Suburban Updates - All Other Metro Vancouver Municipalities

[vanman]

Nice find SponeG!

[Prometheus]

Great find.

Originally Posted by SpongeG

This artist’s rendering shows the Barnet Park Arts and Innovation District at the forefront. Source: Morguard Investments Ltd.

Wow. Ambititious urban vision. Something worth getting excited about. Do I count at least 72 storeys in the tall tower, surely making it the tallest concept in the entire Metro?

You know, I have been meaning to say the following for a while:

For a few years now, once the reality of Vision Vancouver's (and now, it seems, the current council's) abdication of responsible, rational and courageous big city leadership began to sink in, I started to realize that nothing truly big, bold or transformative was ever going to happen in Vancouver again, as long as the city's suffocating policy constraints currently in place remained. I knew every time I clicked on a new Vancouver downtown update, I would inevitably be met with the disappointment of another stifled promise or neutered opportunity. I began to realize that the only times I experienced a mild twinge of excitement when visiting Skycraperpage anymore was when I would see there was a new update for one of the suburban threads (i.e., Burnaby or Burquitlam, and now Coquitlam Centre).

[Flynn86]

That's a crazy looking tower. Hopefully they build it and 72 stories

[SpongeG]

Coquitlam Centre Unlimited is the name, interesting choice

http://www.coquitlamcentreunlimited.ca/

[SFUVancouver]

That's a really compelling vision for suburban mall redevelopment. Easy to see why the mall owners (Pensionfund Realty, apparently. That's a new name to me and I thought Morguard owned the mall) was eager to pony up a big chunk of the required money to make sure Lincoln Station was built with the rest of the line and not left as a 'future' project like 33rd and 57th Avenue Stations on the Canada Line.

Lincoln Station was paid for, in part, by $7M from the Federal Government, and approximately $20M from Cressey and Morguard REIT.

[Vin]

Reminds me of the Lansdowns mall re-development but unhinged when it comes to the building heights. Again can't stress enough how beautiful a skyline can get in tandem with the northshore mountains without the Viewcones. Let it come to fruition!

Originally Posted by Galaxy

I think it is safe to say the future does not live in Vancouver. The future is every municipality in metro other than Vancouver. I wonder though if we could change the name of the region if Vancouver is no longer taking the lead. Maybe we change it to Metro Burnaby and or Metro Surrey... Lol!

Oh you can say that again!

[Flynn86]

What city do people think will get the first 80 floor building? I don't think it would be Vancouver. I would hope Surrey but I would put money on Burnaby.

[David]

Growing up in the Tri-Cities, Coquitlam Centre was my old stomping grounds. I will kinda miss it! It is very exciting to see these ambitious plans though.

Coquitlam Centre and the surrounding area was carved out of bush in the late 70s, opening in 1979 anchored by The Bay, Eaton's (now Best Buy/London Drugs/Golf Town), Woodward's (became Sears), and the Woodward's Food Floor (which became Zellers/Target/Walmart).


Source: http://coquitlamites.blogspot.com/2015/04/coquitlam-centre-1981.html


Source: http://coquitlamites.blogspot.com/2015/04/coquitlam-centre-1981.html

[giallo]

A very exciting new development and downtown for the metro area. It seems like everyone that needs to be behind it, is behind it. Good for Coquitlam.

[SpongeG]

Coquitlam is also working on a plan for different village concept for the former safeway Sunwood Square and the Pine Tree shopping place that has Save-On Foods. Plus the redevelopment of the transit site. Lots going on in the coming decades.

https://www.newslight.com/the-plan-for-c...-more-ambitious-than-previously-thought/

The redevelopment of the Coquitlam Centre Mall is just the beginning of a potentially massive overhaul of the City Centre in Coquitlam. Coquitlam officials are planning for major development to occur throughout the City Centre.

According to a presentation to Coquitlam’s City Council, officials foresee, “The comprehensive redevelopment of Coquitlam Centre Mall, Sunwood Square, Pinetree Village, and the Coquitlam Central Station/TransLink bus hub as master planned high-density mixed-use villages.”

In other words, these areas would become all-encompassing developments with retail, office, and residential towers, similar to the Burnaby developments, Brentwood and Lougheed, and the recently released plans for the Coquitlam Centre Mall.

The four areas identified would be part of a proposal to turn the City Centre into a “commercial downtown core.”

The City sees these “villages” as part of a vibrant downtown. According to the City, “Each site could adopt a redevelopment theme (e.g., architecture and branding) specific to the site, which would contribute to a more visually interesting downtown, and distinguish one part of the downtown from another.”

This is all part of Metro Vancouver’s long-term plan, which has identified the City Centre as a “Regional Town Centre.”

[GMD]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

Coquitlam is also working on a plan for different village concept for the former safeway Sunwood Square and the Pine Tree shopping place that has Save-On Foods. Plus the redevelopment of the transit site. Lots going on in the coming decades.

