Changing view from the food court

The view from the food court has seen a new addition to the skyline when looking out towards Halifax Street and Willingdon Avenue as the Aviara project at Douglas and Halifax continues along.  The current view will dramatically change as the first phase of the Brentwood Mall Redevelopment unfolds over the next 3 years.  The corner of Halifax and Willingdon where the old Bus Loop sits will be the site of the first high-rise tower (Brentwood One) that recently sold out on the first day of sales.

 2012

2014

Overnight lineup begins on eve of Brentwood One sales opening

Walking along Willingdon Ave this evening, I noticed camping tents being pitched in the parking lot at the northwest corner of the Brentwood Mall property.  Upon further observation, I noticed tents having been set up along the storefront of the presentation centre with people already beginning to line up to wait overnight to be among the first to purchase a unit in the first tower.  This is as of 8:45 pm on Friday evening.  Sales begin tomorrow at noon on Saturday June 21.

Brentwood Mall Development Public Hearing tonight

A public hearing will be held tonight at the City of Burnaby tonight at 7pm.

Related Story Below in the Metro News

December 9, 2013 Updated: December 9, 2013 | 9:22 pm 

Public to get say on Burnaby’s Brentwood Town Centre

It’s just the first phase of a mega-project to redevelop the Brentwood Mall, but Burnaby 

residents are getting ready to give city council an earful at the public hearing Tuesday 

night.

Residents who are especially concerned about the scope of the Brentwood Town Centre 

development – Shape Properties proposed towers up to 70 storeys tall – will attend the 

rezoning for the less controversial, commercial aspect of the development to urge council 

to keep it at a “human scale.”

While the towers aren’t on the agenda Tuesday, nearby residents are waiting to hear how 

the city will manage traffic in the area.

Cherie Moses, a part of a traffic calming group on Gravely Street, says it’s crucial for the 

city to address the increased traffic destined for the mall and SkyTrain station on her 

residential strip so pedestrians don’t get hurt.

The original plan didn’t address her narrow street, north of the centre, which is already so 

congested during rush hour that parked cars often get dings and scratches. While her 

group understands the redevelopment will go through at some scale, it hopes the city will 

come up with a traffic calming solution that will maintain safety despite the influx of 

thousands of residents.

“In their minds, people are going to be at these transit hubs and they’re not going to be 

driving so much – well, dream on,” Moses said. “All these places will have parking garages, 

these shoppers will have vehicles.”

Council has approved of the concept of the decades-long project, called a “crown jewel” by 

one councillor.

Public Hearing set for Oct 29

Two Brentwood area projects (by Aviara and Shape Properties) are  going to a public hearing at the City of Burnaby on October 29th.

Burnaby NewsLeader article below:

Brentwood-area projects go to public hearing Oct. 29

By Wanda Chow - Burnaby NewsLeader
Published: October 03, 2013 9:00 AM 
Updated: October 03, 2013 9:57 AM

Two major projects in the Brentwood area will go to public hearings on Oct. 29.

A 52-storey highrise apartment tower and two four-to-six-storey apartment buildings  are being proposed for 1735 and 1763 Douglas Road and 1710 Gilmore Ave. by LM Aviara Communities Ltd.

The project would include a total of 595 apartments, said a city staff report, which noted the site is large enough to accommodate up to three residential towers of about 25 storeys each.

Over at the Brentwood mall site, owner Shape Properties has applied for a rezoning to allow for improvements to the existing building's exterior, a minor expansion of the retail space and a new temporary building at the northwest corner of the site to accommodate financial institutions during the major redevelopment of the property.

The public hearing will be held at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 29 in Burnaby city hall council chambers.

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Final go-ahead for Brentwood Mall Redevelopment

The Brentwood Redevelopment has received its final clearance form the City of Burnaby to proceed.

Burnaby Now story below:

Brentwood mall redevelopment gets final stamp of approval 

Stefania Seccia / Burnaby Now
September 26, 2013 09:34 AM

Brentwood Town Centre’s conceptual master plan for redevelopment has gone from proposed to official, as council adopted the rezoning amendment at its last meeting.

On Sept. 23, Burnaby city council gave reconsideration and final adoption to the Shape Properties proposal to develop a multi-phased, mixed-use, highrise apartment and office development, with ground-oriented townhousing and street-fronting commercial uses at Brentwood mall.

