Burnaby Updates

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by Sheba

While I have no doubt there are areas lacking street lights (and honestly the city should mandate a minimum number of lights per block) that map isn't entirely accurate. I looked at a few areas I know and it was showing no street lights - on driveways, alleys and in parks. It also shows none on Kyle St (BCIT) and a look on google street view shows regularly spaced street lights. I'm sure I could find more areas if I looked but this should be enough to get my point across.

I think this is specifically city owned street side lights so it wouldn't include BCIT etc.

[ecbin]

Originally Posted by Lisaismyfav

Literally had to create an account just to reply to this. Have you lived in /been to Brentwood recently? My sibling lives in Kerrisdale in Vancouver and the streets there are pitch dark at night and the roads look like they haven't been repaved in a hundred years. Also if property prices are anything to go by, Brentwood is actually rising faster than anything else in the area (plus Brentwood is considered North Burnaby too).

I go to the Brentwood area at least weekly - while Brentwood is part of the North side of Burnaby I think of it as it's own area that's distinct from the Heights (north of Parker between Boundary and ~Delta).

While there are patches of darkness in Vancouver I think the satellite image posted and the raw data (44k vs 11k lights) shows that it's Burnaby that has a lighting issue. Obviously Burnaby has a much smaller population so it's unreasonable to expect it to have as many lights as Vancouver but a quarter the lights? Burnaby has good coverage on main roads (table stakes) but it's pretty bad on roads with moderate traffic.

Re: road quality - Burnaby does seem to have better road maintenance particularly for side streets than Vancouver though not as good as Richmond. It's definitely at least a B+ type of situation.

[ecbin]

Originally Posted by Sheba

While I have no doubt there are areas lacking street lights (and honestly the city should mandate a minimum number of lights per block) that map isn't entirely accurate. I looked at a few areas I know and it was showing no street lights - on driveways, alleys and in parks. It also shows none on Kyle St (BCIT) and a look on google street view shows regularly spaced street lights. I'm sure I could find more areas if I looked but this should be enough to get my point across.

Curious what the best practice is for street light density in a city like Burnaby? When I'm out at night on smaller streets I find it too widely spaced - seems like 50m+. It sometimes feels like a time machine back to my childhood days in rural Richmond (the farm side) (I exaggerate a bit).

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by ecbin

Curious what the best practice is for street light density in a city like Burnaby? When I'm out at night on smaller streets I find it too widely spaced - seems like 50m+. It sometimes feels like a time machine back to my childhood days in rural Richmond (the farm side) (I exaggerate a bit).

It's in the Engineering Design Criteria Manual. I think they said like 50m is the worst case scenario in Vancouver.

https://www.burnaby.ca/sites/default/files/acquiadam/2021-08/Engineering%20Design%20Criteria.pdf

Here's the one from Vancouver:

https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/engineering-design-manual.pdf

[vanman]

More details of Grosvenor's Brentwood project from the daily hive.

The proposal calls for about 3,400 homes, including about 2,000 market rental homes, 450 below-market rental homes with rents set at 20% below Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation median rental rates, and 900 condominium homes, plus 200,000 sq ft of office and retail space.

The UK-based international developer acquired the site in early 2020. It says this Brentwood project will be the firm’s largest mixed-use development in North America, and it also includes the tallest 100% rental housing tower in Western Canada at over 60 storeys.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/grosveno...2040-2150-alpha-avenue-burnaby?auto=true

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by vanman

More details of Grosvenor's Brentwood project from the daily hive.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/grosveno...2040-2150-alpha-avenue-burnaby?auto=true

This would explain why the Community Centre disappeared from The Amazing Brentwood:

The Civic Heart, situated near the core of the site, fronting Dawson Street to the south, would feature a new municipally owned and operated multi-level community and recreational centre. It would be a cantilevering structure to provide a canopy for an adjacent plaza space that could host community events.

