Bigger hole in the ground

The Brentwood Mall Redevelopment continues with McDonald's shutting down. Only the Bank of Montreal remains along that section slated for removal as part of Phase 1.

Meanwhile, activity continues in and around the future Entertainment Plaza with rows of dump trucks snaking through the development beginning as early as 7:00am this morning.

IHOP closes down

After 16 years at Brentwood Mall, IHOP has closed its doors to make way for Phase 1 of the Brentwood Mall Redevelopment.  It closed on March 23 and according to the sign, IHOP hopes to open a new location in the Brentwood area in the future.

The entire storefront from BMO to IHOP will be torn down during Phase 1.

Kin's Market and Brentwood Cleaners to be moved

Although not yet officially announced, the removal of the mall front from Bank of Montreal (BMO) to IHOP will go further inward than I previously mentioned.  The shops affected are situated within the area between the outer IHOP and inwards up to Kin's Market.  I've heard that the BMO is looking at moving it's branch into the recently vacated space that housed SportMart.  A dentist's office affected by the Brentwood Mall Redevelopment (BMR) might be looking at the empty space next to SportMart which used to house a pet store.

That is a significant amount of mall space that will be removed to accommodate Phase 1 of the BMR which will extend to the corner of Lougheed Hwy and Willingdon Ave.  As exciting as the development is, I  hope that Kin's will remain open somewhere else at the mall as more than half of my produce currently comes from there.

BMO, McDonalds and IHOP moving by 2014

I prematurely blogged last year about a plan to relocate the Bank of Montreal by the fall of 2012 to make room for the construction of the Entertainment Plaza during Phase 1 of the Brentwood Mall Redevelopment (BMR).  I've heard from the grape vine that the entire mall front from BMO to the IHOP will be torn down to make room for the new development and plans are being made to relocate the affected businesses to other locations in the mall.  Phase 1 of the BMR is expected to begin in early 2014 pending a public hearing sometime this year. Whereas the BMO's relocation in the mall shouldn't be too complicated, the same can't be said about IHOP and McDonalds.

IHOP to move

Where the IHOP restaurant will move is potentially a complicated matter.  The only existing location in the mall where a restaurant might be able to go in would be the recently vacated restaurant inside the old Zellers location on the west side of the mall.  Of course, the entrance to the old restaurant used to be from inside the Zellers.  A way around this would be to renovate and build an external entrance into where the old restaurant stood to allow IHOP to remain in business with a separate entrance into the restaurant.  The other option could be to merely close down the IHOP and not reopen either until the BMR has created a new space for it, or to close it down permanently.  I hope it remains in the mall as there sure aren't many restaurants (if any) nearby that can satisfy a sudden craving for pancakes.

McDonalds to move

The Mcdonalds will also be required to move from its current location.  The same issue as IHOP arises regarding where a suitable place might be for a McDonalds restaurant.

BMO Brentwood moving to make room for redevelopment

Businesses occupying the outer stores of Brentwood Mall will be required to move out of their current locations by October to make way for phase 1 of the Brentwood Mall Redevelopment (BMR).  Phase 1 of the BMR will involve the extension of the mall outward with the building of retail space that will front the north side of the "high street fashion district".  This extension of the mall will coincide with the Entertainment Plaza (EP) which will occupy the area immediately northwest of Brentwood Station.

The Bank of Montreal has been in that location for as long as I can remember.  I wonder where it will end up after the BMR is completed.

With the installation of turnstiles and smart card readers in the Millennium Line stations commencing this year, the BMR will certainly be coordinating its activities with TransLink when Brentwood Station undergoes its retrofits.