Brentwood Public Plaza before and...

The site at the NE corner of Lougheed and Willingdon will look markedly different a few years from now.  If everything goes well for Shape Properties at the planning stage, excavation of the site for Phase 1 of the Brentwood Mall Redevelopment should be under way by this time next year.  How it unfolds next to Brentwood Station will be interesting to see.

 

This sketch (above) is from "Vancity Buzz"

related news articles below

Mall change

 

 

By Janaya Fuller-evans, Burnaby Now January 30, 2013

The first phase of the Brentwood Town Centre development is one step closer to coming to public hearing.

City of Burnaby staff received approval from council to work on preparing a development plan with Shape Properties for Phase I.

The architects are currently working on the development plan, but there is nothing new to report at this point, according to Darren Kwiatkowski, executive vice-president of Shape Properties, which owns Brentwood Town Centre.

The Brentwood Town Centre master conceptual plan divided 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.

Applying for the rezoning is a two-part process, Kwiatkowski told the NOW last fall. The next step is a site-specific rezoning application for phase one, he said.

This 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.

The four phases of the proposed development 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.

For more information on Brentwood Town Centre, go to www.shapeproper ties.com/our-places/brent wood-town-centre.

© Copyright (c) Burnaby Now

Brentwood developer submits first three rezoning applications

By Wanda Chow - Burnaby NewsLeader
Published: January 31, 2013 11:00 AM 
Updated: January 31, 2013 11:35 AM

Shape Properties Corp. has started the rezoning process for Phase 1 of its redevelopment of the 28-acre Brentwood Town Centre property.

On Monday, council gave approval for staff to work with the developer on more detailed plans that could be presented at the public hearing stage.

Phase 1 would be located on the northeast corner of Lougheed Highway and Willingdon Avenue, the space closest to Brentwood SkyTrain station, and consist of three rezoning applications.

Comprising about eight acres, that portion of the site is being proposed for a public plaza, commercial space, a high street connection between Halifax Street and Alpha Avenue, and underground parking. A signature building "cantilevered over the plaza area to punctuate the plaza's importance as the focal point of the development site" is also included in the first of the three applications.

The second and third applications are for two high rise residential towers between 45 and 70 storeys tall, one at Halifax Street and Willingdon, and the other at the southeast corner of the site, at Lougheed and Alpha.

wchow@burnabynewsleader.com

twitter.com/WandaChow

Best Buy/Future Shop preparing for Brentwood arrival?

The recent closure of Best Buy and Future Shop stores across Canada may be a sign that smaller is better for major retailers looking to have presence in denser, more urban areas.  For the past 25 years, big box retailers like Best Buy and Future shop have been establishing themselves in the suburbs by taking advantage of lower real estate prices and relying on consumers to drive long distances to shop there.  With the trend heading towards denser neighbourhoods, and less car use coupled with increased online shopping, big box stores (particularly electronics stores) may be attempting the shift to a smaller "boutique" format to gain a foothold in those denser, more compact neighbourhoods.

This begs the question, is Best Buy / Future Shop preparing to enter Brentwood Mall as its redevelopment begins to move forward in North Burnaby?  Currently, the only store specializing in electronics at Brentwood Mall is The Source (formerly Radio Shack).

(News story below)

One Future Shop and five Best Buy big box stores closing in B.C.