The 100,000 sq ft community centre is expected to carry a construction cost of $140 million and will be fully funded by developer fees collected by the city over the years. Grosvenor will be responsible for the management of the community centre’s construction.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/grosveno...2040-2150-alpha-avenue-burnaby?auto=true

City of Burnaby proposes $140 million community centre for Brentwood
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/grosvenor-brentwood-burnaby-community-centre

[Spr0ckets]

Originally Posted by vanman

More details of Grosvenor's Brentwood project from the daily hive.


https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/grosveno...2040-2150-alpha-avenue-burnaby?auto=true

a couple of more images...

[towerseeker101]

Wow, exciting!

The civic center actually takes up quite a big chunk of the property.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/grosveno...2040-2150-alpha-avenue-burnaby?auto=true

[SpongeG]

Artistic rendering of the proposed community and recreation centre for Brentwood Town Centre at the proposed Grosvenor Brentwood redevelopment. (City of Burnaby)

[NetMapel]

Still no swimming pool? Honestly the entire GVDR needs to build more community swimming pools. They already said this is a big population centre and yet there isn’t a public pool within walking distance.

[Spr0ckets]

Originally Posted by NetMapel

Still no swimming pool? Honestly the entire GVDR needs to build more community swimming pools. They already said this is a big population centre and yet there isn’t a public pool within walking distance.

It's going to be literally a skytrain ride (a couple of stops worth) away from the newly planned and proposed Aquatic center (with public ice rinks) at Burnaby Lake and the newly acquired Fortius Facility that willbe repurposed as public recreational and sports health facilites center.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/burnaby-lake-aquatic-and-recreational-facility-ice-rink-design

Not everything can (or should) be,...'within walking distance'

[Vin]

Originally Posted by NetMapel

Still no swimming pool? Honestly the entire GVDR needs to build more community swimming pools. They already said this is a big population centre and yet there isn’t a public pool within walking distance.

Burnaby with the help of developers, is already doing a lot for the communities but agree that a public pool here is good for the community, especially since many newer condos no longer come with one. However, throughout the GVRD, there are quite a few new pools that have either been constructed, or are to be built soon. These include Richmond, New Westminster, North Vancouver, etc.

When UK-based Grosvenor is setting its sights on Brentwood for such a huge development, it means that there is tremendous confidence on the City of Burnaby. In recent years, investing in only one major Vancouver tower, versus six in Burnaby: that speaks volumes.

[FarmerHaight]

Originally Posted by Spr0ckets

Not everything can (or should) be,...'within walking distance'

It's a 40-minute walk and a 10-minute bike. Not next door by any means, but if you are desperate to avoid the Skytrain and can't manage a 10-minute bike, you probably won't be able to complete a 50-metre lap in the pool anyways.

[Spr0ckets]

Originally Posted by FarmerHaight

It's a 40-minute walk and a 10-minute bike. Not next door by any means, but if you are desperate to avoid the Skytrain and can't manage a 10-minute bike, you probably won't be able to complete a 50-metre lap in the pool anyways.

My point was, (or should have been), that since this is being built on the developer's land and ostensibly (larglely) on their dime (per construction management costs anyway etc), there's only so much program they could realistically be expected to fit within it to satisfy as much as possible of the City's baseline requirements for a Civic or community center, that I'm sure certain things probably had to be prioritized over others (considering how much they cost to build, operate and maintain, and what alternate availability exists within the vicinity).

Public pools are expensive builds and equally taxing to maintain, so much so that they would consume a lot of your construction budget and resources.
If the aim was to build an aquatic center or dedicated public pool or sports facility, that would be one thing, but since the remit was for a community center, - and also considering the availability of a public pool at Bonsor Rec. center in Metrotown (granted, older and not as big) as well as the newly planned full-service dedicated Aquatic center I pointed out above), then I can see how a pool would end up on the cuttting room floor in the planning for this one.

Everything has to be built within a budget and to satisfy the profit margin constraints of the people building it.

The fact that the City is building an Aquatic center (or refurbishing that one) close by means that it's not entirely out-of-mind that there's a need for facilities like this for the public in the area.

