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Originally Posted by Changing City
The Vancouver Sun is reporting Canada's first multi-storey warehouse in the Riverbend Business Park in south Burnaby. "Oxford Properties Group has launched a new project in Burnaby that will become Canada’s first multi-level industrial building with full transport truck access to an upper floor". It's 707,000 square feet over two levels. |
Multi-story industrial is not new. Look at the warehouse district in Winnipeg or warehouses from that are over 75 years old and you will find Multi-store common. The difference is those do not have truck access on each level. Perhaps it time to see that coming back into favor. Alternatively the city gives up some of their zoning premium if a developer building strata ground floor industrial with high rise condos or offices tower on top. That would not work for heavy industry but what we are actually talking about is warehousing or light industry.
The other area that should not be overlooked is Vancouver Island. Conventional wisdom has been that if start a business on Vancouver Island that requires industrial space at some point when you reach scale you want to relocate into Metro Vancouver to avoid the shipping premium. If the cost of industrial land in Metro Vancouver keeps going up, Vancouver Island may start to look like a better option. It is a long shot but the Port of Alberni has been complaining for a while for a container terminal. With about 1/3 the population of Vancouver the Island should not be overlooked.