BY HOLLIE SHAW, FINANCIAL POST

Canadian retailing giants Best Buy Canada and Sears Canada announced layoffs Thursday and B.C. locations were among the hardest hit.
Five Best Buy stores in B.C. will close immediately, including the Queensborough store in New Westminster, the south Surrey location and all three stores on Vancouver Island (Nanaimo, Victoria, Langford). The Future Shop in west Kelowna was the only B.C. Future Shop to be closed.
Best Buy, Canada's biggest seller of home electronics, laid off an estimated 900 employees nationally and announced the closure of 15 big-box stores representing about 10 per cent of its square footage in this country.
Sears Canada, trying to staunch years of falling sales and profits, laid off 700 employees, about 360 at its department stores, 300 from distribution centres, and the remainder at head office and support areas.
The layoffs come as Best Buy faces pressure from online electronics retailers such as Amazon and Apple and as it follows in the step of its U.S. parent, with plans to open multiple smaller stores that are less expensive to operate, like the new North Vancouver Future Shop.
Target is also weeks away from opening the first of its 124 Canadian stores in what is shaping up to be a turbulent and competitive year for the country's retail sector.
"The retail landscape continues to change and our success is dependent upon our ability to evolve along with it," Mike Pratt, president of Best Buy Canada, told the Financial Post. "By taking a proactive approach in transforming our operations now, I have no doubt we will be in the best position to continue innovating our store experience for consumers and grow into the next decade."
Best Buy will close a total of eight Future Shop and seven Best Buy locations nationally, reducing the company workforce of 17,000 by a little under five per cent.
Over the next three years, the company will begin to open an unspecified number of smaller Future Shop web stores and Best Buy Mobile locations -- such as the North Vancouver Future Shop, which opened in October.
At 5,000 square feet, that store is less than one-fifth the size of a typical 27,000-square-foot Future Shop. It carries only 1,000 of the retailer's top-selling products, with shoppers able to order another 60,000 products through FutureShop.ca for delivery to that store, to another Future Shop or for home delivery.
Target's move north is creating a ripple effect at retailers across the country, from Walmart to Canadian Tire, and more strategic changes are ahead as consumers increasingly shop online or seek out more tailored service from small stores, according to retailing consultant Wendy Evans.
"There is going to be a restructuring and a right-sizing in retail," said Evans, president of Toronto-based Evans and Co. Consultants Inc., who has tracked the steady migration of U.S. retailers into Canada over the past three decades. "Electronics and books are on the forefront of that, with specific names and brands that you can compare anywhere and buy online. I think that fashion is next."
Before the rise of online merchandising, with its low overhead and endless array of colour and size options, big-box stores were known as "category killers," with the best available selection and the lowest prices.
"It has been quite a profligate use of space," Evans said. As the country emerged from recession, traditional enclosed shopping malls have been fighting back by remodelling and leasing increasingly large spaces to their tenants. Traditional department store Sears "also has too much space to be competitively productive, and there are other issues there," she said.
Best Buy's move comes almost a year after the company's embattled U.S. parent announced it would close 50 outlets and open 100 smaller mobile stores with a greater emphasis on smartphones, tablets, and e-readers. Sales at stores open for more than a year were flat over the nine weeks ended Jan. 5 in the U.S. -- higher than analysts expected them to be.
But the company said same-store sales fell 6.4 per cent internationally because of declines in Canada and China — two markets called out by the U.S. parent for sales declines in the first three quarters of 2012. Year-end and fourth-quarter results are due out Feb. 28.
At Sears, the layoffs come amid a tough winter for the Canadian department store chain and as the company approaches its fiscal year-end. They are "part of our initiative to right-size the organization which is working in concert with other initiatives to make Sears successful," spokesman Vincent Power said in an email.
Last winter, the retailer laid off 470 employees. Sears, which has seen its annual sales and profits fall since 2006, now has a Canadian workforce of 29,300. Sears has also exited underperforming locations, closing three stores in Vancouver, Calgary and Ottawa last year and selling the leases back to landlord Cadillac Fairview Corp. Ltd. for $170 million.
With files from Canadian Press and Gillian Shaw, Vancouver Sun

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Crows and cyclists

The Still Creek crows are getting some attention in a Province news article (below).

As the crow flies, the cyclists ride

BY THE PROVINCE, THE PROVINCE JANUARY 31, 2013

A nature and arts loving group of cyclists plan to celebrate the daily migration of thousands of crows into Burnaby.

On Saturday afternoon, a bike ride is planned to follow the migrating crows as they make their daily way to an area in the Willingdon Avenue and Still Creek Drive area of Burnaby.

The Crow Roost Twilight Bike Ride is organized by the Still Moon Arts Society.

Cyclists are being asked to meet at the Lakewood Drive Central Valley Greenway location at 4 p.m. Saturday.

Carmen Rosen, the artistic director of Still Moon Arts, said they will ride over to the Renfrew SkyTrain station to pick up other cyclists at 4:15 p.m. and then ride down to the area at Willingdon and Still Creek where the birds stay overnight.

In the past, the society has sponsored night walks through Renfrew Ravine to raise awareness of the stream rehabilitation and return of the chum salmon that is taking place in Still Creek.

Rosen said early February is prime time to see the huge flocks of crows. The numbers decrease by the end of the month once the birds nest.

“It is an amazing phenomenon,” said Rosen of the crows flying down to the area around Willingdon and Still Creek each day.

“The ride takes place just prior to their nesting season so there will be big numbers.

“This is an event for cyclist and bird enthusiasts,” she added. “This is also to raise awareness of the environment. We want to get people thinking of the environment in a creative way and how to take care of it.”

Estimates have the number of crows that fly into the Still Creek area on any given day as more than 20,000.

The activity is part of Reflecting Still Creek, a program from the Still Moon Arts Society that aims to connect people with the creek.

