[Burnaby] Station Square | 35,38,48,41,52 fl | Completed

[officedweller]

I think that better integration would only come if the Holiday Inn is demolished - and didn't Anthem buy it out some time ago?

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by NewfBC

As did Eaton Centre/Metropolis and Metrotown Centre in the past.

Ron.

...and there was only a small upper hallway between the two malls. Then one of them bought out the other and it become one mall. Station Square is rebuilding itself and I doubt that it's looking to be bought out.

[Tetsuo]

There is also the change in elevation between the two sites, we'd only see the two "merged" cohesively if Burnaby's fantasy comes to fruition

[fredinno]

Originally Posted by Tetsuo

There is also the change in elevation between the two sites, we'd only see the two "merged" cohesively if Burnaby's fantasy comes to fruition

The change in elevation isn't that bad. The two halves of Aberdeen Mall are probably worse in terms of potential connectivity.

[SpongeG]

they are already connected

[Klazu]

Originally Posted by officedweller

I think that better integration would only come if the Holiday Inn is demolished - and didn't Anthem buy it out some time ago?

That would be the perfect place in skyline for a 60-floor tower. One can dream...

[officedweller]

If the bus loop is redeveloped they could build an indoor passage
like they have for the MetroTowers.


https://www.google.com/maps/search/m.../data=!3m1!1e3

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by officedweller

If the bus loop is redeveloped they could build an indoor passage
like they have for the MetroTowers.

TransLink wanted to move the bus loop to around Metrotown Station and was shot down by Burnaby (the city wants to keep Beresford as a local street). Since then there have been no plans to redevelop the bus loop.

[zahav]

The Earls on Kingsway is definitely closing, April 8th is when removal of the branding starts

[Spr0ckets]

Originally Posted by Sheba

TransLink wanted to move the bus loop to around Metrotown Station and was shot down by Burnaby (the city wants to keep Beresford as a local street). Since then there have been no plans to redevelop the bus loop.

Was it really Translink that wanted to move it or Ivanhoe Cambridge (the land owners)?
Last I had heard was that they (IC) had floated the idea of having the bus loop mostly transferred to south of Central Boulevard and on Beresford so they could develop part of the land where the bus loop currently sits as a MetroTower IV.
(and possibly even expand the mall on that side.)

Obviously this was a non-starter for the city given their plans to convert Beresford into a sort of Artwalk boulevard.

There was even a little fiasco where the architects that designed the Metrotown Skytrain station update and upgrades and also did a bunch of concept proposals for the city for that Beresford stretch also (inadvertently?) let leak the design proposal showing this idea of moving the bus loop south when they published it on their website, without having any prior authorization to do so and they were forced to take it down immediately.

I gather that Ivanhoe Cambridge have never been big fans of having the bus loop located where it currently sits - despite the obvious concomitant benefit it brings them by literally bringing foot traffic of mall shoppers and customers right to their literal doorstep.
I suppose redevelopment of that patch into an office building would be a far better ROI.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by Sheba

TransLink wanted to move the bus loop to around Metrotown Station and was shot down by Burnaby (the city wants to keep Beresford as a local street). Since then there have been no plans to redevelop the bus loop.

Weird, but to carve Metropolis mall into the downtown grid in the long term OCP, wouldn't the bus loop need to be relocated anyhow? I do like the bus loop located beside the mall though, as I believe there would come a time when there are going to be a lot more buses serving the area: they can then utilize space at the current bus loop, as well as around the skytrain station.

[sumitsek]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

there was a thai palace, tim hortons, A&W, red robin, Boston Pizza, in the 90s there was a Dunkin Donuts combined with a togo subs. When the theatres were there it was a lot
busier, losing the theatres and then the cheap theatre really killed the whole place. There was also a popular karaoke place and a place where you could record a song that they would put on a CD for you.

anyone have pictures of what it used to be. I'm curious - I have been in BC for only 5 years so would be cool to se what it used to look like.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by sumitsek

anyone have pictures of what it used to be. I'm curious - I have been in BC for only 5 years so would be cool to se what it used to look like.

Googlemaps:
https://www.google.com/maps/@49.2292...7i13312!8i6656

Here you can see what it used to look like back in 2007 (no change from the 90s). If it's not showing the 2007 view, simply click to it on the top left corner. Boston Pizza is shown here. Basically it was a suburban strip mall commonly found pretty much in every suburb of North America.

[Spr0ckets]

Originally Posted by sumitsek

anyone have pictures of what it used to be. I'm curious - I have been in BC for only 5 years so would be cool to se what it used to look like.

Here are some from earlier in this thread that I had posted a while back.
None close up enough to make out all the stores, but you can get a glimpse of some of them and a feel for what it used to be like.

Originally Posted by Spr0ckets

Here's a little trip down memory lane.

So here's the Theater entrance from the old Station Square plaza...
You can see the marquee and the old signage




The lobby and box office....





One of the theater entrances. The theaters had different names; I forget what they all were...





And finally the inside of one the the theaters.
Yeah, they did NOT age well.....

[Klazu]

Busses on Beresford would never work. That street is already going to be congested by resident cars from all the new towers.

