Surrey City Centre Redevelopment Plans

[paradigm4]

Originally Posted by CoryHolmes

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.

1) there are not that many stores along the road.

2) how does street parking making entering or exiting a strip mall any more difficult?

It would effectively make more efficient use of the road. When there's less traffic, why not turn the third lane into parking. It would calm the road and an enhanced perception of safety for pedestrians. We are trying to make King George be less of a thoroughfare and more of a complete street - this seems like a completely just policy. In fact, the City already has parking between 108 and 104 outside of rush hour. It should continue the whole length of the road.

[Whalleyboy]

Originally Posted by paradigm4

1) there are not that many stores along the road.

2) how does street parking making entering or exiting a strip mall any more difficult?

It would effectively make more efficient use of the road. When there's less traffic, why not turn the third lane into parking. It would calm the road and an enhanced perception of safety for pedestrians. We are trying to make King George be less of a thoroughfare and more of a complete street - this seems like a completely just policy. In fact, the City already has parking between 108 and 104 outside of rush hour. It should continue the whole length of the road.

pretty much exactly that. But also when the city starts building new building along king george it gives them place where people can park and go into the stores right of the street

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by paradigm4

1) there are not that many stores along the road.

2) how does street parking making entering or exiting a strip mall any more difficult?

It would effectively make more efficient use of the road. When there's less traffic, why not turn the third lane into parking. It would calm the road and an enhanced perception of safety for pedestrians. We are trying to make King George be less of a thoroughfare and more of a complete street - this seems like a completely just policy. In fact, the City already has parking between 108 and 104 outside of rush hour. It should continue the whole length of the road.

its harder cause you have to pull out of the strip mall parking to see if the road is clear and your car nose can get clipped - unless you are in a raised truck its pretty hard for the average car to see past teh parked cars - KGH is pretty fast travelling for the mpst part

[Whalleyboy]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

its harder cause you have to pull out of the strip mall parking to see if the road is clear and your car nose can get clipped - unless you are in a raised truck its pretty hard for the average car to see past teh parked cars - KGH is pretty fast travelling for the mpst part

its not that hard at all i do it all the time on other roads. but the biggest reason for doing something like this is really for the pedestrians to feel safer walking on king george

[paradigm4]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

its harder cause you have to pull out of the strip mall parking to see if the road is clear and your car nose can get clipped - unless you are in a raised truck its pretty hard for the average car to see past teh parked cars - KGH is pretty fast travelling for the mpst part

No its called line of sight. You obviously wouldn't have cars parked right up to the entrance-exit. There'd prob be an empty space to ensure that people could turn in and out and see the cars that are coming. This really isn't a problem. Engineers figured it out decades ago...

[SpongeG]

hey that was just a thought

i think putting parking on KGH would a be a stupid idea if there were good stores than maybe but its — street

[JMan]

Infinity Tower 3 almost topped out:



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(my photo)





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(my photo)



Retail space in podium below Infinity Towers 2 and 3:



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(my photo)


New Library progressing quickly:



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(my photo)


*I also spoke with somebody at the Ultra sales center this weekend and they said that groundbreaking is still scheduled to happen sometime this month.

[invisibleairwaves]

^Didn't know those towers were going to have street-level retail...can't wait to see what goes in!

[SpongeG]

pawn shops and produce stores maybe a dollar store too - it is surrey after all

[CoryHolmes]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

pawn shops and produce stores maybe a dollar store too - it is surrey after all

That reminds me: a while back, there was a scathing post about the living conditions inside of Infinty 1, with stories of open drunkeness, strange people being buzzed in at all hours, etc.

Has that been cleaned up at all?

[SFUVancouver]

Take a look at those tilt up concrete pieces at the top of JMan's library photos. It's a very encouraging taste of what is to come.

I sure wish Infinity toer 1 had retail at grade. That building is such a disaster in how it meets the street. They never finished the landscaping/fortress walls and the building rather elequently mirrors Best Buy's distain for the street.

Thank you for the great updates JMan!

[JMan]

Originally Posted by CoryHolmes

That reminds me: a while back, there was a scathing post about the living conditions inside of Infinty 1, with stories of open drunkeness, strange people being buzzed in at all hours, etc.

Has that been cleaned up at all?

I also heard some horror stories about living at Infinity 1 from a friend who lived there. Fighting, stabbings, vandalism, and auto theft seem to be quite common there. That tower is basically a vertical trailer park. I haven't heard about anything bad happening lately so hopefully that means they've cleaned it up a bit and gotten rid of some of the undesirable tenants.