Wayne Goodey, a UBC zoology department lecturer whose background is bird behaviour said the crows congregate in huge numbers for a variety of reasons. Some may be looking for a mate while others are there to find food.

“They could be communicating with each other about feeding areas,” he said. ”Crows live in family groups.

“They do follow each other. It may be just a case of follow the leader.”

For more information on the event Google crow roost bike ride.

© Copyright (c) The Province

Brentwood Redevelopment Phase 1 initiated

Shape Properties has initiated its rezoning applications with the City of Burnaby for Phase 1 of the Brentwood Mall Redevelopment.  Last night, Burnaby City Council accepted the applications for review and has given the Planning Department authorization to work with Shape Properties to develop a "suitable plan of development for presentation to a Public Hearing on the understanding that a more detailed report will be submitted at a later date."

Phase 1 of the project will include the following:

• a public plaza
• 2 residential high-rise towers
• a single story commercial building
• underground parking for the towers and plaza

Phase 1 of the project will be situated at the northeast corner of Lougheed Hwy and Willingdon Ave next to Brentwood Station.

On the City of Burnaby website under Council Agendas > 2013 Agendas > 2013 January 28 under "General Information", a brief synopsis is provided describing Phase 1:

The specific intent of the subject rezoning proposal is to permit the development of the commercial component of Phase 1, the provision of the required public plaza at the corner of Willingdon Avenue and Lougheed Highway, the provision of the "High Street" connection between Halifax Street and Alpha Avenue complete with pedestrian connections to the plaza, and the development  of the underground parking and loading facilities necessary for Phase 1 commercial and residential development.

The subject application includes a signature building cantilevered over the Plaza area to punctuate the plaza's importance as the focal point of the development site.

The servicing requirements of the City include:

• The construction of Lougheed Hwy across the development frontage to its final standard with a a separated urban trail, street trees, enhanced boulevards, street lighting and pedestrian lighting;
• The construction of Willingdon Ave across the development frontage to its final standard with a a separated urban trail, street trees, enhanced boulevards, street lighting and pedestrian lighting;
• The construction of an internal road through the site connecting Halifax Street to Alpha Ave with separated sidewalks, street trees, enhanced boulevards, street lighting and pedestrian lighting;
• Construction of a Public Plaza over two levels complete with landscaping, pedestrian lighting, public art, seating, weather protection and vertical circulation;
• Construction of Public Pedestrian pathways connecting the Public Plaza to the "High Street" complete with weather protection canopies, landscaping and pedestrian lighting;
• Storm, sanitary sewer and water main upgrades as required.

 

Planning for park space

With the population the Brentwood area set to grow around Willingdon and Lougheed, the City of Burnaby is looking ahead at possible options to meet the subsequent growth in demand for park and recreational amenities.  The Burnaby NewsLeader article below has revealed 2 possible options that Burnaby is looking at.  Expansion of the Willingdon Heights Community Centre should take priority over the expansion of amenities at Confederation Park as the little community centre will be inadequate to handle the needs if the population immediately surrounding it.

Two park options for growing Brentwood

By Wanda Chow - Burnaby NewsLeader
Published: January 24, 2013 1:00 PM
Updated: January 24, 2013 1:54 PM

Burnaby's rapidly growing Brentwood town centre has over a dozen highrise towers either under construction or in the plans in addition to the several that already line Lougheed Highway.

The developments centre around Brentwood SkyTrain station, at Lougheed and Willingdon Avenue, which is key to the area's transportation plans, but what about meeting the recreation needs of the future residents?

Burnaby parks and recreation director Dave Ellenwood said the city is looking at two options for serving that population influx.

One is Willingdon Heights Park bounded by Gilmore and Carleton avenues and William Street and Douglas Road.

City hall is still trying to purchase the remaining properties on the Gilmore side of the triangular-shaped park, Ellenwood said. Once it has those parcels, the bigger footprint would allow the parks department greater flexibility in how it redevelops the park.

The second is the former site of the Willingdon Resource Centre at 250 Willingdon, next to Eileen Dailly Pool and the Confederation Seniors Centre.

A few years ago Burnaby developed a concept plan for the site, which looked at  integrating the pool with the seniors centre and possibly adding a community centre, he said. More feasibility studies will have to be done, likely over the next two to three years.

That site or the Willingdon Heights park site, or both, could be redeveloped to meet Brentwood's growth needs, he said.

As for timing, "it depends on how fast we want to serve that area and how fast that develops," as well as how soon the city can purchase the Gilmore properties and set aside the capital funding.

Similar planning work will have to be done around the Cameron Recreation Centre, since the area around Lougheed SkyTrain station is set to one day be significantly redeveloped with higher density projects, Ellenwood said.

