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.

Solo District in the NewsLeader

Burnaby NewsLeader - News

TEXT  

New Brentwood-area project could start in July, include grocery store

This artist's rendering features what is currently being called the Solo District Shopping Centre, planned for the SW Corner of Willingdon Avenue at Lougheed Highway, adjacent to Brentwood Town Centre.

Colliers International leasing brochure
Buy Burnaby NewsLeader Photos Online

By Wanda Chow - Burnaby NewsLeader
Published: January 13, 2012 3:00 PM
Updated: January 13, 2012 4:10 PM

Construction on a major development at the southwest corner of Willingdon Avenue and Lougheed Highway could start as soon as July, with the first phase to include a 42,000-square-foot space for a proposed grocery store.

That's according to a brochure released by Colliers International to promote leasing of retail space in the new project, dubbed Solo.

If it receives final approvals from city hall, the development, by Jim Bosa's Appia Group, would be built on just over six acres and eventually include four residential towers totalling 1,351 units and about 260,000 square feet of office space.

The proposed first phase would comprise a 45-storey residential tower with 374 units, the proposed grocery store and an additional 10,700 square feet of retail space.

The proposed second phase, estimated to start construction in January 2013, would include a 48-storey tower with 284 housing units, a 12,500-square-foot proposed pharmacy, a 4,800-square-foot proposed bank, another 4,300 square feet of retail or restaurant space, and about 250,000 square feet of office.

The brochure estimates phase three would start construction in July 2013 on a 39-storey tower with 328 units and 12,900 square feet of retail space. Phase four would consist of a 43-storey tower with 365 units, almost 14,500 square feet of retail and 10,300 square feet of office space. That is estimated to begin building in January 2014.

When the four phases are complete, the project is proposed to have 1,968 parking stalls for residents, 445 spots for the retail users and 530 spaces for the office users.

The proposed grocery store, pharmacy, and bank would be built along the Lougheed frontage while much of the offices would front onto Willingdon.

A "high street" would be built cutting through the site, running east-west, featuring retail storefronts, pedestrian walkways and street furniture. According to a city staff report last fall, the entire project aims to be pedestrian friendly with front doors of commercial spaces opening directly to the street.

The development site, bounded by Willingdon, Lougheed, Rosser Avenue and the north lane behind Dawson Street, currently includes a car dealership, Milestone's restaurant, auto-repair shop and other light industrial properties.

An earlier proposal for the site which received second reading in 2008 comprised two highrise office buildings, three highrise apartment towers and ground-oriented commercial and retail.

Since then, Burnaby council adopted a change to the city’s zoning bylaw expanding density bonus provisions to certain zones within the four town centres of Brentwood, Metrotown, Lougheed and Edmonds.

As a result, the developer produced a new plan that takes advantage of the potential added density.

Units will range in size from 413-square-foot studios to 1,750-square-foot three-bedrooms-plus-den units. Five per cent, or 68 units, will be adaptable for persons with disabilities, said the staff report.

The developer plans to build to a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold standard, and the project now includes significant plaza and open green space.

As part of the density bonusing program, the developer will provide an amenity bonus for the first phase of more than $8.8 million. Of that, $2 million will come in the form of a 4,570-square-foot city-owned community space on-site and $6.8 million cash-in-lieu to be used for future Brentwood area amenities. Of that, $1.36 million will be designated for affordable and special needs housing projects.

Each of the four phases will require its own rezoning process.

wchow@burnabynewsleader.com

Solo District to begin construction this summer

I initially became aware of this project over a year ago when a reader pointed out skyscraperpage.com. It is a great discussion site that focuses on major high-rise developments around the world.  I occasionally use this to search for information on topics relevant to this blog.  This morning, I was able to find a promotional pamphlet at SkyscraperPage.

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?p=5548342

It appears that the massive projects at the SW and NE corners of Willingdon and Lougheed will begin to unfold simultaneously.  While the pending Brentwood Mall Redevelopment is in its consultation phase, the Solo District Project will be moving ahead.  A pamphlet by Colliers International indicates that the construction of Solo District is expected to begin in 2012 with a 42, 000 sf grocery store and a 45 story residential tower in the northwest corner of the site.  The following info is from the Colliers International site and lists the proposed phasing of the project.

(http://www.collierscanada.com/servic...5886a5f4860bb7) 

As the map below shows, the grocery store will be accompanied by a proposed pharmacy, bank, and an office tower.

