Portwood, Port Moody: Edgar's New Master-Planned Community

From Woodland Park to Portwood: the history

For decades, the land off Cecile Drive was Woodland Park — a 1960s rental community of around ten aging low-rise apartment buildings on 23 acres, tucked west of Barnet Highway and St. Johns Street. It sat on some of the greenest, most established land in Port Moody, but the buildings had reached the end of their useful life.

Edgar Development's plan to reinvent the site first surfaced publicly in December 2019. It moved through Port Moody's planning process over the next two years — a public hearing in July 2021 and final council adoption in December 2021 — making Portwood the first master-planned community approved in Port Moody since 2004. The project was originally known by the neighbourhood's name, Woodland Park, and was rebranded “Portwood” in April 2023 when sales of the first phase, Umbra, launched.

What makes the backstory worth knowing is how the affordability piece was structured. Edgar partnered with BC Housing's HousingHub, securing roughly $140 million in construction financing and contributing about 5.1 acres of land (valued near $21 million) toward below-market rental housing. The developer also committed roughly $30 million toward a new public road through the site. The result is a community that rebuilds and expands the rental housing that was there — 325 below-market rentals plus 132 market rentals — alongside the new for-sale homes, rather than simply erasing it.

The master plan: one neighbourhood, five phases to 2036

Portwood isn't a single condo tower — it's a whole neighbourhood built in stages. The approved plan covers about 23.7 acres and roughly 2,053 homes across around 20 low- and mid-rise buildings. Most of the community sits in the six-storey range, with the plan rising to about 19 storeys at its tallest points. The master plan was designed by Acton Ostry Architects, with a West Coast Modern-meets-Scandinavian look — black siding, warm wood, peaked roofs and vaulted top-floor ceilings.

The homes break down roughly like this:

• ~1,596 market condos and townhomes — the for-sale homes, released phase by phase (Umbra is the first).
• 132 market rental homes — secured purpose-built rental.
• 325 below-market rental homes — delivered through the BC Housing partnership.

Construction runs in five phases, moving generally clockwise across the site, with the first below-market rental building and Umbra both starting in 2023 and full build-out expected around 2036. So this is a long-term neighbourhood in the making — the early phases are being built now, and the community keeps filling in for roughly the next decade.

The redevelopment timeline at a glance

• Dec 2019Edgar's Woodland Park redevelopment proposal goes public.
• Jul 2021Public hearing at Port Moody council.
• Dec 2021Final adoption — the first master-planned community approved in Port Moody since 2004.
• Apr 2023Project rebranded “Portwood”; sales of the first phase, Umbra, launch. Below-market rental construction begins that summer.
• Early 2027Umbra's estimated completion and first move-ins.
• ~2036Full five-phase build-out complete.

Where it sits — and why location is the whole story

Portwood is in Port Moody's Woodland Park / College Park area, west of Barnet Highway and St. Johns Street, with the presentation centre at 1190 Cecile Drive. This is classic Port Moody: close to the water, close to Rocky Point Park and the Shoreline Trail and Brewers Row, and a short drive to Moody Centre SkyTrain Station and the West Coast Express. You get the small-city, tree-lined feel of Port Moody with a transit connection into Burnaby and Vancouver when you need it.

The other half of the location story is convenience built into the community itself. Portwood's plan includes roughly 19,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space — including a neighbourhood grocery store and a café — plus a large 12,300-square-foot childcare facility with room for 120+ children. The idea is that daily errands and daycare drop-off can happen inside the community rather than in the car. (The developer's sales team has indicated the daycare is planned to be operated by Willowbrae Academy — worth confirming directly as the community fills in.)

Green space, parks and the feel of the place

The single most distinctive thing about Portwood is how much land stays open. The plan keeps roughly 70% of the 23 acres as green and open space — about 8.3 acres of parks and courtyards plus around 5.2 acres of protected, environmentally sensitive areas with urban forest and streams. Threaded through it is a 1.5-kilometre multi-use nature trail for walking and biking, and a fully public trail network that connects the phases together.