As the Burnaby NOWpreviously reported, Shape Properties acquired Brentwood mall in 2010, and the first phase of development will include a public plaza and two 60-storey towers – one at the corner of Lougheed Highway and Alpha Avenue, and the other on the corner of Willingdon Avenue and Halifax Street – which would be Burnaby’s tallest highrises.

The first phase involves a massive transformation of eight acres connected to the SkyTrain at Lougheed Highway and Willingdon Avenue.

A movie theatre, interactive art installations and top-end restaurants may be part of the plaza being developed in the first phase.

The overall anticipated number of residential units is between 2,000 and 4,200 – housing about 8,400 people.

The redevelopment will be divided into four phases over the next 20 years, including 10 residential buildings, two office towers ranging from 30 to 40 storeys, a redeveloped commercial centre, a 50,000 square-foot food store and a variety of outdoor spaces.

In July, Shape Properties applied for another rezoning application to amend a zoning bylaw to permit exterior tenant improvements and a minor retail building at 4567 Lougheed Highway.

© Copyright 2013

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.

Burnaby staff report on Brentwood Redevelopment

As the Solo District site excavation has gotten under way on the southwest corner, the Brentwood Redevelopment is inching towards a definitive plan for the northeast corner of Lougheed and Willingdon.

This story (below) has been reported in the Burnaby Now.  The webpage noted in the article has a video link that provides a graphic rendering of the project.
Shape Properties Link

No changes suggested for new Brentwood plan

BY JANAYA FULLER-EVANS, BURNABY NOW OCTOBER 17, 2012

The City of Burnaby staff report on the Brentwood Town Centre conceptual master plan was presented to council at Monday night's meeting.

The report did not recommend any changes to the plan but gave a synopsis of public feedback on the project and provided answers to questions that arose during the public consultation process.

Twenty-seven delegates spoke at the public hearing on the project in August, according to the report, with 16 in favour of the project, five people expressing opposition to it, and six others voicing concerns and questions.

The city also received 91 writ-ten submissions - 66 expressed support and 25 expressed concerns, according to the report from Lou Pelletier, director of planning and building.

The Brentwood master plan would divide the 11.5-hectare site at 4515 and 4567 Lougheed Hwy. into four quadrants for development, with the first phase including two residential towers that could range in height from 45 to 70 storeys at the corner of Willingdon Avenue and Lougheed Highway.

The proposed development is divided into four phases and would include 10 residential towers - with a structure capable of accommodating one more in the future - possibly ranging in height from 20 to 70 storeys depending on the location, and two office towers ranging in height from 30 to 40 storeys. The design also includes a redeveloped commercial centre, a 50,000-square-foot food store, and a variety of public outdoor spaces.

The report provided answers to some of the questions that arose during the public hearing, with a specific focus on the height of the towers.

The range of heights is consistent with the permissible densities designated by council in the 1996 Brentwood Town Centre development plan, the report stated.

City staff worked with the developer on plans for the tall, thin towers as opposed to more shorter, bulkier towers that would obstruct views and provide less open space.

The tallest towers would be at the corner of Willingdon Avenue and Lougheed Highway, the report added, with the other towers continuing inwards on the site in a lower, terraced form.

Traffic was another prevalent issue, and the report stated that more detailed traffic impact analyses would be required as part of each site-specific rezoning application.

But more parking would be available as part of the underground parking plan, it added, and two access points would be added to the development.

Questions on school capacities, open and public spaces, transit, and other issues were also addressed in the report.

The master plan does not include a specific development proposal and construction is not moving ahead at this point, Pelletier stressed in a follow-up email to the NOW.

"At this stage, the master plan concept under consideration by council is intended to help guide future development applications," he wrote. "In future, as approved by council, specific applications would be received for each phase of development, with further detailed review and development of the concept to take place at that time."

The master plan proposal passed second reading at the council meeting.

The next step is third reading and final adoption.

The developer will next work on getting the plan to final adoption, according to Darren Kwiatkowski, executive vice-president of Shape Properties, which owns Brentwood Town Centre.

This will include meeting the city's technical requirements, he added.

"It's what's usually referred to as a prior-to list," he said.

The rezoning application for the project is different from most, as it is divided into two parts, Kwiatkowski explained.

