Let's meet at the CCP Christmas tree

According to the following Burnaby NewsLeader article, the Entertainment Plaza next to Brentwood Station will be called the Central Civic Plaza.  Part of the plaza will include a large tree that would be lit for holidays as has been suggested before on this blog.  A farmers market may also be hosted at the CCP which would make more sense than the current location at the City of Burnaby parking lot which is not serviced by rapid transit.

The plaza will certainly be a significant meeting place as transit users, shoppers, and locals mix in the plaza for the variety of different reasons that will exist to be there.

Burnaby NewsLeader article below:

Phase 1 of Brentwood mall redevelopment takes step forward

By Wanda Chow - Burnaby NewsLeader
Published: October 29, 2013 12:00 PM

Redevelopment of Brentwood mall is a step closer to reality now that its owners has readied its rezoning application for a public hearing on Nov. 26.

With Burnaby council granting final approvals in September to the conceptual master plan for the 28-acre site, a development plan for the first phase of the project has been completed for the southwest corner of the site.

Shape Properties Corp. is proposing a new externally-oriented commercial centre, a public plaza and high street.

"At its heart is a new multi-level Central Civic Plaza, which seamlessly engages and connects transit passengers, pedestrians and cyclists along Lougheed Highway and Willingdon Avenue to the Brentwood SkyTrain Station, commercial retail and restaurant services and future office and residential uses on-site," said a city staff report.

The plaza will include outdoor seating, landscaping and a central fountain surrounding a large tree which could be lit for holidays or special events. The intent is that the space would host city-hall-supported events such as farmers markets, environmental events and large public gatherings, the report said.

All parking, except for surface parallel parking spots along the high street, will be underground and accessed by ramps adjacent to the Halifax Street and Alpha Avenue entrances. The amount of parking exceeds the requirement for retail and any extra commercial parking could be made available for residential use, it said.

A secondary entrance and exit point is proposed on Lougheed between Alpha and Beta avenues, mainly to serve underground loading requirements for the site, keeping loading separate from busier entrances off Alpha and Halifax.

A detailed traffic and transportation study for Phase 1 was submitted which noted "that the proposed access, road and intersection improvements to be completed

along Lougheed Highway and Willingdon Avenue as part of the necessary site servicing, concomitant with the required on-site Transportation Demand Management measures, will mitigate traffic generated by the proposed development with an anticipation that no substantial impacts to area traffic will result from the site's proposed development."

Also helping substantially to provide more transportation options to residents, employees and customers of the project will be the addition of a new intersection at Alpha and Lougheed, a new road connection between Alpha and Halifax, and improved transit access and bicycle and pedestrian facilities.

The public hearing will be held Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. in Burnaby city hall council chambers.

wchow@burnabynewsleader.com

twitter.com/WandaChow