New Brentwood Food Court area to open tomorrow

According to The Amazing Brentwood's Instagram post, the Food Court area will be opening tomorrow.  The opening of the Food Court space is welcome news as the Covid pandemic was the latest cause for the delayed opening.  Whether any of the food outlets will be opening tomorrow remains to be seen as no official announcement has been made. Meanwhile, the outdoor area of Brentwood is beginning to see many future store signs appear.

With the pandemic soon to be in the rearview mirror, hopefully the scene around Brentwood will be more lively and filled with people by this Fall as we head towards Christmas.

Soon Coffee opening at Amazing Brentwood

Calgary based Soon Coffee will be opening up in the Amazing Brentwood Food Court as an island coffee bar.  There is a hint in the related story below that the food court will be opening this month. 

Soon Coffee slated to open in The Amazing Brentwood

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/soon-coffee-the-amazing-brentwood#.X6SiCtglskk.link

New Food Court to open by March

According to a retailer at Brentwood Mall, the new food court will open in March 2020.  However, knowing that delays are almost a given, we shall believe it when we see it.  This may mean that the bridge connecting the old mall to Brentwood Station will be open.

Changing view from the Food Court

One of the best spots to overlook the Brentwood Mall Redevelopment is the food court.  The view has dramatically changed over the past few years.  Eventually, many of the buildings across the street and beyond from the Brentwood Mall site will disappear from view.

2010

2016

2012

2016

2016

View from Brentwood Mall Food Court

Today I noticed that the walled up section of the food court overlooking the Brentwood Mall Redevelopment has been reopened.    The view of the emerging development from the food court never gets boring.

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

View from the food court

Vantage (below) is nearing its full height as Solo District prepares to rise in front of it.  This view will be much different 2 years from now as Vantage is followed by Solo which will be followed by the Brentwood Mall Entertainment Plaza.

Koryo: A place to eat Korean food

The following April 18th story on a local Korean restaurant was in the Burnaby Now.

Koryo Korean Barbecue a Brentwood treat

Photographer Larry Wright and I had a great time a recent Sunday at Koryo Korean Barbecue. Our host Yoon was a perfect host and Emily Shen in the Koryo corporate office did a great job arranging the outing. And thanks to Jolanda Peters at Brentwood for suggesting this little jewel.

You’ll read an abridged version of this in the April 18 Burnaby NOW, but here’s the full length version, with all the pics.

By Alfie Lau

No less an authority than Jolanda Peters, Brentwood Town Centre’s marketing director, led us to Koryo Korean Barbecue.

Peters couldn’t stop raving about how fresh and tasty the food was at the Korean fusion restaurant located in the mall’s food court. She’s a regular diner there and said it was one of her favourite places, bar none.

When we visited and sat down with franchisee Dong Yoon Lee – everybody calls him Yoon – we were impressed with
the food and the friendly staff at Koryo.

Yoon immigrated to Canada in 2007 and while he holds an engineering and materials science degree, his credentials didn’t transfer over and he started looking for alternative employment.

He came across Koryo, at both the Park Royal and Brentwood locations and in January 2010, he decided to take the plunge and invest in the only Burnaby location.

Along with his staff of five, Yoon has built a loyal following by offering good-sized portions at affordable prices and in a quick manner...

To continue reading full article click the link to the Burnaby Now article  

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. 

A place to relax a bit: Brentwood Mall Food Court

With the winter weather not permitting of children playing outside for very long even on a nice dry day as was the case today, I took my kids for a stroll to Brentwood Mall to buy couple of things.  By the time we were done with the shopping and the kids hinting that they were getting thirsty, we decided to have a seat at the food court and enjoy a beverage from Orange Julius.

The best seating is located above the main entrance to the 

mall at the south end of the food court by the windows

The food court has become a favourite spot of mine to enjoy a fast food meal or drink while reading a newspaper, and the number of people at the food court on any given day indicates that it's become a favourite spot for many. Apart from the variety of food choices, a nice feature of the food court is the view of Brentwood Station and the high-rise towers sprouting up to the west of it.  Not to be overlooked when a discussion of the food court occurs, the washrooms next to the food court at Brentwood Mall were voted the best in BC.  It 's no small feat considering the fact that the rating was not limited to malls.  I must admit, the washrooms are fabulous.

The food court is a nice place to sit and look out at the ever-

evolving view that is the heart of Brentwood Town Centre.