Burnaby Updates

[owenhujb]

How high can that lot that was sold between Highline and Moda go?

[owenhujb]

Are there currently any plans for Old Orchard Shopping Center to the west of The Sovereign? It currently feels very much like the old Station Square and could use a redevelopment, or at the very least a renovation. Towers should be able to go rather tall here.

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by owenhujb

How high can that lot that was sold between Highline and Moda go?

All the towers fronting Beresford can go to a similar height. I suppose there might be some details like they want a wave, or a peak in the middle, or something similar that I haven't heard about.

Originally Posted by owenhujb

Are there currently any plans for Old Orchard Shopping Center to the west of The Sovereign? It currently feels very much like the old Station Square and could use a redevelopment, or at the very least a renovation. Towers should be able to go rather tall here.

Nothing has been proposed for it yet (and I suspect won't soon as Save-On only moved in a few years ago and I doubt they signed a short-term lease). Its general zoning is the same as Station Square and Sovereign.

[owenhujb]

Looks really nice, Maywood on the Park. Does this building have it's own thread? Also, is this in pre-construction or has the site not even been cleared yet? 4/28/19

[osirisboy]

That looks horrible. Spandrel everywhere and what's with Burnaby and having big surface parking areas?

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by owenhujb

Looks really nice, Maywood on the Park. Does this building have it's own thread? Also, is this in pre-construction or has the site not even been cleared yet? 4/28/19

Again, it doesn't have it's own thread. The latest Burnaby Major Development Projects lists it as Final Adoption. Buzzbuzzhome has it at selling / preconstruction and to start construction this year. An article from Feb 2018 with a bunch of angry residents says (I'd take the 5 years thing with a grain of salt... )

The hearing was to deal with a rezoning application by Intracorp to build a 32-storey condominium tower between McKay and Silver avenues next to Maywood Park. It will be built on what is now six single-family lots. But when it is completed, two apartment buildings on Maywood Street containing 31 rental units will be torn down to expand the park, although that’s not expected to happen for at least another five years.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by Sheba

All the towers fronting Beresford can go to a similar height. I suppose there might be some details like they want a wave, or a peak in the middle, or something similar that I haven't heard about.




Nothing has been proposed for it yet (and I suspect won't soon as Save-On only moved in a few years ago and I doubt they signed a short-term lease). Its general zoning is the same as Station Square and Sovereign.

There should be one or two anchor towers taller than the rest built there. 65 stories or higher would be appropriate.

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by osirisboy

That looks horrible. Spandrel everywhere and what's with Burnaby and having big surface parking areas?

I agree I don't love at all the big courts on all the Burnaby towers build the podium to the sidewalk/curb for Pete sake...

[Klazu]

I remember Maywood renderings having shown green spandrel but that looks black to me. Maybe better this way but some colour would have been nice.

[Spr0ckets]

Originally Posted by owenhujb

Looks really nice, Maywood on the Park. Does this building have it's own thread? Also, is this in pre-construction or has the site not even been cleared yet? 4/28/19

Site has been cleared and is fenced off.
Looks like they're waiting for excavators to begin excavation.

Originally Posted by Sheba

Again, it doesn't have it's own thread. The latest Burnaby Major Development Projects lists it as Final Adoption. Buzzbuzzhome has it at selling / preconstruction and to start construction this year. An article from Feb 2018 with a bunch of angry residents says (I'd take the 5 years thing with a grain of salt... )

Actually the 5 year thing refers to the other site a little farther south from this Maywood tower site.
The Developer owns both sites and made a deal with the city to give that site back to be added to the park and expand the park (in exchange for more FSR, I believe)
There really is no urgency for that part of the project, so the tower itself could easily get built and completed before they clear the other site and convert it into the park extension.

[Spr0ckets]

Originally Posted by Klazu

I remember Maywood renderings having shown green spandrel but that looks black to me. Maybe better this way but some colour would have been nice.

I prefer the black myself.
Anything other than seafoam green, white, beige or the usual greys, would be a vast improvement from the usual.
These developers are usually so bad at picking colours for their tower spandrels.

They either go with what everyone else is doing (seafoam green) or play it safe and go with something neutral-ish (white, grey or beige)

[officedweller]

It look okay to me.
The spandrel is symmetrical, which I like better than randomness.
.. although I don't like the spandrel at the corner since it screws up corner views.

