[Burnaby] Concord Metrotown (Former Sears site) | 65,45,33 fl | 230.1m | U/C

[logan5]

Lazily reading things tonight. I think I got it. The office tower is labeled "Tower 8", which isn't even a part of phase 1, 2a, or 2b, so that office tower must be way down the road.

[Spr0ckets]

Originally Posted by logan5

Lazily reading things tonight. I think I got it. The office tower is labeled "Tower 8", which isn't even a part of phase 1, 2a, or 2b, so that office tower must be way down the road.

Exactly.
The office and rental are scheduled as phase "2c", which might as well be phase 3, in terms of their priority and when they'll actually get built.

Which, for me anyway, indicates that either one (the office) or both get a re-design before we actually get to that stage.

There's also the fact that Concord are now working with the mall owners Ivanhoe Cambridge - with whom they were locked in an acrimonious court battle not that long ago on whether they could even do this project at all - on the design aspects of parts of this project, and particularly the podium of that phase that will connect directly to the mall and serve as an additional official entrance.

So that might also end up affecting things with regards to how that phase turns out.

When all's said and done, I doubt too much that Ivanhoe are going to be too sore about having some 60 odd storeys of residential rental units, and essentially the tallest residential Rental Tower not just in Metrotown but in all of Burnaby (read : Mall foot traffic and customers) perched right above one of their mall entrances.

[Metro-One]

The office component is obviously last, as always, if ever.

The major office tower is always last with these major developments, look at Gilmore…

[Spr0ckets]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

The office component is obviously last, as always, if ever.

The major office tower is always last with these major developments, look at Gilmore…

I think it definitely will get built.
But maybe not at that height, or it may end up having most of its program changed to mostly hotel and some office, depending on what the market is like by the time they get to that point.

That podium that both it and the rental tower sit on is important to this development since that is what will physically connect the development directly to the mall, while the rest of the strata towers are physically separated from the mall.

But prioritizing it as last is not surprising in the least bit, and at this point pretty standard procedure for these multi-tower developments nowadays.

[Lexus]

2022, August 30

Untitled by Lexus LX570, on Flickr

Untitled by Lexus LX570, on Flickr

Untitled by Lexus LX570, on Flickr

[officedweller]

From the Concord Brentwood thread.

Originally Posted by NewfBC

Hudson’s Bay sues Metrotown developer, owner over highrise construction in Burnaby

Hudson’s Bay Company filed for an injunction against the owner and developers of Metropolis at Metrotown to stop the construction of the three-tower development underway.


(Image from article below - Vancouver Is Awesome)

https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/l...urnaby-5765196

Ron.

[jollyburger]

Another reason not to shop at HBC

[Spr0ckets]

Originally Posted by officedweller

From the Concord Brentwood thread.

As mentioned in the Concord Brentwood thread, I think this is pretty silly coming this late as it is after construction has already started and is this far into the process, but more importantly coming several years now after Concord Pacific and Ivanhoe Cambridge already went through the litigation dance in court and eventually settled and are now even working together to ensure the development works for both parties.

Did it really take them this long to realize that having a construction site at your doorstep might have a negative impact on your street-facing foot-traffic?

As Concord pointed out in their response, the development is going to gift them with thousands of ready-made customers at their literal doorstep once it's complete, but obviously they're due for some pain in the meantime while the construction goes through the gears.

Interesting that they're also suing the mall-owners - their landlords, essentially - as well, which tells me that this is really more about trying to renegotiate their lease more than anything.
I don't believe they actually expect a court to stop this construction in its tracks (which would ironically be even more detrimental to them with a stalled construction site instead of one getting through the process.).

[jollyburger]

HBC lost their lawsuit against Anthem for a Home Outfitters rent dispute in May:

https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/pr...-appeal/366981

People thought they were closed because of the construction crane in front? Maybe it's because they haven't spent a cent renovating the dump is the reason why people aren't shopping there.

