Changing views

As construction continues around Brentwood, views will begin to change as new vantage points appear.

While new views appear, some will either change or disappear completely.

2011

2012

2014

2016

A place to have pizza by the slice; Uncle Fatih's Pizza

I have been waiting since the 90's for a pizza-by-the-slice place to be in the Brentwood area.  I know there used to be a Mrs Vanelli's Pizza in the mall food court, but that place has never made the cut in terms of good pizza by the slice..  It was overpriced and just wasn't very good.

Fast forward and we finally have Uncle Fatih's Pizza at the recently-opened Solo District. It's good good pizza by the slice and they also have whole pizzas to order with delivery.  It's located on the lower level of Solo District on Skyline Drive.

Shoppers Drug Mart Solo District opening March 31

With Whole Foods and the BC Liquor Store having already opened, Shoppers Drug Mart will soon follow with a March 31 opening next week.  I have also heard that Uncle Fatih's Pizza is already open as well.

A place to train: InFighting

Located in the building at the southwest corner of Lougheed Hwy and Beta Ave, InFighting arrived in the Brentwood area sometime in the Spring of 2015.  At least that is when I noticed the sign on Beta Ave.

When I told an acquaintance of mine that is thoroughly knowledgable of the martial arts scene about it, he told me that the founder of InFighting, Ritchie Yip, is a highly reputable and credible martial arts instructor.

infighting.ca

Entry to the facility is off Beta Ave and downstairs.  They also have kids classes.

Concord Pacific to build a 'second Yaletown' at Woodlands

A realty advertising post by Concord Pacific in the Georgia Straight is describing its Woodlands development at the south foot of Beta Ave as a 'second Yaletown.'  The proposed development will include 10 residential towers.

According to the advert, another grocery store is envisioned among the retail amenities that will make up part of the development.  Other amenities mentioned include a new public school and sports / recreational infrastructure.

(Georgia Straight article below)

A second Yaletown is coming to Burnaby

Concord Pacific’s expertise building large-scale communities to help complete revitalization of Brentwood neighbourhood

posted on March 15th, 2016 at 4:44 PM

Imagine living in a community with a beautiful park as your front yard the size of Yaletown’s David Lam and George Wainborn Park combined. How about a visit to your Super Club for a 30-minute cardio workout to kick start your day followed by a weekend brunch at a park-side restaurant with friends and family. Feel like hosting a dinner party at your entertainment lounge tonight? Fresh produce is just an elevator away. Let the chef in you come alive. Imagine living in this neighbourhood, and you can have access to all the above without even getting into a vehicle!

That’s the main idea behind Concord Brentwood, a master-planned community that will encompass—and transform—26 acres in Burnaby’s coveted Brentwood neighbourhood, according to Matt Meehan, senior vice-president of planning with Concord Pacific Developments Inc.

The renowned development company is known for building large-scale communities such as Concord Pacific Place in Yaletown—one of Canada’s largest urban master-planned communities, located on the former Expo lands in Vancouver’s False Creek—as well as a host of other prestigious developments in Metro Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, and London, England. Now it has its sights set on Brentwood.

“Concord Brentwood will transform an underutilized industrial area into a beautiful and diverse mixed-use park-side community that completes the exciting revitalization of the Brentwood Town Centre neighbourhood,” Meehan says.

The master-planned community, Concord’s largest in Burnaby, will sit in the heart of Brentwood, south of Lougheed Highway between Beta and Delta avenues and extending south past Dawson Street, and will be anchored by 13 acres of park and green space. Brentwood Town Centre—currently undergoing massive redevelopment into a world-class shopping, dining, and entertainment destination—and its SkyTrain station are a short walk away.

“This was planned closely with the City of Burnaby to be an extremely livable family community. It is intended to round out the current mix of development in Brentwood and provide future residents a valuable park-side alternative,” Meehan says.

The green space will be developed as “a combination of passive and sports/events programming with recreational infrastructure interlaced,” he adds, and a proposed new public school is also planned as part of the community.