The "high street" will see smaller shops facing inward (south) from Lougheed Hwy. and above-ground parking will be provided.

Brentwood Sky January 10, 2012

Though I was running late, I just had to pull out my camera for these shots on my way to the station this morning.

Brentwood Entertainment Plaza to begin construction by 2013

I had an opportunity to check out the Brentwood Mall Redevelopment Open House last night.  There was a lot of information to digest along with a variety of comments on the development.  Below is a link to the Shape Properties site with the same visuals that were set up at the Open House available for online viewing.

BMR Open House Visuals

Brentwood Mall Redevelopment to occur in phases

The project will take place in several phases over several years.  The map below shows where the phases will occur.

Entertainment Plaza completed in 3 years

Representatives of Shape Properties indicated that the Brentwood Mall Redevelopment (BMR) will begin with the Entertainment Plaza (EP) as Phase 1 of the project.  The EP will include the "Fashion District High Street" which project representatives likened to Robson Street with space for pedestrians and a road for cars to go through between Willingdon and Lougheed with parking along both sides.  Another representative made the comparison to Park Royal in West Vancouver.  The EP will be an all-weather gathering place.  It was mentioned that there would be a stage for live performances and speaking. Shape Properties hopes to get approval to move ahead with this phase by the end of this year and begin construction in 2013.  The EP is expected to take 3 years to build and will include an open plaza surrounded by buildings and overhead walkways connecting to the existing mall.

Village District

The  construction of the Village District will begin roughly 3 years after the construction of the EP, according to representatives.  Representatives mentioned the probability of a grocery store in the Village District and envision specialty stores such as a meat shop, cleaners and other service oriented businesses.  The commercial building along Beta Ave at the eastern end of the site will feature a rooftop garden.  The Village District will also feature a small square.

Big Box area

With the expansion of the mall westward in the northwest part of the site geared towards the arrival of a Target Store (a representative mentioned that the retail giant wants to open a store in Brentwood), the retail space in this section will cater to larger stores.  A representative mentioned the possibility of a "Future Shop" type of store along with some other larger retailers to complete the range of shopping options at Bentwood Mall from small to large to big box retail amenities.

Both the Village and Big Box areas would be part of Phase 2a and Phase 2b of the project.

No Bus Loop

It was mentioned that the bus loop will disappear to make room for the EP and buses will line along Lougheed Hwy between Alpha & Willingdon and along Willingdon Ave between Lougheed & Halifax.  In order to change direction, the buses will enter the mall site and move along the high street to turn around.

Bike lanes and wider sidewalks

The plan for Willingdon and Lougheed involves widened sidewalks and separated bike lanes along their lengths adjacent to the mall site.  The sidewalk will be double lined with trees and on street parking is envisioned.

No Library/Community Centres for Brentwood

Representatives of the City of Burnaby were on hand to answer questions as well.  When asked about a library or community centre, it was stated that the amenities at Confederation Park in Burnaby Heights are meant to serve the needs of all of the northwest quadrant of Burnaby which includes Brentwood.

If this is the case, the widened sidewalk and separated cycling lane along the new Brentwood Mall needs to be extended beyond the mall along Willingdon all the way to Hastings in Burnaby Heights.  This will create meaningful connectivity between Brentwood and the Heights neighbourhood.  Human powered access needs to be given an opportunity as motor access has had exclusive reign for too long.

London Drugs space to be torn down

It was mentioned that the London Drugs building at the north end of the mall will eventually be removed in the "far off future" to make room for a future lower density townhouse development which will respect the tranquility of the Brentwood Park single-family homes immediately to the north the mall.

The peak of the Brentwood Skyline

A graphic (below) showing the current skyline with an outline of the future residential towers shows that the buildings will be the tallest in the Brentwood Neighbourhood and some of the tallest in Metro Vancouver.

Traffic in Brentwood Park a concern

Many residents of Brentwood Park brought up the issue of increased traffic in the neighbourhood that will result from the BMR.  A representative mentioned that perhaps TransLink take the #134 Brentwood Stn / Lake City Stn bus off Brentlawn Drive to ease traffic.  Although the bus along Brentlawn Drive has been the bane of the existence of many residents living along the stretch between Willingdon and Delta Avenues, more than merely removing the bus from there needs to be done to deal with traffic.  Many residents are talking about traffic calming measures such as speed bumps to deter rat runners.