This one is a bit unique," he said. "It's actually a two-step rezoning process. So the next step is a site-specific rezoning for phase one."

The second part of the process has very specific requirements, Kwiatkowski said, and it will likely be months before it is up for first reading.

"I expect that the site specific zoning will likely take about six months," he said. "There's a lot of detail required."

The site-specific rezoning application will also go to public hearing after it comes before council.

For more on the plan, go to www.shapeproperties.com/our-places/brent wood-town-centre.

© Copyright (c) Burnaby Now

Solo public preview

According to the Burnaby NewsLeader the public will get an opportunity to see a preview of the Solo District project this Saturday June 23 on Willingdon Ave just south of Lougheed (SOLO).  I will definitely try to make it out for the viewing.  For those that will need to drive to the site, a parking lot has been provided next to the presentation centre.

Burnaby NewsLeader - News
Solo set to transform Burnaby's Brentwood corner
By Wanda Chow - Burnaby NewsLeader
Published: June 20, 2012 1:00 PM 
Updated: June 20, 2012 3:45 PM
As a Burnaby boy, Jim Bosa has passed by the southwest corner of Lougheed Highway and Willingdon Avenue thousands of times.

"I just saw the potential of what we could have down here," said Bosa, now president of Appia Developments.

Working from an office a couple blocks away, Bosa is set to make that potential a reality with the Solo District, a four-tower community on just over six acres, set to start construction in August once final approvals are granted by city hall.

"It's an opportunity that came up," said Bosa during a NewsLeader preview of the sales centre. "We've spent six years planning and designing for this."

The company contemplated getting the project off the ground three or four years ago, but decided to wait until market conditions were right. Then a couple years ago, Burnaby city hall introduced its "s category" of density bonuses and Appia redesigned the project to take advantage of it.

The result is a complex of four towers, with a total of just under 1,400 homes. It will include offices and commercial space, including the first Whole Foods supermarket in Burnaby.

The first phase, dubbed Stratus, will be a 45-storey, 374-unit highrise, the Whole Foods and additional retail space on the northwest corner of the site, at Lougheed and Rosser Avenue.

Phase two will be a 52-storey tower on the northeast corner, comprised of 250,000 square feet of office space, additional commercial space, and a residential tower on top of it all.

The third phase will be a 39-storey highrise on the southwest corner, with 12,000 square feet of commercial, and the fourth phase, to be built when market conditions permit, will be a 43-storey structure on the southeast corner, on top of a 20,000-square-foot podium of commercial space.

In exchange for the additional density, Bosa said Appia will be providing $32 million in community amenities if all four phases go ahead—a 4,000-square-foot community space to be owned by city hall, a $2-million value to be built in phase three, and $30 million in cash to be used for amenities off site.

The condos in Stratus will have their share of sustainable features, from Modo car co-op vehicles and two years of transit passes for a certain number of units to individual gas meters for each unit, so residents pay only for what they use.

All units will have air conditioning and a geo-exchange system will be used to reduce energy costs. "We're taking advantage of the energy the whole project produces (both retail and residential) rather than just blowing it out into the atmosphere," Bosa said.

As for Stratus, it features an outdoor rooftop common area that includes a fenced-in dog park, fitness centre, gardens and barbecue area.

The units range in size from the 475-square-foot junior one-bedrooms ($229,000) to three two-level skylofts at 1,785 square feet ($1.25 million), said Dennis Serraglio, Appia's director of sales. Two bedroom units will range in size from 850 to 940 square feet and start at $379,000.

They all come with balconies that are larger than usual but typical for Appia projects, said Serraglio. The junior one-bedroom (essentially a studio suite with a pony wall creating a sleeping area) comes with about 80 square feet of balcony, which is not included in the floor area.

"People in the summer like to spend a lot of time outside," he said. "It adds to the cost to build but it enhances the unit."

And when Solo is complete, it will all complement the planned redevelopment of Brentwood Mall across Lougheed.

"[Brentwood] will be more walkable and pedestrian friendly, more of a community versus a destination mall, in and out from the parking lot," said Bosa, stressing residents will be able to walk or take SkyTrain to their shopping and entertainment, leaving their cars, if any, at home.

While sales for Stratus will not start until mid summer, after the city grants final approvals, the sales centre at the end of Sumas Street near Willingdon opens for public previews this Saturday, 12 to 5 p.m.