Why can't build a tall tower on top of the current bus loop and leave it there. Integrated solution would be so great.

The loop seems much less busy after 49 buses moved along Central Boulevard.

[Spr0ckets]

Well it's a moot point now.
The City of Burnaby is basically of the position that that will never ever happen.

As for building the fourth Metro office tower above or on top of the Bus loop, I can't even begin to imagine the logistical nightmare it would be to undertake such a project, while the bus loop would presumably still have to be functioning to some degree.
There's simply nowhere else in the vicinity they would be able to temporarily relocate it while major construction activities would have to be carried out - at least not within walking distance proximity of the skytrain station, which is key here.
Additionally the mall itself would be impacted since the second level of the mall partially sits on top of the bus loop and most or all of the retail units on that side would have to be closed off.

I'm not saying it's impossible, but the number of hoops they would have to jump to make it work, it seems to me, would likely end up making it financially unfeasible at the end of the day and give a very poor ROI.

And I even doubt the city would ever greenlight such and undertaking or give them a permit to proceed regardless.

A better bet for a location for the 4th tower IMO would be on top of, or replacing the above ground parkade sitting just east of the 3 current existing towers. However in that case you're impacting the loading bays serving the eastern side of the mall and anchor tenants like Walmart, T &T, and probably the entire food court.

[WBC]

Originally Posted by Spr0ckets

Well it's a moot point now.
The City of Burnaby is basically of the position that that will never ever happen.

As for building the fourth Metro office tower above or on top of the Bus loop, I can't even begin to imagine the logistical nightmare it would be to undertake such a project, while the bus loop would presumably still have to be functioning to some degree.
There's simply nowhere else in the vicinity they would be able to temporarily relocate it while major construction activities would have to be carried out - at least not within walking distance proximity of the skytrain station, which is key here.
Additionally the mall itself would be impacted since the second level of the mall partially sits on top of the bus loop and most or all of the retail units on that side would have to be closed off.

I'm not saying it's impossible, but the number of hoops they would have to jump to make it work, it seems to me, would likely end up making it financially unfeasible at the end of the day and give a very poor ROI.

And I even doubt the city would ever greenlight such and undertaking or give them a permit to proceed regardless.

A better bet for a location for the 4th tower IMO would be on top of, or replacing the above ground parkade sitting just east of the 3 current existing towers. However in that case you're impacting the loading bays serving the eastern side of the mall and anchor tenants like Walmart, T &T, and probably the entire food court.

Weren't they barely able to lease Metrotower III? It took move of the Metro Vancouver to fill the tower. I don't think there is some sort of huge demand for office space in Metrotown at least not in short to medium term...

[Spr0ckets]

Originally Posted by WBC

Weren't they barely able to lease Metrotower III? It took move of the Metro Vancouver to fill the tower. I don't think there is some sort of huge demand for office space in Metrotown at least not in short to medium term...

Well, that doesn't seem to be what the developers are seeing in the area.

A lot of the new major developments proposed or under construction around here are including a significant portion of office space for lease in their projects.

We know of Sun Towers super-chunky podium that will have almost 7 storeys of office space, and then there's Thind's 48 storey Highline tower just a couple of blocks over to the east which is also showing the possibility of 7 storeys of office space. (see below)
And then obviously you have Concord-Pacific's Sears megaproject on the other side of the mall which has an entire tower (of the planned 7 towers) that's proposed to be all or purely office space.

Clearly all these developers are seeing something in the market that maybe we aren't. They wouldn't be including that much office space in their projects if they weren't confident they'll be able to lease it out.

I believe Station Square's last two towers also have a significant amount of office space in their respective podiums as well.

A schematic side view of Thind's Highline project with a proposed 7 (L3-L10) levels of office space):-



Another view of their project that seems to corroborate that:-

[SpongeG]

With a bunch of new residents, they will need doctors, lawyers, etc. they will use up space.

[fredinno]

Originally Posted by Spr0ckets

Well, that doesn't seem to be what the developers are seeing in the area.

A lot of the new major developments proposed or under construction around here are including a significant portion of office space for lease in their projects.

We know of Sun Towers super-chunky podium that will have almost 7 storeys of office space, and then there's Thind's 48 storey Highline tower just a couple of blocks over to the east which is also showing the possibility of 7 storeys of office space. (see below)
And then obviously you have Concord-Pacific's Sears megaproject on the other side of the mall which has an entire tower (of the planned 7 towers) that's proposed to be all or purely office space.

Clearly all these developers are seeing something in the market that maybe we aren't. They wouldn't be including that much office space in their projects if they weren't confident they'll be able to lease it out.

I believe Station Square's last two towers also have a significant amount of office space in their respective podiums as well.

A schematic side view of Thind's Highline project with a proposed 7 (L3-L10) levels of office space):-



Another view of their project that seems to corroborate that:-

<Citation Needed>
I only heard about commercial space in the podiums and lower floors, not a dedicated tower. https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/sear...c-october-2017

Plus, it's Concord.

Mixed offices is different than pure offices, because mixed offices tend more to be for servicing the area (doctors, dentists) and for minor tenants. A new Metrotower-style tower is a different beast. and implies much more demand.