Electric car juggernaut Tesla is planning a flagship delivery centre in Port Coquitlam with 75 per cent of the new cars delivered to the Lower Mainland routed through the proposed facility.
Bosa Properties is advancing the proposal through Port Coquitlam council this week.
Tuesday (July 18), Port Coquitlam’s council-in-committee is expected to get a first look at the multi-faceted proposal.
If approved and built over the next several months, the 60,000 sq-ft. facility located in the Dominion Triangle area just off Lougheed Highway, will serve as the primary location for delivering Tesla vehicles in the Lower Mainland.
Vehicles will arrive from the U.S. and Shanghai for delivery to Tesla dealerships, according to a letter by Bosa Properties, which is proposing redevelopment of two properties at 1021 and 1032 Nicola Ave. Including the Tesla delivery centre.
The Tesla centre in PoCo will also operate as a service facility, offering a mobile service to fix cars at people’s homes as well as those requiring repairs at the larger facility.
About 50 cars a day would be serviced at the PoCo facility, according to Bosa.
“The proposed facility in Port Coquitlam is envisioned as a unique, light-touch establishment with a distinct focus on repair and service rather than traditional vehicle sales,” the letter states.
However, before the Tesla facility can come to fruition, Port Coquitlam council will need to approve a number of changes to the property, including rezoning, changing the classification of the watercourse that runs along Lougheed and other considerations.
Premier facility for B.C.
If it’s approved, the Tesla dealership would be visible from Lougheed Highway and would be one of the few large facilities in the Lower Mainland for the electric car maker co-founded by Elon Musk.
According to the staff report, Tesla plans to use the site for auto sales and service as well as a regional storage and distribution centre for vehicles and parts.
It would have landscaping, including riparian protection for an unnamed watercourse along the Lougheed Highway frontage, and parking spaces for 650 cars.
Bosa’s proposal also includes an 11,000 sq-ft. stand-alone building with 36 parking spaces opposite the Tesla delivery centre, located on the north side of Nicola Avenue.
According to a city staff report the properties are historically zoned agricultural but are designated highway commercial in the Official Community Plan.
They would have to be rezoned to permit the development.
For example, the 0.85-acre portion north of Nicola Avenue would be rezoned to District Commercial (DC) while the 6.68-acre portion to the south, home of Tesla, would be rezoned to Comprehensive Development.
The development would also require a change in classification for the unnamed watercourse from 'A' to 'B' in the official community plan.
As well, Bosa would have to satisfy a number of conditions, including:
- closure and sale of an unopened city lane
- dedication of road to allow for widening of Nicola Avenue
- and off-site works and services that include construction of a missing portion of street improvements fronting the adjacent lands at 985 Nicola Ave.
Bosa has submitted a traffic study that shows the Tesla service centre would generate fewer cars than a typical highway commercial building.
It also submitted a report that shows the watercourse along Lougheed Highway designated Class A or fish-bearing in the 1990s does not support fish.
Bosa is also proposing a number of environmental measures for the Tesla building, including:
- low-E glazing
- energy efficient lighting
- Eight (8) photocell controlled exterior lighting
- insulated overhead doors with sealed glazing panels
- low-flow toilets
- bicycle parking
- light coloured roofing materials to reduce heat island effect and thermal loading, and a high-efficiency irrigation system.
Currently, Bosa is removing the pre-load that was placed on the property by the previous owner.
According to the development company, the Tesla facility would generate 80 high-paying jobs.