A community event will be held at the centre on July 14, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring free food, games, and entertainment for the whole family.

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Debate over heights; Frank Di Cesare

Another response has been written to the Burnaby NewsLeader on the issue of building heights.


Burnaby NewsLeader - Letters to the Editor
Brentwood towers will bring more prosperity
Published: January 30, 2012 10:00 AM 

Updated: January 30, 2012 10:10 AM

Re: Towers in town centres just make sense (Letters, NewsLeader, Jan. 27)

I totally agree with Miguel Reimer's letter where he describes the pros of the proposed transformation of Brentwood Town Centre.

Rick McGowan should take a deep breath and reduce his negative attitude on this issue.

With every change there are always pros and cons, but in this case the pros far outweigh the cons.

The projection for the next decade shows that the population of Burnaby will increase by thousands and thousands of people. If the projection is right where are all these people going to live? Geographically, we don't have much room to spread laterally, so the only thing to do, as Mr. Reimer points out, is go upwards.

I attended the meeting at Brentwood mall on the subject a couple of weeks ago. I looked at the project, asked a few questions, and came home with a positive outlook on the future look of our neighbourhood. The transformation will make our area an even more prestigious neighbourhood to live in. It will also increase the value of our properties.

As for the cons, let's direct our energy towards those issues with our politicians.

But, as I said before, let's not cut the apple tree because of few rotten apples!

Frank Di Cesare

Burnaby

Brentwood Mall Redevelopment Open House

Although Public Hearings on its project will not occur until mid 2012, Shape Properties has placed a Notice of Open House in the Burnaby Now and the Burnaby NewLeader to consult with the public on its proposed rezoning application to redevelop Brentwood Mall.  The Open House will take place at the food court at Brentwood Mall on Monday, January 9 from 4:00-7:00 pm.

This is a good move by Shape Properties to ensure that locals are given an opportunity to consider the ramifications of the mega project as well as receive input or new ideas in its approach to developing Brentwood Mall into an urban centre of Burnaby.  I'll definitely take the opportunity to attend the open house.  Hopefully other local residents will come out to provide feedback and to express any concerns regarding possible traffic pattern changes affecting the Brentwood Park neighbourhood located north of the mall.

For those that do not attend the open house, I will provide as much info as I am able to on this blog.
The following excerpt is from the notice in today's issue of the Burnaby Now and Burnaby NewsLeader:

The intent of the proposed rezoning is to establish development guidelines in accordance with the City of Burnaby's existing adopted Brentwood Town Centre Development Plan, which would provide a framework for guiding future detailed rezoning applications for specific phases of new development.

The Brentwood Town Centre Development Plan (the "BTCDP") designates the subject property for mixed-use redevelopment, including high and medium residential densities.  The BTCDP specifically indicates low-rise residential forms along the rear lane that separates the subject site from the abutting single and two-family dwellings.  The BTCDP also conceptually indicates tower locations toward the interior site and along Lougheed Highway & Willingdon Avenue intersection.  A primary goal of the BTCDP is to balance commercial and residential uses.  A(s) such, it designates a large portion of the site for high density commercial uses with a focus on the Lougheed Highway & Willingdon Avenue intersection. The BTCDP indicates a significant public open space component.

The proposed preliminary development concept for the property is to transform, over time, the property into an urban "town centre" environment with a focus on street-orientation and very high quality public spaces.

The open house will be held on Monday January 9, 2012 between the hours of 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm at Brentwood Town Centre Mall in the food court.  The public is invited to attend this open house to view information on the proposed development as well as provide comments.

For additional information contact Benj Nelson at nelson@shapeproperties.com or

 604-681-2358. 

Brentwood Mall 'High Street' will create nightlife

Each day as the evening approaches, the area around Bentwood Mall becomes a gloomy void as street-level human activity significantly wanes when the stores in the mall begin to wind down their operations.  With no amenities other than the disorganized chaos that is Zellers and the London Drugs at the rear of the mall opening outside regular mall hours, the place becomes quite desolate.

The Brentwood Redevelopment, if planned well to create a good balance of retail and entertainment amenities, should jolt the area out of its current pattern of falling into a sleepy lull by 8pm.  Along with the introduction of an entertainment plaza that will include restaurants and a movie theatre, the redevelopment will include a "High Street" running from the northwest to the southeast of the mall site between Willingdon and Beta Avenues, north of Lougheed Hwy.  This street will have 2 distinct sections with a "Fashion District" towards the northwest end and a "Village District" at the southeast end of the site.

