Burnaby Updates

[Tetsuo]

Twin Rinks Arena going up next to Byrne Creek



Ron,

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by Tetsuo

Twin Rinks Arena going up next to Byrne Creek

Ron,

Yeah that's the kids arena that was announced over a year ago. Burnaby has 3 rinks in north Burnaby and there's too much demand.

[Tetsuo]

Originally Posted by Sheba

Yeah that's the kids arena that was announced over a year ago. Burnaby has 3 rinks in north Burnaby and there's too much demand.

It is nice to see these new city amenities going up in South Burnaby, good thing that the city doesn't seem to mind this new arena being accessible to New West residents.

Ron,

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by Tetsuo

It is nice to see these new city amenities going up in South Burnaby, good thing that the city doesn't seem to mind this new arena being accessible to New West residents.

Ron,

... or Metrotown residents.

If you want a background on Burnaby amenity building.

[officedweller]

Madison & Dawson

Sept 14th:


https://twitter.com/GBLArchitects

[phesto]

Not sure if this has been posted already, but vancouvermarket.ca has an update on the 10 acre site on the East side of Willingdon going in for rezoning. http://www.vancouvermarket.ca/2017/0...pplications-3/

The post has a link to a crude massing concept image. Looks like 4 towers 25- 50 storeys in height. http://aoyuaninternational.com/proje...ntwood-project

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by phesto

Not sure if this has been posted already, but vancouvermarket.ca has an update on the 10 acre site on the East side of Willingdon going in for rezoning. http://www.vancouvermarket.ca/2017/0...pplications-3/

The post has a link to a crude massing concept image. Looks like 4 towers 25- 50 storeys in height. http://aoyuaninternational.com/proje...ntwood-project

Thanks.

VancouverMarket.ca notes: "Most of the site will require above-ground parking due to soil conditions."


http://aoyuaninternational.com/proje...ntwood-project

[LeftCoaster]

Wow never thought that site would go that high. I wonder if the City will ask them to tone it down a bit and spread the density a bit more evenly over the site.

Still very interested to see what comes on the GM lot on the SE corner of the intersection.

[Klazu]

I am sorry, but the massing looks stupid and sparse. I don't see a problem with the tower heights, but they could easily add in a bit more density.

I agree with LeftCoaster that the car dealership lot just north of this should see towers in the range of 200-250 meters to complete Brentwood. There is also space for two towers that tall just west of Amazing Brentwood, where Petro Canada today is.

Why on Earth is Brentwood seeing so much love and literally dozens of proposals? Metrotown is seeing a lot less action in comparison *envious*.

[osirisboy]

Originally Posted by Klazu

I am sorry, but the massing looks stupid and sparse. I don't see a problem with the tower heights, but they could easily add in a bit more density.

I agree with LeftCoaster that the car dealership lot just north of this should see towers in the range of 200-250 meters to complete Brentwood. There is also space for two towers that tall just west of Amazing Brentwood, where Petro Canada today is.

Why on Earth is Brentwood seeing so much love and literally dozens of proposals? Metrotown is seeing a lot less action in comparison *envious*.

Agree and was about to post the same thing haha. It's the land of point towers. It looks ridiculous.

[ryanmaccdn]

Originally Posted by Klazu

I am sorry, but the massing looks stupid and sparse. I don't see a problem with the tower heights, but they could easily add in a bit more density.

I agree with LeftCoaster that the car dealership lot just north of this should see towers in the range of 200-250 meters to complete Brentwood. There is also space for two towers that tall just west of Amazing Brentwood, where Petro Canada today is.

Why on Earth is Brentwood seeing so much love and literally dozens of proposals? Metrotown is seeing a lot less action in comparison *envious*.

Metrotown is trash and will always be TRASH

[Tetsuo]

Originally Posted by Klazu

Why on Earth is Brentwood seeing so much love and literally dozens of proposals? Metrotown is seeing a lot less action in comparison *envious*.

Much easier to purchase rather large lots in Brentwood.

Too much assembly required in Metrotown...

Ron,

[Spr0ckets]

Originally Posted by Klazu

I am sorry, but the massing looks stupid and sparse. I don't see a problem with the tower heights, but they could easily add in a bit more density.

I agree with LeftCoaster that the car dealership lot just north of this should see towers in the range of 200-250 meters to complete Brentwood. There is also space for two towers that tall just west of Amazing Brentwood, where Petro Canada today is.

Why on Earth is Brentwood seeing so much love and literally dozens of proposals? Metrotown is seeing a lot less action in comparison *envious*.

