Suburban Updates - All Other Metro Vancouver Municipalities

[logan5]

Originally Posted by urbancanadian

Quick map I made for context. The shapes are for the projects which I took pictures of. Also included the proposed tower I mentioned last page.

BLUE = Approved/Proposed
GREEN = Under Construction
YELLOW = Complete
PLACEMARKS = Other completed high-rises in the area.
RED STARS = Evergreen Line Stations (Lafarge Lake-Douglas and Lincoln. Coquitlam Central is just outside the pic, to the south.)

It'll be interesting to see how fast Coquitlam Centre develops now that the Evergreen Line is closing in on completion. Along with Skytrain, Coquitlam Centre also has a West Coast Express Station to attract development. No other regional centre has both these transportation options to build on.

A redevelopment of Coquitlam Centre must be in the works.

[GeeCee]

Originally Posted by logan5

A redevelopment of Coquitlam Centre must be in the works.

I don't know about that.. Coquitlam Centre is near capacity and very busy.

[logan5]

Even without Skytrain, demand for housing is pretty strong in Coquitlam Centre. There appears to be just as much development in Coquitlam Center (without Skytrain) as there is at Surrey Central, where they've had Skytrain to build around for 22 years now. Now with the Evergreen Line scheduled to be complete in early 2017, the next logical step is to develop the acres and acres of parking lots.

Coquitlam Center parking lots are huge.

Those boomerang shaped lots along Pinetree/Lougheed/Johnson look like they are lightly used, so development of those lots would leave the mall unaffected. This would be a good place to start the transformation of the mall from car friendly to pedestrian friendly.

The interior roadway that runs along those lots could slowly develop into the high street for Coquitlam Center. There's so much parking lot i fact, that you could have a 1.5 km long retail street that completely encircles the mall and could seamlessly join with the current developments just north of the mall.

Everybody else is doing it. Coquitlam Center (imo) won't be any different.

[MCsq/MooChaCha]

Originally Posted by logan5

Even without Skytrain, demand for housing is pretty strong in Coquitlam Centre. There appears to be just as much development in Coquitlam Center (without Skytrain) as there is at Surrey Central, where they've had Skytrain to build around for 22 years now. Now with the Evergreen Line scheduled to be complete in early 2017, the next logical step is to develop the acres and acres of parking lots.

Coquitlam Center parking lots are huge.

Those boomerang shaped lots along Pinetree/Lougheed/Johnson look like they are lightly used, so development of those lots would leave the mall unaffected. This would be a good place to start the transformation of the mall from car friendly to pedestrian friendly.

The interior roadway that runs along those lots could slowly develop into the high street for Coquitlam Center. There's so much parking lot i fact, that you could have a 1.5 km long retail street that completely encircles the mall and could seamlessly join with the current developments just north of the mall.

Everybody else is doing it. Coquitlam Center (imo) won't be any different.

wonder who owns Coquitlam Center?

[Sheba]

Pensionfund Realty Limited (found on the Wiki page)

[Vantage]

Originally Posted by Sheba

Pensionfund Realty Limited (found on the Wiki page)

Morguard is the parent company, they own several malls across Canada.


They also own Burquitlam plaza at Como Lake and Clarke. http://www.morguardretailleasing.com/

[Olden Retreiver]

Originally Posted by BodomReaper

I believe the Arno Matis concept towers were created for the additional density plan, which was shot-down by Port Moody city council (sigh); so they will likely never see the light of day unless Onni decides to re-apply. The rejected plan also called for a hotel in place of the 9-storey office block.

Decisions like that from Port Moody council make a pretty good case for getting amalgamated into Coquitlam.

On another note, I'm surprised Onni worked with Arno Matis. When they inherited Northwest from Wesgroup, they dropped the similarly high-end Walter Francl in favor of their usual IBI.

The way those towers are presented on the AMA website sure looks like a current proposal to me.

And Port Moody council was very right to deny the Suter Brook densification plan back in Summer 2008. There was no Evergreen Line at that time and Suter Brook is congested enough as it is with the limited access. Plus, the hotel would probably be bankrupt by now.