The Village

According to the retail brochure from Shape Properties, 10, 000 sf of retail space will face out at street level on Lougheed Hwy and Beta Ave in the SE corner of the development.  This retail space will be situated between Beta Ave and a new entrance off of Lougheed Hwy.  Immediately above this retail space will be another 10, 000 sf of retail along with 82, 000 sf more of retail space throughout the Village at the first level.  The second level will include more than 26, 000 sf of additional retail space in the west end of the Village near the Alpha Ave entrance.  The corner of Beta and Lougheed will see a 40-story, 320-unit residential tower above the retail space there.  West of this tower will be a 50-story, 400-unit residential tower above the retail space just east of the Alpha Ave entrance.

Considering the size of the retail space envisioned in the Village, we can expect a grocery store to serve the 3000 plus new residents of the site (half of them in the Village itself) and the existing residents immediately east and north of the mall.  An IGA marketplace-type of grocery store would be a nice fit here (though nothing has been confirmed) and it may be a bit of a stretch, the recent closure of the IGA in the Montecito area near Burnaby Mountain Golf Course is fuelling my speculation.  Other amenities in the Village might include a coffee shop or two, a family restaurant, a neighbourhood pub, medical clinic, specialty bakery, a liquor store,  a dry cleaner or other service-related business.

Pedestrian access from the northeast end will be facilitated by stairs into the Village from the single family residences there.  The pedestrian access will go to/from Beta across the street from Ridgelawn Drive.  The new entrance off Lougheed will provide access to the scores of pedestrians that currently enter off Beta Ave from Brentwood Drive.  The entrance on Beta Ave will be closed to make room for retail space.

Fashion District

Although I'm not a "fashionably astute" consumer, it will be nice to see a variety of clothing and footwear choices for the odd day that I need to replenish my "wardrobe".  For me, this stretch of "High Street" will merely serve as an access to and from Brentwood Station or the entertainment area next to it...unless a Tim Horton's steeped tea gives me good reason to make a stop along this stretch.  Here's hoping.

As one walks westward towards the "Fashion District" (FD), the atmosphere should begin to take on a livelier tone with the presence of commuters going in and out of Brentwood Station/Bus Loop.  This part of the street will have shops that will tend to open later than the stores inside the mall and will certainly see a spill-off of people from the station and the entertainment plaza next to it.

The street-level entrance to the FD off of Alpha Avenue will include 6, 700 sf of retail space at the east corner  (Village) and 9, 000 sf at the west corner (Entertainment Plaza).  The first and second levels of the FD will each include over 85, 000 sf for a total of over 170, 000 sf of retail space.  Now that's a lot of clothing and shoes.

Drivability and walkability after the Brentwood Mall Redevelopment

Several of my posts have focussed on the need for improving walkability and cyclability in our neighbourhoods and my tone may appear to be anti-driving to those that would never consider walking anywhere other than to their car.  My seemingly anti-driving tone is only a product of the fact that our neighbourhoods and cities have been designed with the automobile as the centrepiece of moving people and goods over long distances with nearly no thought for other forms of movement.  Believe it or not, I am not a cycling fanatic (I have a bike but haven't ridden it for over a year) and I do own a car (in fact between my wife and I, we have 2 cars).   I have had the luxury of being able to use public transit to get to work and to walk for at least half of my shopping needs as I live near Brentwood Mall.  The convenience of having 2 cars for the busy moments of my life is still something I have been willing to spend (or waste) my money on.  My personal goal is to reduce my need for having 2 cars and eventually to having no cars as this area begins to add enough amenities to allow me to do everything within walking and cycling distance.  I digress...

Having had a chance to view the map showing the potential locations of the new car lanes, entry/exit points into the BW Mall property as well as the underground parking entries/exits in the BW Mall Redevelopment, some pedestrian and driving issues will be resolved but other potentially problematic issues may arise.  Let's start with the positives.

