Burnaby NewsLeader - News
Brentwood Town Centre redevelopment plans in works
A massive makeover is planned for the Brentwood Town Centre property, although the details are still being worked out.
That's according to Darren Kwiatkowski, executive vice-president of Shape Properties Corp., which purchased the mall in 2010.
A company brochure, ostensibly designed to attract tenants to the shopping centre, has been made public in which it states six residential towers ranging in height from 30 to 60 storeys tall are being planned.
But Kwiatkowski stressed that no details have been decided yet. Public consultations, including open houses, are set to take place in January and February.
"It's all a work in process," he said.
"Six towers is kind of what fits comfortably along the two frontages there, so that's definitely what's looked at."
The company has submitted a master plan to Burnaby city hall for rezoning approval which conforms with the city's community plans for the site, he noted. The city's long range plans call for "the transformation of that site over time into a more city-centre, urban environment, mixed-use, walkable community on the SkyTrain [line]."
The master plan rezoning application is expected to go to public hearing in March or April. If adopted by Burnaby council, rezoning approvals would be required for each phase of the project before work on each one can begin. Construction is expected to start sometime in 2013 with each phase taking up to two-and-a-half years to build. The number of phases is also yet to be determined, and will depend on market conditions over time, he said.
Of the 28-acre site, the existing mall takes up eight acres, giving Shape Properties 20 acres to work with.
Residential highrise towers would be located closer to the corner of Willingdon Avenue and Lougheed Highway by Brentwood SkyTrain station, and away from the single-family neighbourhoods at the northern end of the property, he said.
The existing mall would remain open throughout construction and in the longterm would be augmented by streetfront retail spaces. Parking would be moved mostly underground over time, to underground parkades on the southern end of the site and above-ground structures built into the slopes at the northern end.
Provision would be made for up to two office towers to be added in future due to its attractive location next to SkyTrain.
Kwiatkowski said the project could potentially use Burnaby city hall's density bonusing program to add density in exchange for providing city-owned amenities, but that also hasn't been determined yet.
"It's a balance of coming up with the right plan that provides the intended density on the site next to the SkyTrain station where the city has planned to grow, and at the same time leaving it loose enough that public plazas and streetscapes are feeling good. We don't want to lose that quality of patios in the sunshine and a great ground experience.
"The balance of residential, office and commercial all plays into that."
wchow@burnabynewsleader.com
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