Thanks SpongeG, that is fantastic news. Pinetree and Sunwood are really a blight, and their location is so high profile (right on Lougheed) that they help set a general (somewhat unfair) impression of Coquitlam as a suburban big box / strip mall wasteland, and there is so much wasted potential since they are right on the Skytrain / WCE. The good news is that the underlying street grid of the area is pretty good already, and with downtown Coquitlam to the North, a redeveloping Coquitlam centre to the West and Port Coquitlam (hopefully) redeveloping Poco place to the East, there is potential for these sites to fit into a real transformation of the area.

[SpongeG]

Poco is also planning to redevelop that plaza where Pier 1, Michaels and IHOP etc is. They are looking to replace it with some towers etc.

I always get confused about where the city boundary is between Poco and Coquitlam.

[GMD]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

Poco is also planning to redevelop that plaza where Pier 1, Michaels and IHOP etc is. They are looking to replace it with some towers etc.

I always get confused about where the city boundary is between Poco and Coquitlam.

Yes, that is the one I meant, it is called Poco Place. The boundary is not very consistent, but around Lougheed it follows Westwood.

[Vin]

I don't get why town centres like Metrotown and Coquitlam Centre are planning to get rid of the successful malls and turn them into street grids. Don't they realize that every successful town centre in the region is a result of a large mall? Without that anchor, these areas will revert back into urban wastelands. Just carve out a new area for the downtown grid, and leave the malls alone, and stop being a sheeple: what works for others do not necessarily work for us in the Pacific Northwest.

Originally Posted by Flynn86

What city do people think will get the first 80 floor building? I don't think it would be Vancouver. I would hope Surrey but I would put money on Burnaby.

I say we have a few of them: Plunk a couple in Metrotown and then another couple in Surrey Central. Add massive urban plazas and podiums to them while we're at it. That would jazz up the new downtowns.

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by Vin

I don't get why town centres like Metrotown and Coquitlam Centre are planning to get rid of the successful malls and turn them into street grids. Don't they realize that every successful town centre in the region is a result of a large mall? Without that anchor, these areas will revert back into urban wastelands. Just carve out a new area for the downtown grid, and leave the malls alone, and stop being a sheeple: what works for others do not necessarily work for us in the Pacific Northwest.

I say we have a few of them: Plunk a couple in Metrotown and then another couple in Surrey Central. Add massive urban plazas and podiums to them while we're at it. That would jazz up the new downtowns.

Are you saying the areas were originally successful or originally wastelands?

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by Vin

I don't get why town centres like Metrotown and Coquitlam Centre are planning to get rid of the successful malls and turn them into street grids. Don't they realize that every successful town centre in the region is a result of a large mall? Without that anchor, these areas will revert back into urban wastelands. Just carve out a new area for the downtown grid, and leave the malls alone, and stop being a sheeple: what works for others do not necessarily work for us in the Pacific Northwest.

It's the municipal governments, not the property owners.
Big distinction there.

Lansdowne and Lougheed may be exceptions, because they have not been successful in recent years,
so the property owners are likely more willing to change, especially if it is profitable for them (fish or cut bait).

[LeftCoaster]

Exactly.

It depends on how your mall is doing.

Richmond Centre or Metrotown have no intention of splitting up their successful malls despite their respective jurisdiction's planning departments creating OCPs that show that happening.

Lansdowne, Coquitlam Centre and others that are struggling are much more likely to split up their malls and revise their retail strategy.

Retail is changing rapidly and we don't need as many malls as we used to. The malls that will survive will come out even stronger but the malls that don't will be (and already are) decimated.

[retro_orange]

Originally Posted by David

Growing up in the Tri-Cities, Coquitlam Centre was my old stomping grounds. I will kinda miss it! It is very exciting to see these ambitious plans though.

Coquitlam Centre and the surrounding area was carved out of bush in the late 70s, opening in 1979 anchored by The Bay, Eaton's (now Best Buy/London Drugs/Golf Town), Woodward's (became Sears), and the Woodward's Food Floor (which became Zellers/Target/Walmart).


Source: http://coquitlamites.blogspot.com/2015/04/coquitlam-centre-1981.html


Source: http://coquitlamites.blogspot.com/2015/04/coquitlam-centre-1981.html

Yeah I lived up the hill from Coquitlam Centre when I was a kid and I could see the big globe lights around the glass awnings from my back deck. I always liked the wood ceiling in the older section, the newer section feels like it was a much cheaper build. Coquitlam and the other adjacent cities still have alot of huge open parking lots and run down strip malls to be redeveloped in the future.

[officedweller]

The peaked roof inside Coquitlam Centre is really unique among malls compared to
- space frames (Guildford, Park Royal, Lynn Valley Centre), or
- barrel vaults (Oakridge, Lougheed, Richmond Centre).
Guildford has done a really nice job of their renovation though.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by officedweller

It's the municipal governments, not the property owners.
Big distinction there.

Lansdowne and Lougheed may be exceptions, because they have not been successful in recent years,
so the property owners are likely more willing to change, especially if it is profitable for them (fish or cut bait).

Don't the municipal governments collect lots of tax money from these successful malls? Why plan to kill the golden goose?

Besides, it's a waste of resources to spend on planning the street grids when they know full well that these malls will not split up for decades to come, especially for Metrotown.

If Lougheed mall is not doing well. then why isn't City of Burnaby planning to split it up like Metrotown? I really don't get it.