The City of Coquitlam has an in-depth process for rezoning land. Rezoning applications are reviewed at several levels from rezoning planners, formal reports and public hearings. All rezoning applications are processed by the City’s Planning and Development Department.
Rezoning a property in Coquitlam involves multiple steps. We’ve listed the steps you need to take to get your project going, and explain how and when Simple Sign can help facilitate this process for you.
How to Apply for a Rezoning Permit in Coquitlam
Step 1: Pre-Application Review
The first step in acquiring a rezoning permit from the City of Coquitlam is to review your proposed development’s adherence to all City plans, policies, and regulations that are applicable. These include official community plans, zoning by-laws, and engineering requirements. For zoning information, check out this map provided by the City in order to find your zoning district. Review the applicable zoning by-laws here.
Step 2: Submit Your Development Permit Application
When filling out the application, ensure that all guidelines have been met in order to reduce processing time and improve your application’s chance of approval. Ensure to include all supporting documents.
The Development Application form is available online here, and can be submitted to Coquitlam’s Planning and Development Department.
Step 3: Initial Review of Your Rezoning Application
Your rezoning application will be assigned to a file manager from the Planning and Development Department for a comprehensive review on zoning regulations and guidelines. After this initial review, if there is any missing resources or information the planner will request for submission of these documents.
Your application is also reviewed by other involved city departments and outside agencies for further analysis and comments. During this review, you may have to provide additional documents for clarification or make revisions to your application.
Step 4: Requirement of Rezoning Application Signs
At this point, the City will request for the applicant to install one or more rezoning application signs on their property that notifies other landowners and community members of your plans, and that an application has been submitted.
The City will send the applicant a letter to outline how many signs are required and also the exact text which should be included on the rezoning application sign(s). This process often means dealing with the hassles of approval, dealing with sign shops, and the annoyance of building frames to display your signs properly.
The team at Simple Sign can use this letter from the city planner to create the graphic design for the sign and install the rezoning application sign quickly and at a competitive price point.
Simple Sign is also able to proof any rezoning sign information to ensure it meets requirements and submit sign information directly to the City for approval.
We guarantee the installation of rezoning signs within 3 business days, removing the burden of handling signage design and installation from your busy schedule.
Step 5: City Council Public Hearing
After the initial review of your development application, the file manager schedules the application to be reviewed by the Development Review Team (DRT). This team reviews the project for objectives in the proposed projects’ area and will offer recommendations for revisions to the proposal before it reaches the Council. After the DRT reviews the application, the file manager will send you a requirements letter indicating any changes or revisions needed to the application before it can be approved.
Changes to the status of the application result in the need for an updated rezoning sign at the property.
In these cases, Simple Sign provides an updated rezoning sign patch, rather than changing the entire sign.
This ensures your requested changes are made quickly and cost-effectively.
There is no limit to the number of patches that can be applied to your sign, so make changes as you see fit.
Step 6: Public Hearing and Issuance of Rezoning Permit
The City of Coquitlam may require your rezoning applications to be reviewed at a Public Hearing in front of the City Council. The neighbouring property owners to the proposed rezoning are notified of the hearing and encouraged to voice their opinions and concerns to the Council on the project at the hearing. Applicants are encouraged to attend the public hearing to address any questions or concerns.
Provided the 1st and 2nd hearings allow the project to proceed, adoption of the rezoning will be announced at the 3rd reading if all project requirements are met. Issuance of the rezoning permit will be granted by the City Council at a 4th reading, and you may proceed with a development permit after receiving approval for rezoning.
Following the approval of your Rezoning Application, you are eligible to apply for a development permit. Check out Simple Sign’s Guide on Applying for a Development Permit in Coquitlam to learn more about proceeding with your project.
When it’s time for the switch to a property development sign, removal service is always included in Simple Sign’s all-inclusive sign package for locally installed signs. Instead of your sign ending up in a landfill, we will recycle and reuse all sign materials.