[SFUVancouver]

^ I knew someone who lived there for a while and he commented that it was a bit dodgy at first. I don't have an opinion on the matter and it certainly seemed okay to me the time I visited. Desolate from a neighbourly urban design standpoint but fine.

[jlousa]

I have a tough time following what project is what in Surrey, I really should pay more attention. Anyways both Sky Towers are on indefinite hold, I know they were already on hold but now it's doubtful they'll see any activity for years. The owner will make a further update in 2011.

[SpongeG]

the library is starting out smaller than I imagined - how does it compare in size to the Semiahmoo Library? thats a pretty nice library too...

[theQ]

The Semiahmoo library occupies 22,000 square feet (the RCMP are also in that building occupying quite a bit of space as well).

The new library in Central City will be 75,000 square feet, but I believe some of that will be leased out until the library needs all the space. I'm not sure how much space the library will occupy to start, but it'll be much more than the Semiahmoo branch.

Taken from the library's Facebook page

City Council approves an extra $6 million
February 2, 2010
At the Feb. 1, 2010 City Council meeting, approval was given for an extra $6 million for the City Centre Library. This will allow for design and construction of an additional 10,000 square feet of space, resulting in a building of approximately 75,000 square feet. The additional space means that future expansion of the Library will be much easier.

The final determination of exactly how much of the building will be completed for Library use is still pending until the exact costing has been determined. Whatever space is not finished for immediate library use will be leased.

Council also approved the construction of one level of underground parking. Additional parking will be constructed as part of the City Centre development project.

[sryboy]

Originally Posted by awvan

I am a bit disappointed one of the earlier plans (with all the circular towers and water) didn't move forward.

I couldn't agree with you more Awvan,the original design had a futuristic look to it. Here's a pic of the The Capital Gate building being built in UAE, looks pretty familiar to the first civic rendering.




pic courtesy of http://www.plusmood.com

[BCPhil]

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.

I think a much simpler and saner sollution is available in this situation. The reason I don't want to block up King George is because it works fairly well at the moment. Unless grade separated Skytrain is extended from City Center in 360 degrees, the free flow of traffic is very important for timely bus service for many commuters to both City Center and into Vancouver.

King George through City Center doesn't need to change at all. It's the way the land is developed that matters.

There is no reason King George needs to be the "streetfront" on any building. Any new development on the West side of the street should be built to focus on the City Center. The majority of pedestrian traffic will be focused towards the City Hall/Library/Mall/Skytrain; not ugly old King George Blvd.

Ground level Retail and main entrances to residences and offices should be facing West. Pedestrian plazas and streets can be built under/beside the Skytrain Guideway with larger pedestrian spaces built on the first floor of, or between, new buildings. 135 and 134/W Whalley Ring Road should be the "focus" streets providing local access. Where the Skytrain Viaduct is will basically be downtown Surrey's "Main Street".

New buildings should give a cold shoulder to King George, with just access to the side streets and underground parking from the Blvd. You don't need to raise or lower the street physically, just raise the buildings around it. Then when new development takes place on the East side of the road, its streetfront faces E Whalley Ring Road (like a lot of the newer stores do already), and connect the 2 sides with multiple overhead walkways between retail levels instead of crossing at street level.

Why focus on King George when it makes more sense to almost ignore it. The whole area could be built around the Blvd like it's not even there and focus on the more manageable, pleasant streets.

[Gaijin Punch]

You cannot "ignore" and turn your back a major arterial road that runs through your city center. Current development is occurring on both sides of KGB, and they need to be integrated in a proper fashion. If all development is built to face away from the street, it will act as a barrier for people living or working on the east side of the street to cross over to the west side.

West Georgia towards Stanley Park is 6 lanes I believe, and isn't the most simple road to cross, however I do feel the city has done a decent job at making it somewhat pedestrian friendly with large wide sidewalks, buffered with trees and grass.

I don't have a defining idea on what to do with KGH at the moment, but there are ways to psychologically create the feeling of a more intimate space, and the parking idea on both sides of the street that was brought up earlier is definitely one way to go.

[officedweller]

King George Blvd should be the ceremonial street - like West Georgia or Burrard (with prestiguous office addresses)
- the retail high street is off to the side (like Robson Street).

Neither should be ignored - they serve different roles in the community.