Two new parks anchor the community — Hub Park at its centre and Cecile Bend Park — along with communal courtyards, a multi-sport court, an off-leash dog area, a water-play area for warmer days, a multi-purpose plaza and public art. It's designed to feel like a neighbourhood you live in, not just a building you live on.

Umbra: the first phase, and where it stands today

Umbra — The Residences at Portwood — is phase one, and it's the part you can actually buy into right now. It's a collection of 219 homes: 172 condominiums (a mix of one- and two-bedroom layouts) in a six-storey building, plus 47 three-bedroom, two-storey townhomes. Construction is well advanced, and as of summer 2026 the developer reports Umbra is more than 80% sold and roughly 90% built, with completion on track for early 2027. Because those figures move as homes sell and construction progresses, treat them as a snapshot and confirm current status before you make any decisions.

Inside, Umbra leans upscale for the segment: air conditioning, 8’11″ ceilings in the main living areas (with vaulted ceilings in many top-floor homes), Italian kitchens by Armony Cucine presented by Inform Projects, integrated Fulgor Milano appliance packages, quartz counters and matte-black Kohler fixtures throughout. The building amenities include a roughly 2,700-square-foot lounge with a kids' playroom and coworking space, a fitness studio, a large outdoor amenity deck with a BBQ and dining area, plus bike-friendly touches like a repair room, shared e-bikes and a free Modo carshare membership.

Homes and pricing

Umbra offers everything from one-bedroom-plus-flex layouts up to three-bedroom concrete townhomes. The one-bedroom homes have effectively sold through, which tells you where the demand has been. Here's the current line-up:

A few practical details buyers usually ask about: every home — including the townhomes — comes with one EV-ready parking stall, estimated strata fees are around $0.57 per square foot, and the current deposit structure is 5%. There have also been buyer-friendly terms available in this phase, including a reduced assignment fee and a developer who has been open to reviewing offers. Those terms can change, so it's worth confirming what's actually on the table at the time you're looking.

What it means if you're buying in the Tri-Cities

A community like Portwood does two things for local buyers. First, it adds real supply — thousands of homes over the coming decade — to a part of Port Moody that rarely sees new construction, which matters if you've been priced out of, or frustrated by, the tight resale market here. Second, a new master-planned community tends to lift the profile (and often the values) of the surrounding blocks over time as the parks, retail and daycare come online.

Whether Umbra specifically is right for you comes down to timing and fit. A 2027 completion means you're buying ahead of move-in, so your decision should account for where you'll be in a year-plus, your financing timeline, and how the remaining floorplans compare to what's available on the resale market today. And because Portwood builds out in phases, it's worth thinking about which phase and which part of the site you'd want to be in — the early phases live next to active construction for a while. That's exactly the kind of comparison I do with clients before anyone signs anything.

Why use a buyer's realtor on a presale like this

On a presale, the sales team in the presentation centre works for the developer — not for you. Having your own realtor costs you nothing on a new-construction purchase and gives you someone whose only job is your side of the deal: reading the disclosure statement and contract carefully, understanding the deposit and assignment terms, comparing the presale against resale alternatives, and being straight with you about whether it's a smart buy for your situation. If you're even casually looking at Portwood, loop me in early — it's far easier to help before you've signed than after.

Portwood FAQ

This article reflects Craig Johnston's professional opinion and general information about a new development in Port Moody. It is not legal, tax, mortgage, or investment advice, and it is not an offering for sale — any offering can only be made by the developer's disclosure statement. Details, sizes, prices, unit counts and plans are provided by the developer and public records, are approximate, and are subject to change without notice. Renderings are artist's concepts by Edgar Development. Work with your own lawyer, mortgage professional, and REALTOR® and verify current details with Edgar Development before making any decision. E.&O.E.