A 5-10 minute Skytrain ride to it may not be ideal for some people, but I'm guessing if you're using a public pool (versus a private one in your own building if you have one), then you're not exactly in a position to be picky or choosy about that sort of detail.

Or as you astutely pointed yourself, if that is too far a bike ride, then the ensuing swim itself in the pool might be even more taxing.

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by Spr0ckets

It's going to be literally a skytrain ride (a couple of stops worth) away from the newly planned and proposed Aquatic center (with public ice rinks) at Burnaby Lake and the newly acquired Fortius Facility that willbe repurposed as public recreational and sports health facilites center.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/burnaby-lake-aquatic-and-recreational-facility-ice-rink-design

Not everything can (or should) be,...'within walking distance'

Isn't that a 20 min walk from the SkyTrain stop though? Does seem odd to build it there asid from the "free land" factor.

[rofina]

That's an insane proposal considering Ayouan has something similar coming up across the street.

Brentwood will be a sight to behold in a decade.

[VarBreStr18]

Originally Posted by Spr0ckets

It's going to be literally a skytrain ride (a couple of stops worth) away from the newly planned and proposed Aquatic center (with public ice rinks) at Burnaby Lake and the newly acquired Fortius Facility that willbe repurposed as public recreational and sports health facilites center.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/burnaby-lake-aquatic-and-recreational-facility-ice-rink-design

Not everything can (or should) be,...'within walking distance'

If you get off Sperling/Burnaby lake station , you are less than 20 minutes walk to C G Brown pool. If you walk north on Willingdon linear park you are 25 minutes walk to Eileen Daily Pool. How much more convenient do you want?

[Spr0ckets]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

Isn't that a 20 min walk from the SkyTrain stop though? Does seem odd to build it there asid from the "free land" factor.

Since they're replacing the 1960's built one on the same footprint, maybe the fact that people are already used to the old CG Brown Memorial pool (which is what is being demolished and replaced) being located there was as significant a factor as not having to incur the cost of acquiring new land at a "more convenient and accessible", albeit different location, and to build a new facility from scratch.

And it's obviously behooves noting that "free land" is not exactly in and of itself an insignificant factor in any new construction discussion anywhere in Greater Vancouver, of all places.

Besides which, even if they did build a new Aquatic center in Brentwood, then that would end up being "too far" for folks from some other part of Burnaby, I'd imagine. You' can't really please everyone.

But I agree that that part of North Burnaby does need more of these kinds of community services and facilities for people not privileged to have them in their condo buildings.
New West has a new public pool facility, Metrotown has Bonsor Rec center, Edmonds has an even newer public pool at the Edmonds Community Center, Sperling and Burnaby Lake will get this new Aquatic and Rec center, so it's long overdue for this area as well, I guess.

[Spr0ckets]

Originally Posted by VarBreStr18

If you get off Sperling/Burnaby lake station , you are less than 20 minutes walk to C G Brown pool. If you walk north on Willingdon linear park you are 25 minutes walk to Eileen Daily Pool. How much more convenient do you want?

I'm not the one complaining about it.
As FarmersHaight rightly pointed out, if biking or walking that far for a swim is too much of an inconvenience or a hard task, then I'd hate to think for a 10 lap swim will do to you.

But I do agree that it's not unreasonable to hope for a public Rec. center or pool for the Brentwood area as well, especially with all these new developments coming in over the next several years.

Especially given the fact that it's probably the only one of the major Burnaby centers still lacking one as I pointed out in the previous post.

[NetMapel]

Originally Posted by VarBreStr18

If you get off Sperling/Burnaby lake station , you are less than 20 minutes walk to C G Brown pool. If you walk north on Willingdon linear park you are 25 minutes walk to Eileen Daily Pool. How much more convenient do you want?

Apology as I wasn’t clear before. My point was, why are the swimming pools being built in surrounding areas but not right near the centre of where the actual population centres are? Brentwood centre is the population centre in that area, not north to Confederate Park nor east to Sinclair Centre. Put the amenities at where the population centre is.