Metrotown mall redevelopment unveiled to public
Credit to Author: Cheryl Chan| Date: Tue, 26 Nov 2019 02:37:04 +0000
A vision of a new Metrotown mall was unveiled to the public Monday, showcasing an ambitious plan to transform the sprawling, if soulless, single-purpose retail facility in to an urban, mixed-use community with retail and office spaces, residential units and green spaces.
The redevelopment of the 19-hectare Metropolis at Metrotown site, which includes 8,000 parking spots and three office towers, is described as one of the largest in Metro Vancouver and is seen as a crucial part of the city’s vision to designate Metrotown town centre as Burnaby’s downtown, one to rival Vancouver’s.
“The mall has been an impediment to that vision because it’s been sort of a fortress in the landscape,” said Graeme Silvera, vice-president of retail development for Ivanhoe Cambridge, the mall’s owner. “This plan is going to start breaking down that fortress. It will bring in the community into the mall through the mall.”
Instead of a fully enclosed mall, the future Metropolis at Metrotown will be comprised of 50 per cent indoor retail and 50 per cent open-air retail.
The plan envisions a new street grid, including pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly streets, and more flexible streets conducive to festivals and public events, new parks and plazas, as well as about 5,600 new residential units, 1.7 million square feet of office space and a potential 250,000-sq.-ft. live events facility.
Residential housing will be included in every phase of the development, said Silvera.
According to the current plan, rentals will make up close to 30 per cent of housing options at the site, surpassing the city’s 20 per cent requirement.
About 13 per cent is slated to be market rentals, 11 per cent as vacancy-control rentals and four per cent as affordable rentals. The remaining 72 per cent will be market condos.
The plan also sets a target to increase the tree canopy from the current four per cent to 40 per cent.
The first phase of the project, slated to start construction in late 2021, will be to develop the Kingsway frontage of the mall in partnership with Concord Pacific, which owns the former Sears site.
Silvera said he’s hopeful that shoppers and residents like the proposed changes and master plan.
“I think they’ll understand that retail is changing and has to evolve like everything else,” he said.
Some shoppers and curious onlookers at Monday’s public information session at the mall’s atrium offered their tentative support.
“It’s a really good idea,” said Laura Loker, who said she’s a fan of the proposed extra green spaces. “You won’t feel cramped, and you’ll feel like you’re in a pretty good environment.”
“It all seems good,” said Josh Boser, who lives about five minutes away. The current mall feels outdated and in need of a refresh. But he expressed concern about the impact the redevelopment may have on the wider Metrotown community, including older apartments already facing demoviction pressures.
Another public consultation on the Metropolis at Metrotown plan will be held in the early spring, with a final plan to go before city council in mid-2020.