Surrey City Centre Redevelopment Plans

[Whalleyboy]

the parking is the whole underground plaza area parking which will be attached to all the preforming arts centre, city hall, and library.

on other news
April 2010 - Excavation begins
May 2010 - Excavation complete. Concrete poured for the underground parking level
June 2010 - Test concrete walls poured and approved
July 2010 - Construction well underway
March 2011 - Substantial completion of the building
May 2011 - Preparation for move in begins
July / August 2011 - Proposed ‘soft’ opening of the Library. The public will be invited to visit the new Library
September 2011 - Proposed Grand Opening for the new City Centre Library

message from the library group on facebook

[wrenegade]

Just re-read this whole thread. I had no idea things had moved so quickly on the library. I am a bit disappointed one of the earlier plans (with all the circular towers and water) didn't move forward. The current plan is still pretty good, I like the library, but I think the city hall office tower is incredibly boring and bland. Maybe that one can still be revised in the future?

I also haven't been to Whalley in 10 years (no joke), I gave myself a tour on google streetview, so much has changed already.

[go_leafs_go02]

Originally Posted by awvan

Just re-read this whole thread. I had no idea things had moved so quickly on the library. I am a bit disappointed one of the earlier plans (with all the circular towers and water) didn't move forward. The current plan is still pretty good, I like the library, but I think the city hall office tower is incredibly boring and bland. Maybe that one can still be revised in the future?

I also haven't been to Whalley in 10 years (no joke), I gave myself a tour on google streetview, so much has changed already.

I've been in Surrey for just over a year now, and I would kind of love to see these changes from beforehand. To me, it's got major potential, but major changes still need to be done to transform it into a Metrotown-like area.

I guess we'll see

I don't like having The major artery of the city running through the middle of it, carrying mainly through traffic. I had an idea to use East and West Whalley Ring Roads as major one-way arterials (SB on the West, NB on the East) to allow King George to be downgraded into a pedestrian friendly urban centre.

[Whalleyboy]

central is growth is because of king george being a main road through it. Plus having the skytrain has helped too. Surrey has also been working on using 132 and 140th to divert truck traffic around the city centre area. It just takes time theres alot to do and the growth of Surrey is unlike anything around so its hard to deal. Plus take in fact the peer size of the city its hard to put all the money in just one place.

[invisibleairwaves]

Turn King George into a viaduct and build a nice pedestrian-friendly boulevard underneath? It's crazy, but I'd like to see Surrey deal with through-traffic issues soon, so we don't end up repeating Vancouver's mistakes *cough*1st Avenue*cough*

[go_leafs_go02]

Originally Posted by invisibleairwaves

Turn King George into a viaduct and build a nice pedestrian-friendly boulevard underneath? It's crazy, but I'd like to see Surrey deal with through-traffic issues soon, so we don't end up repeating Vancouver's mistakes *cough*1st Avenue*cough*

That's what Toronto did 60 years ago with the Gardiner expressway, and they want to tear it down now due to it being unsightly.

Sounds pretty much the same as what you are proposing here.

[Whalleyboy]

I think king george will die down a bit still once SFPR is put in. If you look surrey will be really easy to get around and avoid traffic lights. Which if you look at future plans for where lights are gonna go there is alot on king george in the city centre area

[Whalleyboy]

also another thing the city should start doing for king george is during non peak hours have the whole third lane from 108 to 96ave for parking instead of keeping it running

[tybuilding]

Originally Posted by theQ

I think Whalleyboy's suggested location is the best I've seen so far. My only other suggestion would be to put it in a location that will displace the most scuzzy buildings! I like how city hall will displace an undesirable strip mall - and I'm sure that it's not by accident. If there's another area in Whalley that the city can buy up to get rid of some ugly/scuzzy/undesirable businesses, then I'd be all for that too!

But aside from that, I really like Whalleyboy's suggested location. I like how, when I take the skytrain downtown, one of the first things that I pass on my way into the downtown core is GM Place. If the stadium were built at University Drive and KGB, it'd be the same idea - people would pass a nice new stadium, then they'd enter the new downtown core...

If we were to have that I would put it on the other side of King George Highway. The suggested spot here is right over a creek, we don't cover up creeks, thats a no no. Also there are brand new townhomes in the suggested location.

[tybuilding]

Originally Posted by invisibleairwaves

Turn King George into a viaduct and build a nice pedestrian-friendly boulevard underneath? It's crazy, but I'd like to see Surrey deal with through-traffic issues soon, so we don't end up repeating Vancouver's mistakes *cough*1st Avenue*cough*

No car viaducts. I dont know of too many nice pedestrian streets under viaducts. Nice pedestrian streets usually have trees, plants, cycling and sunshine. Its not too sunny underneath a viaduct.

