Image: Mike Vanden Bosch / Pattison Media / A rezoning application outside two parcels of land at 8890 and 8850 School Street in Chilliwack.
Proposed development

Long dormant Chilliwack property just off Yale Road could be rezoned for housing, commercial

Dec 23, 2025 | 7:23 AM

CHILLIWACK — A rezoning application has been submitted to the City of Chilliwack that could see a long dormant parcel of land just off Yale Road in Chilliwack redeveloped to contain residential and commercial.

A rezoning application sign has been recently installed outside the fenced property at 8850 and 8890 School Street across from Big O Tires (45829 Yale Road).

The application proposes to rezone the two properties from a CS1 (service commercial) zone to a C9 zone (mid rise apartment commercial) to facilitate a future mixed-use commercial and residential development.

The two properties combined are 125,888 square feet, or 2.89 acres (1.17 ha). Their combined assessed value is $6,608,000, according to public records available on BC Assessment’s website.

A company listed on the rezoning sign, OTG Developments Ltd., works to facilitate land developments in the Fraser Valley, Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and Okanagan.

There is currently no timeline for any kind of public hearing associated with the proposed development, meaning Chilliwack city councillors have not voted on the proposal.

A Google Maps image from April 2009 depicts the two properties as bare, meaning the property has been vacant for at least 16.5 years.

Image: Google Maps / An image from April 2009 showing the vacant property at School Street.

One of the two properties that could be developed appears to have once housed a bulk plant, defined as a facility used for temporary bulk storage of gasoline, diesel fuel and similar liquid products.

Build Chilliwack, a local website that features information on proposed developments around Chilliwack, suggests the vacant parcel was once the site of a former gas station.

“The former gas station at 8890 School Street suggests a need for environmental assessment and possible remediation. Addressing potential contamination can unlock this property’s full development potential, aligning with the city’s sustainable development goals,” BuildChilliwack.com wrote about the site.

According to an August 2017 document from the B.C. Ministry of Environment, a Certificate of Compliance was issued for 8850 School Street for satisfactory remediation connected to a Suncor managed area, presumably linked to Suncor Energy, a petro refineries company. The Certificate of Compliance document states, however, that the compliance document should not be construed to mean there were no hazards present at 8850 School Street as of August 2017.