Burnaby Updates

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

reminds me, did anything ever happen with this? or is it just dead?

2016 plans
2019 plans
2022 plans

If you read the most recent link you posted, "The head of the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) says they still fully intend to proceed with a major redevelopment and expansion of Playland at some point in the future." They have invested since trhen in the new rollecoaster.

And Playland isn't in Burnaby.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by vanman

Fencing is up along Boundary and Kingsway. Vegetation is being removed along the northwest side of the site. I'm wondering if both phases are going ahead simultaneously or just demolition work for phase 2 along with phase 1 construction.

Couldn't really take a close look but it seems like they've removed all that built up landscaped area next to the "heel" building section. (They called it heal in the development plan )

[officedweller]

From Trish Jewison twitter:


https://x.com/TrishJewison/status/18...102835/photo/3

[RedArbutus]

Very cool perspective.

[WarrenC12]

Cool picture. Talk about missing middle!

[officedweller]

The sense of scale is weird.
It's like the 20-30 storey towers built 10-20 years ago are more like 10 storeys, but they aren't.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by officedweller

The sense of scale is weird.
It's like the 20-30 storey towers built 10-20 years ago are more like 10 storeys, but they aren't.

Looks like that photo has some kind of toy camera filter applied to it.

[jollyburger]

"The city said, okay, the creek is very important to us, but we also understand the hardship that it would be placed on your site," Cheng said, explaining that they’ve been told they can build taller buildings if they recondition the creek back to nature. Cheng said having the creek folded into the development would be a welcome and unique addition.

The developers are working with various authorities and an environmental consultant to bring that creek plan to fruition for the fish-bearing waterway.

A key design change from the previous proposal is the creation of a plaza at the northwest corner of the site, adding a pedestrian-oriented gateway into the site fronting Lougheed Highway. The plaza, amongst other amenities, will be near commercial space, seating, public art, a children’s play area and the streamside pathway.

"The new development strategy is to get rid of the podium, open up the entire ground plane to gardens with (a tea or coffee house) and amenity buildings and park-like settings,” Cheng said.

https://renx.ca/keltic-pitches-talle...od-development

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Looks like that photo has some kind of toy camera filter applied to it.

I assume its because its through helicopter cockpit glass.

[madog222]

Originally Posted by officedweller

I assume its because its through helicopter cockpit glass.

Nah, that’s some filter. Not even the typical tilt-shift imitation, just a vignette blur for some reason.

[officedweller]

Ah, around the corners.

Just noticed a weird split level roadway on Brentwood Blvd east of Alpha.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Ah, around the corners.

Just noticed a weird split level roadway on Brentwood Blvd east of Alpha.

Do you mean Beta? Across the street from the mall entrance..

Google's aerial view has the old road configuration. Two entrance lanes with one lane exiting onto Beta. I think the middle left lane was to give access to that one house's driveway?

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Do you mean Beta? Across the street from the mall entrance..

Google's aerial view has the old road configuration. Two entrance lanes with one lane exiting onto Beta. I think the middle left lane was to give access to that one house's driveway?

Sorry, that would be Beta.


https://www.google.com/maps/@49.2668...oASAFQAw%3D%3D


https://www.google.com/maps/@49.2668...oASAFQAw%3D%3D

[jollyburger]

Yeah if you go back to June 2015 you can see the old road configuration. I think connecting to the back lane is the only reason for the split configuration.

I assume a lot of people turned into that lane and got stuck with no where to go which is why they removed it.

[j5367k]

Some Burnaby projects including Concord Metrotown and McCarthy Plaza:

[officedweller]

Nice, thanks!

[jollyburger]

Sounds like the Carter GM site in Brentwood might involve retention of the dealership at street level.

https://www.reddit.com/r/burnaby/com...o_develop_the/

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by Sheba

That development by Royal Oak Station (REZ #20-27, 6877 - 6945 Palm Avenue, new mid-rise mixed-use development with non-market housing, offices, café / commissary and child care facility) the site has been cleared so I'm guessing it'll start construction soon.

Oh how starry eyed that seems now. It received Final Adoption Apr 2024 and... absolutely nothing has happened on-site since I posted over a year ago.

[Spr0ckets]

Originally Posted by Sheba

Oh how starry eyed that seems now. It received Final Adoption Apr 2024 and... absolutely nothing has happened on-site since I posted over a year ago.

I'd chalk it up to the inflation crisis over the past year with construction cost/labor cost woes that came along with it.

I just posted an update to another project in the environs - Anthem's Ethos project on Marlborough that finally seems too be going with excavation finally starting after the site has sat idle for the better part of more than a year after site clearing was completed at almost the same time as the Palm avenue project.

I realize Anthem are juggling quite a few balls in the Metrotown area at the moment between that project, Citizen on Kingsway and their jumping onboard the Telus Boot project (also seeing activity on the site vis-a-vis site prep for demolition), so most likely they just deprioritized it while the other projects got going.

But I get the sense from a lot of construction starts I'm seeing all over the place that maybe the inflation worries have eased up enough that a lot of developers are going ahead with projects they had sat pat on while the market conditions still looked shaky (?)
Granted it's all anecdotal, but still...

There's another Royal Oak project that seems to be moving along as well on Grimmer and Royal Oak where the Vanbank (?) used to be.
It's a 6 storey market rental or market strata project (Nido?) that also had a bit of a pause after they had received final approval

Also, the rezoning notification board for the McCarthy Plaza has been put up all around the site, so it seems like they to want to get that project moving along with the permitting process.

It wouldn't surprise me to see something happening soon on the Palm ave. site as well in the coming months.

So all in all, I think 2025 might be a busier year for construction and construction starts than 2024 was.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by officedweller

From Trish Jewison twitter:


https://x.com/TrishJewison/status/18...102835/photo/3

Nice! Brentwood here looks like the downtown while Vancouver in the background looks like its suburb: very very flat.

Love how the town centre streets here are relatively narrow, unlike other Canadian city town centres like Mississauga. When fully built-out, there will be very nice streetscapes just like the older city centres that we all tend to adore. We definitely need more CRUs fronting the narrower streets here. If possible, create commercial pedestrian-only or low-traffic lanes going through all the newer developments. Looking forward to the Grosvenor development here. Would be awesome if they can either put a pedestrian tunnel or overhead link with retail to connect the two sites.