[Whalleyboy]

Originally Posted by tybuilding

If we were to have that I would put it on the other side of King George Highway. The suggested spot here is right over a creek, we don't cover up creeks, thats a no no. Also there are brand new townhomes in the suggested location.

the creek could be rerouted around the building since it wouldnt take up the whole site. Other side of KGB wouldnt be the best sinces it moves it further away from the skytrain station.
also Surrey has covered up many creeks over the years take quibble creek that one runs way up higher its just covered up. Also it use to run into a lake what is right around where the park place and infinity is. Theres maps out there some where showing central use to hold about three little lake areas

also whats brand new there??

[paradigm4]

Originally Posted by Whalleyboy

the creek could be rerouted around the building since it wouldnt take up the whole site. Other side of KGB wouldnt be the best sinces it moves it further away from the skytrain station.
also Surrey has covered up many creeks over the years take quibble creek that one runs way up higher its just covered up. Also it use to run into a lake what is right around where the park place and infinity is. Theres maps out there some where showing central use to hold about three little lake areas

also whats brand new there??

Theres two relatively new townhouses complexes that were built there. Most of our creeks have been preserved actually. The three in the City Centre area don't extend too much into the core - Quibble ends right at the Sky Towers lot.

[paradigm4]

Originally Posted by Whalleyboy

also another thing the city should start doing for king george is during non peak hours have the whole third lane from 108 to 96ave for parking instead of keeping it running

Now that's an idea!

[Whalleyboy]

Originally Posted by paradigm4

Theres two relatively new townhouses complexes that were built there. Most of our creeks have been preserved actually. The three in the City Centre area don't extend too much into the core - Quibble ends right at the Sky Towers lot.

actually it goes way more up. I had flooding in my old house back yard area since it went under it.

[Whalleyboy]

oh also i found out the lordco in the area by the library is being moved into guildford mall

[itinerant]

Originally Posted by tybuilding

No car viaducts. I dont know of too many nice pedestrian streets under viaducts. Nice pedestrian streets usually have trees, plants, cycling and sunshine. Its not too sunny underneath a viaduct.

Do you think the 'viaduct' for Skytrain is much better? If there is considerable volume, and you want to keep King George in the same spot, but unobtrusively, then perhaps consider digging DOWN and building parkland over it. Cut and Cover works for roadways just as well as mass transit. Expensive but worth it in the long run. Look to Seattle or Boston for examples. Seattle's freeway cuts the downtown away from Capitol Hill, but they have built Freeway Park to mitigate some of this loss. Boston's Big Dig trenched and buried the freeway that once cleaved the downtown in half, but now it is prime property for new development and civic green space.

[twoNeurons]

Originally Posted by itinerant

Do you think the 'viaduct' for Skytrain is much better?

Hmmm... a little perhaps:

Alaskan Way Viaduct ( 3 lanes, double stacked )

source: 2blowhards.com

Under SkyTrain Guideway:


source: City of Burnaby

[paradigm4]

Originally Posted by itinerant

Do you think the 'viaduct' for Skytrain is much better? If there is considerable volume, and you want to keep King George in the same spot, but unobtrusively, then perhaps consider digging DOWN and building parkland over it. Cut and Cover works for roadways just as well as mass transit. Expensive but worth it in the long run. Look to Seattle or Boston for examples. Seattle's freeway cuts the downtown away from Capitol Hill, but they have built Freeway Park to mitigate some of this loss. Boston's Big Dig trenched and buried the freeway that once cleaved the downtown in half, but now it is prime property for new development and civic green space.

Reducing traffic is a much more sane, and financially sound, policy than encouraging it through unimpeded access. King George will never get the cut-and-cover treatment so long as I'm alive.

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by twoNeurons

Hmmm... a little perhaps:

Alaskan Way Viaduct ( 3 lanes, double stacked )

source: 2blowhards.com

Under SkyTrain Guideway:


source: City of Burnaby

Interesting how the 'bad' picture of the Alaskan Way Viaduct is taken while standing in the dark under the viaduct looking out at the sunny roads with no people visible & lots of vehicles around, but the 'good' picture of the SkyTrain Guideway is taken while standing on the sunny side away from the guideway, there's hardly any shadows covering the pathway, and there's a happy family walking and biking along the path with nary a vehicle (other than the bikes) in sight.

[CoryHolmes]

Originally Posted by Whalleyboy

also another thing the city should start doing for king george is during non peak hours have the whole third lane from 108 to 96ave for parking instead of keeping it running

This is a bad idea, since there are so many stores, mall enterences, strip-malls, and restaraunts that line KGB. Making that outer lane parking-only would make getting into and out of those locations quite difficult.