A concept plan has also been done for Cameron looking at how it can be improved and identifying goals for the shorter term such as making more efficient and intense use of the facility.

Ellenwood noted that the property Cameron sits on is relatively large so if the city wanted to expand the rec centre that would be possible.

But that's all farther in the future compared to Bonsor Recreation Complex, which is higher up on the priority list as it's already seeing highrises under construction nearby.

"It's a longer term situation at Cameron because that area is not going to develop as fast as Metrotown."

wchow@burnabynewsleader.com

twitter.com/WandaChow

Zeller's union fighting to the end

The unionized staff at Zellers in Brentwood Mall, the only unionized Zellers in BC, has lost its bid to be recognized by the incoming Target Corp.

Meanwhile, with the upcoming closure of Zellers underway, unconfirmed rumours of Sport Chek's entry into the space being vacated by Zellers have begun to swirl.  As we already know, the Sport Mart chain that was bought out by the parent company of Sport Chek will be shutting its doors everywhere, including the Brentwood location this March.  Sport Chek tends to have a larger retail space format and, according to the rumours,  Sport Chek would occupy one of the two floors of the Zellers space with another large retailer occupying the remaining floor.

This would confirm that Target will eventually make its entry in a new section of the future Brentwood Mall Redevelopment, most likely near the Entertainment Plaza and the current Zellers location.

Burnaby Now article on the union case below:

Target's 'Project Bacon' is a go at Brentwood

BY JANAYA FULLER-EVANS, BURNABY NOW JANUARY 9, 2013

Zellers at Brentwood Centre is set to close as of March 14.

Approximately 150 store employees, members of the United Food and Commercial Workers' Union, were fighting to have the new owner, Target Canada, declared a successor to Zellers so that the U.S.-based retailer would be forced to honour the current collective agreement.

But in November, the Labour Relations Board of B.C. ruled against the union's application, stating in its ruling that Target and Zellers are two different types of department store retailers and that the U.S. company had purchased Zellers locations primarily for real estate.

"We're very upset," said Kim Novak, a communications representative for the union. "We're very sorry to see very hardworking people lose their jobs, essentially, when Target comes in in March - the store will be closing in March."

The union has started a web-based campaign at Targetfairness.ca, to garner support for Zellers employees and encourage Target to hire them at the new locations.

Target purchased 189 leases from Zellers in 2011 as part of an expansion venture code-named "Project Bacon," according to the ruling, as well as Zellers' pharmacy files, which were sold off, and the Cherokee brand name for its U.S. market.

In regards to the Brentwood location, the ruling stated there would be a hiatus, between six months and three years, before Target opens its store at Brentwood.

"Though the employees may perform similar jobs in both stores and the transaction agreement confirmed the transfer of leases, pharmacy records and the brand waiver (for Zellers' Cherokee brand), I find those are not sufficient for me to conclude there is a discernible continuity of Zellers' business," wrote Ritu Mahil, the board's vice-chair.

"The Target brand is unique and distinctive in the retail industry," Mahil stated in the ruling. "Target presented evidence of high awareness amongst Canadian consumers for the Target brand. Dr. (Stephen) Hoch (an expert witness for Target) gave evidence that there was no likelihood of consumer confusion between Zellers and Target. Dr. Hoch further stated that it is in Target's best interests to distance itself as much as possible from Zellers."

Lisa Gibson, the communications contact for Target Canada, was not available by phone Monday before press time.

The company announced in a press release last summer that 125 Zellers locations are being turned into Target locations this year, with more locations planned for early 2014 and beyond.

Each location will close for six to nine months for renovations before reopening as a Target store, the release added, and the company is spending more than $10 million to remodel the locations.

Target plans to turn the Zellers at Metropolis at Metrotown into a Target store, as well, and has been applying for city permits to change the signage there, but neither Burnaby location is on the list of stores that Target plans to open this year.

jfuller-evans@burnabynow.com

For more business news in Burnaby, see the NOW online at www.burnabynow.com.

© Copyright (c) Burnaby Now

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Sport Mart and Zellers to close in March

Sport Mart and Zellers at Brentwood Mall will both be closing their doors for good this March.  Zellers has signs that its fixtures and shelves are for sale and Sport Mart has everything discounted at 30% off its lowest price tag on all items.

With Zellers gone and Target preparing to take over the space, I wonder if the existing section that houses Zellers will be torn down and rebuilt as part of the overall expansion of the mall or if it will just be renovated.  The Sport Mart space is near the opposite end of the mall and probably likely will not factor into Phase 1 of the redevelopment.