We're better off with the office block, although I wish it weren't so bland/ugly.

There are plenty of other sites in Port Moody to build high density residential. And if any proposal requires variance for height etc. beyond what is stated in the Official Community Plan, then it had better be excellent architecture with outstanding community amenities of neither the citizens not council will stand for it.

[BodomReaper]

Originally Posted by Olden Retreiver

The way those towers are presented on the AMA website sure looks like a current proposal to me.

And Port Moody council was very right to deny the Suter Brook densification plan back in Summer 2008. There was no Evergreen Line at that time and Suter Brook is congested enough as it is with the limited access. Plus, the hotel would probably be bankrupt by now.

We're better off with the office block, although I wish it weren't so bland/ugly.

There are plenty of other sites in Port Moody to build high density residential. And if any proposal requires variance for height etc. beyond what is stated in the Official Community Plan, then it had better be excellent architecture with outstanding community amenities of neither the citizens not council will stand for it.

Sorry but zoning the majority of land area for 4 storeys adjacent to a rapid transit station is absurd. Best case scenario is that council wasted everybody's time and money by forcing Onni to come back with a proposal at a future point in time to get an appropriate density, worst case is that the site actually gets built-out under current zoning and hundreds of households are denied the opportunity to live in a sustainable transit oriented development.

[nickinacan]

Originally Posted by logan5

Even without Skytrain, demand for housing is pretty strong in Coquitlam Centre. There appears to be just as much development in Coquitlam Center (without Skytrain) as there is at Surrey Central, where they've had Skytrain to build around for 22 years now. Now with the Evergreen Line scheduled to be complete in early 2017, the next logical step is to develop the acres and acres of parking lots.

Coquitlam Center parking lots are huge.

Those boomerang shaped lots along Pinetree/Lougheed/Johnson look like they are lightly used, so development of those lots would leave the mall unaffected. This would be a good place to start the transformation of the mall from car friendly to pedestrian friendly.

The interior roadway that runs along those lots could slowly develop into the high street for Coquitlam Center. There's so much parking lot i fact, that you could have a 1.5 km long retail street that completely encircles the mall and could seamlessly join with the current developments just north of the mall.

Everybody else is doing it. Coquitlam Center (imo) won't be any different.

Difference is that Coquitlam Centre never had an image problem to deal with like Surrey City Centre has. Not to mention that there hasn't been much demand for apartments in Surrey up until recently. Detached houses and townhouses were hot.

I still am amazed at how quickly Coquitlam Centre has gone up. I think the city has done a good job with Glen Drive and The High Street, but a horrid Job with Atlantic Avenue. It's like they completely forgot about it! Hopefully the cleared site on the south side of Atlantic will somewhat redeem it.

[Olden Retreiver]

Originally Posted by BodomReaper

Sorry but zoning the majority of land area for 4 storeys adjacent to a rapid transit station is absurd. Best case scenario is that council wasted everybody's time and money by forcing Onni to come back with a proposal at a future point in time to get an appropriate density, worst case is that the site actually gets built-out under current zoning and hundreds of households are denied the opportunity to live in a sustainable transit oriented development.

Nobody forced Onni to "come back with a proposal." The land use contract was signed to Onni's perfect satisfaction years ago.

PoMo council left them off the hook of the hotel commitment which would have been a money-loser for sure.

Don't know where your assertion that most of the TOD area is limited to 4 storeys comes from. And trust me, there will be tall towers built adjacent to transit stations in Port Moody - they will be built by the criteria I specified: good architecture with valid community amenities.

Coquitlam can aspire to be a slightly smaller version of Surrey. Port Moody will always build better and be better.

[BodomReaper]

Originally Posted by Olden Retreiver

Nobody forced Onni to "come back with a proposal." The land use contract was signed to Onni's perfect satisfaction years ago.

PoMo council left them off the hook of the hotel commitment which would have been a money-loser for sure.

Don't know where your assertion that most of the TOD area is limited to 4 storeys comes from. And trust me, there will be tall towers built adjacent to transit stations in Port Moody - they will be built by the criteria I specified: good architecture with valid community amenities.

Coquitlam can aspire to be a slightly smaller version of Surrey. Port Moody will always build better and be better.