Positives

• The creation of a walkable outdoor strip (within the current BW Mall parking lot) lined with shops away from the noisy Lougheed Hwy will create a more calm environment for everyone to leisurely stroll around among the outdoor amenities of the new mall.  The "Fashion" and "Village" sections of the new street will be buffered from the noise of Lougheed Hwy by the placement of commercial fronts and high-rise towers along its outer length.   I know that I'm not the only one that ends up feeling a sense of urgency when I walk along a busy, noisy, high-speed street despite not having to get anywhere in a rush.  The noise of high-speed traffic is a source of unnecessary stress for pedestrians.

• In a previous post, a reader made a comment about the current chaos that occurs at the eastern exit from BW Mall, north of Beta and Lougheed and across from the Brentwood Gate complex at Beta Ave.  The nearly non-stop crossing of pedestrians at that uncontrolled intersection (instead of at Lougheed and Beta where traffic signals are in place) is a potentially dangerous situation for both pedestrians and drivers as it has become a frustrating bottleneck for drivers.  There you go... I just cited an issue that negatively affects drivers.  I speak of that location from the experience of having both walked and driven there (I don't intend to test my cycling prowess on those slopes of Beta though... anyone?). The closing of that exit and its relocation onto Lougheed Hwy will divert pedestrians coming out of Brentwood Drive down to Lougheed Hwy to cross Beta Ave.

Though calm during early mornings, this spot is a scene of constant chaos during the day as pedestrians and drivers navigate this uncontrolled intersection at Beta Ave and Brentwood Drive.

• The relocation of parking stalls underground will make the site less treacherous to the eyes of pedestrians trying to get to Brentwood Station.  I currently have to navigate through the parking lot to get to the station and am always looking over my shoulder during dark, early mornings as I have to walk in and out of car lanes.

Potential Negatives

• The envisioned plan for underground parking entry/exit points has them placed well within the mall site and would require vehicles to cross above-ground at intersections with the "Fashion" and "Village" streets where pedestrians would be crossing.  The Station Square entrance to the underground parking off Kingsborough and McKay has been a frustrating place for drivers since the day it was built.  It is always a constant bottleneck for drivers as they wait for pedestrians to intermittently cross the intersection.  The random, unstructured pace of pedestrian movement has never been compatible with the 4-way stop located at Station Square.  This situation leads to unnecessary idling as drivers are nervously lined up waiting to cross as the crowds unexpectedly appear, disappear and reappear.  A dark, rainy day or night makes it even worse.   It's no bed of roses for pedestrians either.  Solution:  Perhaps the entry into the underground parking could be placed at the outer edge at Lougheed Hwy and at Willingdon Ave from where vehicles could go directly underground via ramps.  An "emergency/service vehicles only" lane onto the "High Street could be created to meet safety and servicing needs.  The space that is opened up along the "Village" and "Fashion" streets from the removal of the intersections could be used for further enhancements or for more commercial space.

• The arrival of nearly 3000 new residents at the BW Mall and the increase in visits from surrounding areas of Metro Vancouver will end up creating more traffic woes for the residents of the single-family homes in the Brentwood Park neighbourhood.  Rat running is already becoming a problem as many drivers are becoming increasingly aggressive and rude as they cut though the neighbourhood, particularly along Brentlawn Drive between Willingdon and Delta Aves.  The BW Mall Redevelopment will only exacerbate the problem.  Solution:  Residents of the area must voice their concerns about traffic in their neighbourhood before the problem becomes worse.  Local residents must speak at the public hearings and the financial burden should fall on the developer and or City to fund traffic calming in BW Park and not on the residents as the Burnaby Local Area Services Program (LASP) currently requires.  The City might allow the developer to increase density in exchange for funding traffic calming in BW Park.  This will never happen unless enough local residents speak up at the public hearings.

Brentwood Mall Redevelopment in Burnaby NewsLeader article

The Burnaby NewsLeader just published a story regarding the Brentwood Mall Redevelopment.  I also noticed that the links I provided in the previous 3 posts to detailed maps of the project, have been removed from the Shape Properties' website.  However, images of the maps have been imbedded into the blog posts for viewing.  Below is the story in the Burnaby NewsLeader.