It's easier to purchase lots and get rezoning change in Brentwood (which mostly involves getting parcels rezoned form Industrial to Residential - something that the city of Burnaby is fully for) than it is in Metrotown where most of the existing lots are SFH zoned, or low density residential (old walk-ups, teardowns and lowrises).
That means in Metrotown getting the current owners to sell at anything close to market rate (usually way over market rate) which is hard enough as is, and then trying for a rezoning with the city to high density (which is progressively harder for any lot outside the designated 'downtown' zone the farther away you get from the transit/skytrain centers).
It's also (obviously) easier to consolidate lots that are currently industrial/storage use as someone else above me observed, than it is to consolidate residential and SFH lots in the Metrotown area - especially if adjacent lot or property owners won't sell.

It has nothing to do with Metrotown being "trash" as some other misinformed "genius" above suggested, and more to do with what the current lots are zoned for and also what the city's long-term plan for the specific areas of Burnaby are.

At the end of the day the city would much rather a lot of those industrial lots in central and North Burnaby be developed into residential properties (more taxes and better/more efficient land use), so it's s no surprise that Brentwood which has a lot of industrial/commercial property is getting a lot of development action and "love".
And yet despite all that the City of Burnaby still designated Metrotown the future 'downtown' of Burnaby.
Why would they do that if it was "trash"?

(hint : taxes and revenue.)

[logan5]

Sparse looking I agree with. Putting townhouses along an 80 foot wide street is highly inappropriate imo. What those wide sections of Willingdon and Lougheed need as a counter balance are mid-rises that stretch an entire block. Or use a mid rise/tower hybrid like they are in Chinatown. Oh yeah, and use brick.

Brentwood is turning out like Mississauga, which is a bad thing.

[Tetsuo]

Originally Posted by Spr0ckets

At the end of the day the city would much rather a lot of those industrial lots in central and North Burnaby be developed into residential properties (more taxes and better/more efficient land use), so it's s no surprise that Brentwood which has a lot of industrial/commercial property is getting a lot of development action and "love".

Industry brings a lot to the tax base.

I think it's also just due to Brentwood's prime location, which felt rather wasted on simply light industrial/commercial.

Burnaby can afford to have Brentwood's and former BCER/Kingsway light industry switched to residential as Big Bend is increasingly switched from farming to industry.

Plus the city sure does love all the extra cash coming into its coffers from these developments

ron,

[Spr0ckets]

Originally Posted by Tetsuo

Industry brings a lot to the tax base.

I think it's also just due to Brentwood's prime location, which felt rather wasted on simply light industrial/commercial.

Burnaby can afford to have Brentwood's and former BCER/Kingsway light industry switched to residential as Big Bend is increasingly switched from farming to industry.

Plus the city sure does love all the extra cash coming into its coffers from these developments

ron,

It does.

But I was just speaking from the perspective of efficiency, in terms of land usage and optimisation of available area (square footage).

With few exceptions, you can only build so high (and thus max out the area) when it comes to industrial building types and usages, and most of the times you'll be faced with environmental concerns and government regulations.

And while Industry and commercial zones do come with (often times, high paying) jobs and the requisite taxes, Residential zones tend to mean residents and people, who will likely be spending their money in the area (hopefully) in the case of developments with commercial and retail amenities.

But yeah, you're right.
Brentwood's current location (along with GVA's general housing crunch at the moment) means that having Industrial there (rather than residential) basically translates to the city losing money and opportunity - despite what the current industry/commercial lots may be bringing in to the tax base.

[Spr0ckets]

Originally Posted by logan5

Sparse looking I agree with. Putting townhouses along an 80 foot wide street is highly inappropriate imo. What those wide sections of Willingdon and Lougheed need as a counter balance are mid-rises that stretch an entire block. Or use a mid rise/tower hybrid like they are in Chinatown. Oh yeah, and use brick.

Brentwood is turning out like Mississauga, which is a bad thing.

I wouldn't be surprised if those townhouses (if those are what they are) eventually end up turning into chunky podiums (6-12 storeys) like they have at the Concord Brentwood development next door, by the time this gets farther along in the development and design process.

It does looks like a waste of space and very sparse.

[sburnaby33]

Originally Posted by Klazu

I am sorry, but the massing looks stupid and sparse. I don't see a problem with the tower heights, but they could easily add in a bit more density.

I agree with LeftCoaster that the car dealership lot just north of this should see towers in the range of 200-250 meters to complete Brentwood. There is also space for two towers that tall just west of Amazing Brentwood, where Petro Canada today is.

Why on Earth is Brentwood seeing so much love and literally dozens of proposals? Metrotown is seeing a lot less action in comparison *envious*.

Agree. I think they could easily fit three more towers there. Looks very barren and sparse to me as well. Hope it will be changed once the project moves forward.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by ryanmaccdn

Metrotown is trash and will always be TRASH

Yes! Especially with Kingsway running through it. ... a contestant for the Ugliest Piece of Urban Street Award.

[jollyburger]

They started to tear down the low rise behind Metrotown for Sun Towers.