My 'assertion' is based on the fact that the preponderance of Suter Brook's remaining parcel - a parcel adjacent to Ioco Station - is zoned for 4 storeys.

And yes, if we are to get the highest and best use from that land, Onni will be forced to return with another proposal. That is not disputable. I have no idea why a site-specific plan developed over a decade ago in different market conditions and with less certainty about rapid transit ought to be sacrosanct.

You're somehow trying to spin this as Port Moody being sophisticated relative to the rubes in Coquitlam. I see unpredictable + wasteful planning decisions like this, the former development freeze, the 26 storey height cap, and the 4 storey zoning for Heritage Mountain Village strip mall as unmitigated silliness and good ammunition for an amalgamation case.

[urbancanadian]

The Peak at Mulgrave Park, in the British Properties:


http://www.vancouvernewcondos.com/proper...-condo-living-in-the-british-properties/

Prices start at $2.5M. Expect to see more compact developments like this, relative to the past, as the next phase of sprawl continues in West Van. It's been a while since I looked into it, but IIRC the district plans more midrises compared to mega-mansions in order to protect more of the natural mountain-side landscape.

[wrenegade]

I vastly prefer this over most of the mega mansions teetering on the stilts or built on massive retaining walls. I think that proposal looks great. Shame about starting at $2.5M but I suppose that's to be expected this days.

[Olden Retreiver]

Originally Posted by BodomReaper

My 'assertion' is based on the fact that the preponderance of Suter Brook's remaining parcel - a parcel adjacent to Ioco Station - is zoned for 4 storeys.

And yes, if we are to get the highest and best use from that land, Onni will be forced to return with another proposal. That is not disputable. I have no idea why a site-specific plan developed over a decade ago in different market conditions and with less certainty about rapid transit ought to be sacrosanct.

You're somehow trying to spin this as Port Moody being sophisticated relative to the rubes in Coquitlam. I see unpredictable + wasteful planning decisions like this, the former development freeze, the 26 storey height cap, and the 4 storey zoning for Heritage Mountain Village strip mall as unmitigated silliness and good ammunition for an amalgamation case.

Aside from the NIMBYism of hypocrites who live in Newport Village, a fundamental rationale for 4 storeys at the Heritage Mountain shopping plaza was that this area is far outside the walking radius to Inlet Centre Station. Furthermore, that height limit is a situation that may yet be mitigated.

http://www.portmoody.ca/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=9074

Not quite sure how you deem a decision to be "sacrosanct" yet "unpredictable," but perhaps that same flexible reasoning allows you to hold up the new, bland 4-storey boxes barely a stones throw from Burquitlam Station as some pinnacle of high-density transit-oriented development.

[Olden Retreiver]

Coquitlam Centre is where your children and grandchildren will go to buy crack.
http://www.torontocondobubble.com/2013/03/problems-with-torontos-glass-skinned.html

[SpongeG]

http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2016/03/lougheed-town-centre-redevelopment-2/

lots of renderings at the link

The plan calls for the construction of as many as 23 residential towers, mainly on site owned by Shape Properties. The towers will be relatively tall for regional standards: Heights for the buildings could reach up to 65 storeys for four tower sites, 55 storeys for seven sites, 45 storeys for seven sites, and 35 storeys for four sites. The shortest tower will have a maximum height of 25 storeys.

[POCO]

The renderings and plans look amazing. I wonder when they are going to break ground?

I would rather live in Brentwood personally as the area needs a bit less gentrification...

[vanman]

Took some pics of the u/c Penninsula tower and surrounding Port Royal neighbourhood in Queensborough.

[BodomReaper]

Thanks for the update. Port Royal has some of the best lowrise architecture in the region - here's hoping the tower is similarly well-done.

[Klazu]

We don't see too much Richmond on this forum but there a lot going on in there! I was only driving through today, but I saw 10+ active construction sites and 15+ cranes all over Richmond Centre. It is just unfortunate that most of the projects in Richmond are very similar to each other and nothing eye-catching, but good to see them also getting their share of this crazy boom.

Just a quick shot along Alderbridge Way.