April 10, 2010  The year is 1909 and the first wave of settlers and their families is arriving from Quebec to work at the lumber mill on the Fraser River. Houses are built, a Church is established…the community of Maillardville is born. 100 years later it seems that our neighbourhood, which has managed to retain its unique nature and culture, is about to launch itself into the future! On the southern front, the lands at Fraser Mills are on the verge of major development. The exciting new community will offer a mix of residential, commercial and industrial uses. Accommodation for a post secondary education facility, ample green space and public access to the Fraser River waterfront will benefit all. You can visit some of the dreams here. In the meantime, the City Plan for Maillardville Village Centre has been completed. City Council has given its approval and the first step toward a revitalized "French Quarter" has been taken. Take a look here at the most recent vision for Maillardville. Check out this link to the highlights of the proposed changes to the Maillardville Neighbourhood Plan.  And what a delightful plan it is! What an opportunity for this neighbourhood to become something unique and valuable not only for Maillardville but for all of Coquitlam! You are walking from your condo at the corner of Brunette and Begin to make a few purchases in the Village Centre. Your stroll takes you down a pedestrian friendly Brunette Boulevard that has taken on a real French/European flair. As you make your way along, you pass by Heritage Square, admiring the buildings that house Place des Arts and Mackin House Museum. And then ahead you see the Village with its several high-rises, its condos and commercial buildings forming an inviting corridor…full of promise. The revitalized core has attracted many new residents and therefore many new businesses. A variety of shopping experiences await you…coffee shops and restaurants, delis offering many tempting choices for your table, arts and crafts to peruse and service amenities to fulfill your every need. Above and below Brunette, you are treated to a multitude of green spaces and walkways that make your movement through this French Quarter very pleasant indeed. Lavender abounds and all around you boulevards and pocket gardens delight your senses. Perhaps you will take coffee on one of the many outdoor patios. Or maybe you will head back home with your treasures using the "Greenway" along Adair and then through a gorgeous, newly refurbished Mackin Park. Even the historic connection between Fraser Mills and Maillardville will be restored with a new, pedestrian and cycle friendly King Edward Overpass, that is already well on its way to completion. See the plans here. Can this really be our future? The City of Coquitlam has done a tremendous amount of work to bring these plans to completion. Virtually every department has been involved in the study, consultation and creation of this wonderful vision. Yet more is needed. Will the City continue to foster and protect this fragile dream? Will it continue to offer the guidance, support and involvement needed to see the vision become reality? The men and women who journeyed here 100 years ago to make a new life for themselves were simple, hard working people. Some of these same people and many of their children and grandchildren remain in Maillardville to this day! Let us all start Maillardville’s second century by honouring those pioneers who first came and established our Community. Let us commit to realizing this vision for Maillardville and creating a Village Centre of which we can all be proud. Is this wonderful future in jeopardy? Read on!   Maillardville is yours!  Get Involved!