Burnaby NewsLeader - News

Brentwood Town Centre redevelopment plans in works

By Wanda Chow - Burnaby NewsLeader

Published: December 13, 2011 2:00 PM
Updated: December 13, 2011 2:55 PM

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

Brentwood Mall Entertainment Plaza

When most people think of Brentwood Mall, "entertainment" is not part of the image that comes to mind as it does when Metrotown is mentioned.  The only reason I go to Metrotown is either to watch a movie or to find an item that Brentwood Mall does not have (usually a book at Chapters).  The image of Brentwood Mall is about to change as Shape Properties has made public, its intention to transform the mall into an entertainment destination.  One of the key components of the redevelopment, an "Entertainment Plaza" (EP), will be situated immediately northwest of Brentwood Station.

The outdoor EP will be surrounded by entertainment-centered amenities that will include a movie theatre, restaurants and cafes.  According to the plan map released by Shape Properties, the EP will be elevated when viewed from Lougheed or Willingdon (bottom left of map below).

Click map to enlarge or

Click here for better enlargement at Shape Properties

According to the map, there will be 13 units of commercial amenities designated as part of the EP at ground level.  It doesn't end there.  A second level which will include an overhead pedestrian walkway connected to BW Station will wrap around the open plaza below with 8 more units of amenities plus a movie theatre and more amenities on a third level being part of the EP.

We can expect some big name, "cookie cutter" restaurants to take up shop in the new development,  but hopefully along with some unique restaurants and cafes to add some flavour to the mix.

This spot next to Brentwood Station at the northeast corner of Willingdon Ave and Lougheed Hwy is the site of a proposed Entertainment Plaza envisioned by Shape Properties (BW Mall owner).  The open air EP will be surrounded by a theatre and numerous new entertainment-focused amenities and should become a gathering place for many.

6 residential towers to transform Brentwood skyline

The Brentwood skyline will be significantly different come 2015/16 mainly due to the 6 residential high-rise towers slated to rise along the southern and western perimeters of the Brentwood Mall property.  According to the plan soon to be submitted for public hearing early next year, 4 of the towers will stand at 50 stories or higher.  The 2 smaller towers of 30 and 40 stories will be situated at the northwest and southeast corners.  It appears that they will sit atop commercial/retail space below.  The estimated 3000 new residents will greatly expand the local customer base for the mall and nearby businesses, and will support the arrival of new retail and entertainment amenities that will accompany the Brentwood Mall Redevelopment.

Soon gone will be the days when we are able to have some quiet time shopping and strolling around the little mall that is currently Brentwood Town Centre.  Good or bad, the arrival will bring a marked increase of pedestrian and automobile traffic to the area.  The increase in automobile traffic might be the necessary trade-off to build a complete neighbourhood where many locals are able to work live and play without getting into a car.

This view will no longer exist from this vantage as an office tower in the foreground attached to the mall and 2 residential high-rise towers along the edge of this parking lot next to Lougheed Hwy will form part of the Brentwood Mall Redevelopment.  This photo was taken from the top of the roof parking above Sears, looking south towards Metrotown in the distance.

This part of the parking lot along Lougheed Hwy will see residential towers sitting atop ground-level commercial/retail amenities.  3 residential towers will line Lougheed Hwy from this point to Beta Ave.

The other 3 residential towers will be situated along Willingdon Ave beyond the cleared area in the foreground.  This spot next to the station will be the location for what Shape Properties describes as an "entertainment plaza."  The question arises; where will the bus loop go?

Brentwood Mall Redevelopment to begin in 2013

According to Shape Properties' website, the Brentwood Redevelopment will begin in late 2012 or early 2013. The proposed development will include 6 residential towers (2 as tall as 60 stories) and a 25 story office tower above the existing mall.  Although impressive, what surprises me is that there is only 1 office tower proposed for the entire development.  Public hearings are expected in early 2012 (next month). The following update is from Shape Properties:

AN URBAN CITY CENTRE IN THE HEART OF BURNABY

This existing regional mall in Greater Vancouver was acquired by Shape in 2010 and is currently undergoing redevelopment and rezoning plans to build out an additional 1.2 million square feet of retail density.The redevelopment plan envisions a signature destination with an urban feel that will support sustainable lifestyles where people can shop, work, live and play. As a mixed-use, transit oriented city core, the new Brentwood will be a preferred shopping, leisure and entertainment destination for the region, and an attractive home for residents and businesses with the introduction of new residential and commercial office opportunities. This pedestrian friendly, indoor/outdoor retail and residential community is expected to start unfolding in the Spring of 2013.

click images to enlarge or
click this link to view at Shape Properties