim Housing Needs Report (2024) (Interim Housing Needs Report Port Moody 2024(External link))
• Master Transportation Plan (2017) (Port-Moody-Master-Transporation-Plan) 
• Parks and Recreation Master Plan (2015) (Parks and Rec Master Plan(External link))
• Urban Forestry Management Strategy 2050 (2023) (Port Moody UFMP(External link))

In progress:

• Coastal Flood Management Strategy 
• Master Transportation Plan Update (TransPort Moody)
• Parkland Strategy
• Recreation Facilities Study 
• Trail Network Plan 

Engage Port Moody is the best source of information for all things related to Port Moody 2050. We encourage you to register as a user of the site. It only takes a minute, and once you’re registered, you’ll be able to provide input and review engagement results.

The B.C. government’s provincial housing initiatives and legislation impact Official Community Plans for municipalities across the Province, including the City of Port Moody. In late 2023, prior to the Province’s new legislation coming into effect, a draft updated OCP, Port Moody 2050, was nearing completion. 

In February 2024, the City made the difficult decision to pause the ongoing process to update the OCP due to the impacts of new provincial legislation on Port Moody’s OCP and Zoning Bylaw. Visit portmoody.ca/provhousinglegislation(External link) to learn more. 

The City is ready to continue with the Port Moody 2050 process to update its Official Community Plan (OCP) and is resuming public engagement in April 2025. There are a variety of ways to get involved and share your thoughts on key proposed updates to the OCP. Be sure to add the engagement opportunities listed below to your calendar! 

List of engagement events:
Port Moody 2050 Open House (April 13)
Port Moody 2050 Town Hall (April 16)
Port Moody 2050 Online Information Session (April 23)
Port Moody 2050 Pop-Up and Self-Guided Walking Tour (April 26)
Port Moody 2050 Youth Open House (May 2)
Port Moody 2050 community survey (open April 7 to May 4)

Port Moody’s Official Community Plan is shaped by the values and priorities of its residents. We want to hear your thoughts as we continue to explore how Port Moody will evolve over the next 25 years. Your input will inform staff’s development of the 2025 draft Official Community Plan, as well as Council’s decision-making as they consider proposed updates.

In April/May 2025, we will be seeking public input on key proposed updates related to:

• The community vision for Port Moody 2050; and
• Neighbourhood plan areas – Moody Centre Station Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Area, Moody Centre Neighbourhood (excluding Moody Centre Station TOD Area), Seaview, Murray Street Boulevard, and Inlet Centre including Coronation Park.

Public engagement to update the City’s Official Community Plan began in late 2020 and continued through 2023 – the City shared information and sought feedback through dialogue sessions, community surveys, and a neighbourhood workshop.  The input collected helped to shape a draft plan in December 2023. 

Community input collected from participants during the 2025 engagement processes will be considered by City staff when refining the Draft OCP and making recommendations to Council, and by Council during their decision-making process. It’s important to remember that for all of the City’s engagement projects, community input is considered by decision-makers along with technical information, advice provided by subject matter experts, available budget, strategic goals, and other plans or strategy documents. 

While engagement results provide the City with valuable information, please note that engagement is not intended to be a vote. Public engagement gives those who are interested/affected a chance to ask questions, gain knowledge or deepen their understanding of a topic, and share relevant values-based information and lived experience. While we strive to offer inclusive and meaningful opportunities for interested and/or affected parties, the results are not intended to be statistically representative of the community as a whole.

Recently, the provincial government introduced a series of initiatives and legislation aimed primarily at increasing housing supply in communities throughout B.C.  

Key pieces of legislation include:

• 2022 Housing Supply Act, Bill 43/2023 Port Moody Housing Target Order;
• 2023 Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act, Bill 44; and
• 2023 Housing Statutes (Transit-Oriented Areas) Amendment Act, Bill 47. 

Some of these legislative changes may impact Official Community Plans more directly than others, however they are a significant change to the Province’s planning framework and set out critical deadlines for the City to meet. Learn more here (Provincial Housing Legislation - City of Port Moody(External link)).

As part of the 2025 Official Community Plan (OCP) update, a new Low Density Residential land use designation will be created to incorporate Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH) and ensure consistency between the OCP and Port Moody’s Zoning Bylaw. In general, OCP policies support SSMUH in many of the areas where this type of housing is permitted, though additional policy direction may be required to address area-specific considerations, such as heritage protection.  

The areas impacted by the Province’s Transit-Oriented Area (TOA) designations originate at the SkyTrain stations and extend outwards in concentric circles with prescribed heights and densities that do not consider topography or other factors. The Port Moody bylaw permitting TOAs (one around Moody Centre Station and one around Inlet Centre Station) was adopted on June 25, 2024. 

For much of Port Moody’s TOAs north of St. Johns Street, existing development and properties where development is permitted to proceed meet the intent of Bill 47. However, for the section south of St. Johns Street, the recent provincial legislation focuses significant growth (e.g. 8 and 12 storey development potential) in areas with lots that include steep slopes, constrained access, or potentially hazardous conditions.

To more effectively consider the development required by the Province in the area south of St. Johns Street that is in proximity to the transit hubs, a special study area has been identified. This means that this is an area requiring further review to better understand the impacts and opportunities.

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Areas are an approach to land use planning that locates high-density, mixed-use development within walking distance from frequent transit services. TODs typically incorporate a variety of land uses, including residential, commercial (i.e., grocery stores and retail) and community amenities (i.e., childcare and community centres). The City first designated the area around the Moody Centre Skytrain Station as a TOD area in 2017 to create a complete, liveable, and sustainable community near frequent transit service. 

Transit-Oriented Areas (TOAs), adopted in 2023, are a provincial designation around selected transportation hubs to increase density near rapid transit. While incorporating the spirit of a TOD – to create complete, liveable, and sustainable communities near the frequent transit service –TOAs also set regulations linked to height and densities around transit centres.

Learn more here (www.portmoody.ca/toa(External link)).

The Moody Centre Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Guidance Framework was approved by Council in 2023. It sets out a process for the City’s review of all OCP amendment or rezoning applications in the Moody Centre Station Transit-Oriented Development area, both as a stand-alone project and as an integral part of delivering the OCP vision for the overall area.

The Framework provides guidance on several topics, such as land uses, building heights and forms, urban design, view corridors, housing types, parks and open space, sustainability, community wellbeing, employment creation, and amenity contributions. It is meant to work in coordination with the policy directions set out in the OCP.

Additional height above 26 storeys can be considered on a case-by-case basis subject to achieving other policy objectives and delivering amenities as outlined in the Moody Centre Transit-Oriented Development Area Guidance Framework.

Applications that exceed 26 storeys will require an OCP amendment and accompanying public hearing. 

Although industrial zoned properties are exempted from the provincial TOA density framework, where these properties are located within the Moody Centre Station Transit-Oriented Development Area, the existing OCP vision adopted in 2017 still applies.  

We’ve heard from the community that there is an aspirational vision for this area which includes: affordable/rental housing; provision of parks, open space, and watercourse daylighting; construction of a trail network and pedestrian overpass; and the creation of employment-generating space. Tower heights above the current 26-storey maximum would create the opportunity to realize this vision and help support achievement of community objectives and desires for this area. The City’s processes for reviewing OCP amendment and rezoning applications provide opportunities for community involvement as growth and change are contemplated. 

In the case of industrial zoned properties on Murray Street that fall within the provincial TOA tiers, the City is proposing to protect industrial uses in this area by changing the OCP land use designation to Urban Industrial.