Millennium Line - Evergreen Extension | Completed

[Aroundtheworld]

Originally Posted by BCPhil

So, pretty much right on time for the originally planned summer opening of the Evergreen line.



I think they could have easily built Brentwood station, and the rest of the guideway through that area, on the south side of Lougheed. At the time, it was entirely parking lots (and car dealership parking lots) lining that side of the street. They bought up a lot of rights to go over property and parking lots all along Lougheed (all the other Lougheed stations are on the side of the roadway).

But I think they were looking ahead to the potential of that location. By putting the station over the roadway, it preserves the property lines so density and build form can be maximized right up to the Lougheed. You can create a urban area that has a vibrant transit focused pedestrian quality while the buildings still have access to a major road. Away from Lougheed you can bring the pedestrian space back down to the streets.

I think the area around Brentwood (from Beta to Gilmore) actually has a better potential to be Burnaby's main "Downtown". It has a more complete street grid with smaller blocks. There are a lot more office jobs close to it (in Still creek and Canada Way area) and even some light industrial and BCIT is about 5 minutes away.

Metrotown is "bigger" today because it is on the main spine of the transit network, from Surrey to Downtown. But with the Millennium line extending to Coquitlam and through central Broadway (sooner or later) and maybe to UBC, that focus could change pretty quickly. Just think of all the employment centers located on a full Millennium line compared to the Expo line.

You may be on to something with Brentwood becoming more of a 'Downtown' than Metrotown. To build on your point, I think the extension of the Millennium Line to Central Broadway and UBC will have a bigger effect than anticipated.

When you look at the Skytrain maps, it becomes clear that if the Millennium Line is extended Central Broadway will be come as accessible (if not more) to the region than Downtown Vancouver. You will be able to access Central Broadway from the west, south (Richmond) and east (North Burnaby, Coquitlam) without a transfer. Once it the line is extended, we may see Central Broadway become like Toronto's Yorkville, a hub next near downtown (it sort of is already)