[Spr0ckets]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

HBC lost their lawsuit against Anthem for a Home Outfitters rent dispute in May:

https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/pr...-appeal/366981

People thought they were closed because of the construction crane in front? Maybe it's because they haven't spent a cent renovating the dump is the reason why people aren't shopping there.

Yeah, I think this was always about rent and (renegotiating) their lease.

Majority of their foot-traffic customers come in to the store through the mall-side entrance - just as it was before this construction ever began.
Back then most people would use the Kingsway and Nelson Ave. facing doors to leave the store rather then the points through which they would get into the store and anyone that would have been parking at the surface parking that is now the Concord construction site probably parks elsewhere and can still find their way to their store through some other way in the mall.

And if it's just about being seen from Kingsway, then this construction project is probably doing them a favour in hiding what a dump their store exterior had become and how dated it looks from the lack of refurbishment that you've mentioned.

From the outside, it still looks like something that was built in the 1980's......and belongs there. It never occurred to them to give it a facelift or update it in all this time?

They never cared because it never mattered before, since most of their customers always came in through the mall-side entrances.

[jollyburger]

Wow Eaton Centre looked amazing in the 1990s



https://www.forumvancouver.com/threa...-the-90s.6995/

[Spr0ckets]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Wow Eaton Centre looked amazing in the 1990s



https://www.forumvancouver.com/threa...-the-90s.6995/

Certainly eye-catching.

I especially like the LA Lakers colour-scheme they seemed to have been aiming for.


As an aside:
That little girl is now a middle-aged 30 or 40-something year old probably lugging around a little munchkin of her own, possibly.

You now feel old.

You're welcome.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Another reason not to shop at HBC

So anal. Maybe they should not plan to build a "high-rise" and destroy the current downtown heritage building instead.

[Repthe250]

Back then, they actually used the ad space for ads (or art) instead of leaving them blank like today. I’ve never seen a mall that leaves prime ad realty empty.

[Spr0ckets]

Predictable conclusion to this litigation that never was.....

Settled out of court.

https://www.burnabynow.com/local-new...urnaby-5765196

"Hudson’s Bay Co.’s case to stop a massive construction project underway at the Metropolis at Metrotown parking lot outside its doors has been dismissed by the consent of all parties...."

It was probably always just about the lease (renegotiation)

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by Repthe250

Back then, they actually used the ad space for ads (or art) instead of leaving them blank like today. I’ve never seen a mall that leaves prime ad realty empty.

It could be a sign that they couldn't find advertisers /tenants willing to pay for Kingsway ad exposure when most of the shoppers come in via SkyTrain.

[SpongeG]

I was at MEtropolis on Sunday and the place was insanely busy, getting into the underground parking took quite a while, like 15 minutes or so, traffic was backed up and inside traffic was backed up, and finding a spot was not to so easy. Having that one entrance over by the Bay and the construction entrance nearly closed off really puts a strain on the other entrances. I was using the one by station square, that entrance combined with the traffic by those towers was just crawling.

[Metro-One]

Originally Posted by officedweller

It could be a sign that they couldn't find advertisers /tenants willing to pay for Kingsway ad exposure when most of the shoppers come in via SkyTrain.

They should honestly have been screens.

Even if they don’t have a client buying the ad space it should have some form of self promotion for the mall itself.

[Klazu]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

I was using the one by station square, that entrance combined with the traffic by those towers was just crawling.

That entrance has been a mess ever since they changed lane markings at Kingsborough Street / McKay Avenue. Whoever came up with turn lanes there must have never been to the site or is completely clueless.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

I was at MEtropolis on Sunday and the place was insanely busy, getting into the underground parking took quite a while, like 15 minutes or so, traffic was backed up and inside traffic was backed up, and finding a spot was not to so easy. Having that one entrance over by the Bay and the construction entrance nearly closed off really puts a strain on the other entrances. I was using the one by station square, that entrance combined with the traffic by those towers was just crawling.

And they say the mall is dead.....

I seriously can't figure out why the City wants the mall demolished eventually. This mall is the sole reason why Metrotown is so vibrant today. I really hope they can replace it with the same scale by having multi-storey malls here in the future.