Notables in attendance

- Burnaby Councillor Pietro Calendino was in attendance and was active in asking Shape representatives questions about the project.

- MLA Richard Lee took some time out from his busy photo op schedule to check out the Open House as the BMR will unfold directly across the street from his office on Willingdon Ave.

Rude Rat Runner

It took only 7 days into the new year for a driver to hurl a swear word at me as they sped by at 70km per hour along Brentlawn Drive where I live.  The reason he yelled, "F*&k you!" at me was because I had yelled out, "Slow down!" as he whizzed by.  What a gem of a person he must be to think that he is too good to be told to lawfully obey the speed limit in a residential neighbourhood.  After all, who do I think I am wanting someone to drive safely at the speed limit or at least closer to it than at 70km per hour?

Speeding through Brentwood Park is going to become a bigger problem as more development occurs and the residents of the neighbourhood need to vocalize concerns about it.

Trees an issue for 2012 and beyond

The City of Burnaby will be having a public hearing in the spring of this year before visiting the issue of amending its tree bylaw which has been in place in its current form since 1996.  The tree bylaw is meant to protect Burnaby's trees from uncontrolled, rampant cutting by people hoping to create a view for their property or to remove limits imposed by trees to their monster home aspirations.  The current tree bylaw appears to be merely a minor nuisance (for tree haters) as it is difficult to enforce, and the penalties associated with illegal cutting appear to be a minor cost of doing business for developers.

The beauty of the Brentwood Park neighbourhood north of Brentwood Mall is due in part to the trees that line its streets of predominately bungalow-styled houses.  The trees are what make the streets in this neighbourhood appealing to pedestrians, particularly in the spring when the cherry trees are in full bloom.

Because the tree bylaw has been developed with good intentions, we cannot just dismiss it if it fails to do everything we need it to do.  As the example below shows, tree bylaws and programs can work.  The sapling below has joined a row of existing aging trees lining both sides of Brentlawn Drive.  The bylaw needs to have input from residents that have experienced its inadequacies.

The future Brentwood Mall Revelopment (BMR) will see its surrounding parking lots transformed into a "high street" lined with shops and trees along its length.  With many new developments, the trees that are added to new streets tend to be small saplings that, if they survive, will take many years to grow into medium-sized trees with trunks that are barely the diameter of a human's leg.  These are usually planted in place of larger, more majestic trees that were cut down to make room for the development.  The BMR will see the addition of more new trees to the area than currently exist on the mall lot.  My concern is of the large evergreen trees that currently exist on the east end of the mall property along Beta Ave towards the rear of the lot.

Some of the large evergreens east of Sears as seen from the Sears Rooftop. 

The BMR appears to envision a car parkade being built between Sears and Beta upslope towards the rear of the mall where the rooftop parking is currently located at level with the northeast Beta entrance to the rear of the mall.  This parkade will require the removal of the large evergreens located there.

The Shape Properties recent Notice of Open House states that the City of Burnaby Brentwood Town Centre Development Plan "indicates a significant public open space component" for the redevelopment.  In many high profile public spaces the presence of large evergreen trees have provided for Christmas light decorations that pedestrians have enjoyed during the festive Christmas season.  The transplanting of the large evergreens from their current perch atop the hill next to Sears to the area below dedicated to a public gathering place would make an immediate positive impact at ground level as well as for the inhabitants of the high-rises whose suites will be facing inwards towards the "high street".  The evergreen trees would make perfect Christmas trees during December and would make the mall site greener year-round.  Imagine that it's December sometime before Christmas and you are strolling along the busy "high street" at Brentwood Mall and in the distance you can see a stand of large, living, lit-up evergreens where pedestrians are gathered for various reasons ranging from waiting for friends, to sitting at a bench to enjoy a Tim Horton's tea (my personal dream) and there are tourists that are snapping pictures of friends and family with a large, real Christmas tree in the background.  The public place could have several of the large evergreens in the square dispersed throughout to create a "forest" or "grove".

Don't get me wrong, we could still use the smaller trees to line the rest of the "Village" and "Fashion" districts as well as along Lougheed and Willingdon to visually improve the area.  The cutting down of the large evergreens currently onsite would be a shameful waste of trees that took decades to reach their current heights and a missed opportunity to have "ready made" evergreens that would make an immediate positive impact in the public square.