With development in the city climbing mountains, Coquitlam has decided to restrict the heights of retaining walls.

City council has approved a steep slopes bylaw that will restrict retaining walls to a height of 2.4 metres with a 1.2 metre terrace distance between walls.

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A planning department report to council said although development across Burke Mountain is creating attractive, desirable communities, the steeper slopes have been challenging. The result recently is subdivisions resorting to increasingly large retaining walls.

The report said there are examples of walls being 6.8 to 10 metres high, and in some rare cases up to 14 metres. Limiting their height would "help ensure that visually attractive, livable communities continue to be created," said the report.

Coun. Mae Reid said the biggest concern the high walls have caused her is the safety.

"It's pretty scary up there," said Reid at a public hearing Monday.

Mayor Richard Stewart said the new high walls don't look as solid as the old ones even though they've been built to engineering standards.

"It's probably safe enough, but it doesn't look like it instills confidence," said Stewart.