The development will feature “endless amenities like Concord Pacific’s Signature Super Club and a Village Central, which will be introduced in Phase 2, consisting of a proposed new grocery store, cafés, and other service-oriented commercial retailers,” Meehan says.

Designed by award-winning architect James K.M. Cheng of Vancouver, Concord Brentwood will consist of 10 glass and concrete towers, most between 40 and 45 storeys tall. Tower 1 of Phase 1 will consist of 426 units on 45 storeys. Signature proposed exterior architectural elements include asymmetrical supporting pillars that extend approximately 11.6 metres from ground level, creating “a dynamic visual presence as well as architectural support for the tower,” says Peter Udzenija, director of corporate relations with Concord Pacific.

Tower 1’s one- to three-bedroom homes will range in size from approximately 534 square feet to 1,239 square feet. Luxurious finishings and interior features will include fully integrated Bosch appliances, engineered-quartz countertops, marble tile backsplashes in shower surrounds and bathroom flooring, and wood grain laminate finish for closet organizers, door trim, and interior suite doors.

“Most corner two- and three-bedrooms will have wraparound balconies with a unique sliding door system that seamlessly connects the indoor and outdoor space,” Udzenija says.

Common-area features will include Wi-Fi in ground-floor lobbies, amenity areas, elevators, and all parkade levels, a building-wide water filtration system, an automatic car wash, and manual car-wash bays with hot and cold water.

A central lobby concierge podium, shared between towers 1 and 2 of Phase 1, will house two levels of amenities, including a fitness centre with yoga studio, grand lounge, games room, pet grooming room, business centre, study rooms, and a music room.

Brentwood’s enviable central location, 20 minutes from downtown Vancouver, offers easy access to Trans-Canada and Lougheed highways. The Brentwood SkyTrain station on the Millennium line connects to the Expo line as well as the future Evergreen line to Port Moody and Coquitlam. The recently opened Whole Foods supermarket at the intersection of Lougheed Highway and Willingdon Avenue, Save-On-Foods at Madison Centre, and a growing array of shops, restaurants, and amenities are within a short walk, and the vibrant, multicultural Burnaby Heights neighbourhood, just up Willingdon Avenue on Hastings Street, offers charming cafés, European patisseries, local butcher shops, fresh food markets, and an acclaimed French fine dining restaurant, the Pear Tree.

Concord Brentwood Phase 1 sales are set to open this spring. The Burnaby presentation centre, located in Metrotown, is in its final construction stages and will soon open to the public. For information and to register for updates about the project, visit www.concordbrentwood.com.

This article is promoted by Concord Pacific.

Early Spring scenes around Brentwood

It was a great day for a walk around the neighbourhood today.

Amacon site excavation begins

Excavation of the site on the southwest corner of Dawson and Willingdon has begun.  The project will include a low-rise apartment complex with a street-level restaurant.   Currently, no details are available on Amacon Development's website.

2425 Beta slated for 3 towers

According to February 22 Burnaby City Council Meeting minutes (REZONING REFERENCE #15-31),  the site at 2425 Beta Ave across the street from Concord Pacific's Woodlands development will see a 3 tower and townhouse development. Density bonus funding from this development will go towards the new Brentwood Community Centre and the linear park along Willindgon Avenue between Brentlawn Drive and Hastings Street.  In addition, the developer will be required to contribute to the construction of a pedestrian/cyclist overpass connecting the south foot of Beta over the railway tracks to Still Sreek Drive.

This development will also see the eastward extension of Alaska Street to Beta Avenue allowing future residents of developments on Alpha Avenue easier access to the future Woodlands Park. Alaska Street will run along the south side of this development.  The development will see 802 apartment units and and 61 townhouse units fronting Beta Avenue and Alaska Street.

The site is situated north of the railway tracks and south of Dawson Avenue on the west side of Beta Avenue.

City of Burnaby link