[LeftCoaster]

Originally Posted by officedweller

It look okay to me.
The spandrel is symmetrical, which I like better than randomness.
.. although I don't like the spandrel at the corner since it screws up corner views.

Agreed, I think this one looks sharp, if unexciting.

Not sure about the large courtyard in front, but I'm not very familiar with the vibe of the neighbourhood so I can't really comment.

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by Spr0ckets

Actually the 5 year thing refers to the other site a little farther south from this Maywood tower site.
The Developer owns both sites and made a deal with the city to give that site back to be added to the park and expand the park (in exchange for more FSR, I believe)
There really is no urgency for that part of the project, so the tower itself could easily get built and completed before they clear the other site and convert it into the park extension.

I know - it's the low rises at the other end of the park. It's just the article makes it sound like it'll be 5+ years in the future when more likely they'll have people moved out and start demolishing it as soon as those crews have finished their work on the tower. A couple of years sure but I can't see those low rises still there after the tower is fully complete and people are moving in.

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

Agreed, I think this one looks sharp, if unexciting.

Not sure about the large courtyard in front, but I'm not very familiar with the vibe of the neighbourhood so I can't really comment.

If you mean the paved area, it's pretty standard on the towers that have been built there. It's the driveway and possibly guest parking for the building.

[Spr0ckets]

Originally Posted by Sheba

I know - it's the low rises at the other end of the park. It's just the article makes it sound like it'll be 5+ years in the future when more likely they'll have people moved out and start demolishing it as soon as those crews have finished their work on the tower. A couple of years sure but I can't see those low rises still there after the tower is fully complete and people are moving in.

Good point.

I mean if you're living there right now, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to start looking for a new place to live immediately and planning to move yourself as soon as possible before they move you out.

[officedweller]

The courtyard driveway is very very convenient for condo towers.
If you are being picked up and need to load stuff (ie going on a camping trip) or getting deliveries, there's space for the vehicle to wait without circling the block and there is more space than a porte cochere.

[GilmoreStation]

Exciting future projects by the City of Burnaby underway using its $1.6B reserves.
• Video Link

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by GilmoreStation

Exciting future projects by the City of Burnaby underway using its $1.6B reserves.

The problem has been that Burnaby dragged it's feet about building much of anything with the Community Benefit funds while Mayor Corrigan was in charge. Council would talk about what they could do with the money and then not do much. For example the Edmonds ice rinks that are mentioned later in the video - I just checked and they were talking about it in 2016 and it was supposedly going to be completed in 2018. The latest news says they'll start work on it in June and it'll open in two years.

I really hope with Mayor Hurley in charge they'll start using some of the money they have saved up. I don't mean they should spend it all (or all at once) but sitting on the vast majority of it so the city can say 'we have a large reserve fund' is a waste.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by Sheba

The problem has been that Burnaby dragged it's feet about building much of anything with the Community Benefit funds while Mayor Corrigan was in charge. Council would talk about what they could do with the money and then not do much. For example the Edmonds ice rinks that are mentioned later in the video - I just checked and they were talking about it in 2016 and it was supposedly going to be completed in 2018. The latest news says they'll start work on it in June and it'll open in two years.

I really hope with Mayor Hurley in charge they'll start using some of the money they have saved up. I don't mean they should spend it all (or all at once) but sitting on the vast majority of it so the city can say 'we have a large reserve fund' is a waste.

Well, at least Burnaby is rich!

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by Sheba

The problem has been that Burnaby dragged it's feet about building much of anything with the Community Benefit funds while Mayor Corrigan was in charge. Council would talk about what they could do with the money and then not do much. For example the Edmonds ice rinks that are mentioned later in the video - I just checked and they were talking about it in 2016 and it was supposedly going to be completed in 2018. The latest news says they'll start work on it in June and it'll open in two years.

I really hope with Mayor Hurley in charge they'll start using some of the money they have saved up. I don't mean they should spend it all (or all at once) but sitting on the vast majority of it so the city can say 'we have a large reserve fund' is a waste.

That's what I don't get. The way Corrigan used/flexed it, it was like a Swiss bank account... except everybody knew about it, and it could only be spent on community projects.