[Burnaby] The Amazing Brentwood | 15 Towers | 186m | 56 flrs | U/C & Proposed

[Spr0ckets]

Originally Posted by Redtruck

It was a huge mistake letting them change their plans and get rid of the indoor section of the mall. If I were on city council, I would not have allowed this. There needs to be more pushback, or time for new city planners that are not in bed with the developers. It is mind-blowingly dumb to think an outdoor mall will work in Vancouver’s climate. That being said, Isn’t Metrotown next on the chopping block?

Last I recall from one of the presentations they made of their overall plan at the mall, the actual breakup phases of the mall would happen farther down the road in the schedule timeline, with the initial phases focused more on starting the redevelopment on the surface parking lot that's fronting the Superstore and the one adjacent to the former Bay (probably now it would also include the Bay building portion itself as well, since that went bust).

While I believe part of the reason they did it this way was to give themselves flexibility in case they changed their minds or needed to tweak the masterplan, there are other countervailing issues that are likely forcing them to have to push breaking the mall apart farther back.
Like the length of the leases of some of the big anchor tenants that run all the way into the 2040's and 2050's.
Or the prevailing question of the Bus loop relocation (...or not) on the south side. ( I get the sense that Translink is not as opposed to relocating it now as they were a few years ago).

Or it could just be as simple as, they still want the mall as a steady revenue stream for as long as possible, while all the rest of the redevelopment around it is going on, until they absolutely have to break it apart.
This way they can also see how the other mall redevelopments (particularly the ones that have gone for the open air mall concept) shake out, and then make up their minds later on.

Remember the full build-out proposed timeline for this is in the 70-80 years (from start).
So even if they went ahead with it, they likely wouldn't complete until the literal start of the 22nd century.

Suffice it to say, a lot of us likely won't be around to see it when they do get to the stage to break up the mall if they decide to go full steam ahead, unless they change their masterplan schedule.

If I had to predict, I'd say they'll end up ditching the plan to fully break up the mall at some point down the road and instead opt for a drastic facelift makeover instead that retains majority of it under weather cover while reimagining how it currently functions.

Probably closer to the Oakridge model than the Amazing Brentwood approach.

[officedweller]

Note that the above is WRT Metrotown, not Brentwood.

[VarBreStr18]

Originally Posted by Spr0ckets

Let that be a lesson to other prospective mall re-developers in the region.

The 'Open-air' mall concept simply doesn't work in this climate and locale.

There's only one Alberni and Robson streets respectively around these here parts, and you're not it.

The fact that it's this dead even in the summer with the weather as great as it is now, and when you'd expect people to want to be out and about says a lot about mall/retail culture and shopping habits here.

Down the road, you'll find the mall at Metrotown packed - with people going there to hang out and also if for no other reason, just to cool down in the mall A/C and get out from the hot weather.
Same case at Crystal Mall close by.

To be successful, there needs to be a mix of indoor and outdoor spaces. I have to say the outdoor plaza next to the fountain is very well utilized, it has the added benefit of well shaded in the afternoon. It draws crowd for a sense of community which I rarely see in other developments. A gathering place for watching soccer , dance or hanging around for coffee is just great. Even the covered plaza just outside of Sporting Life is great for rainy days. There definitely needs to have some indoor space as well, the old mall can be thoughtfully redeveloped , if Brentwood wants to live up to its name of being amazing.