Concord Pacific‘s preliminary rezoning application will go to City of Burnaby council next week for the master plan of the 8.9 acre Sears Metrotown site at 4750 Kingsway. Concord acquired the site from Sears Canada in 2015 for $100,000,000.  The site is currently home to a soon to be closed Sears store, a Toys-R-Us store and a presentation centre.

Initial planning work got underway in 2013 when Sears selected Concord Pacific as the developer, but had been partly delayed pending the City of Burnaby’s revision of the Metrotown Downtown Plan, completed earlier this year.

The purpose of the current rezoning application is to establish a Conceptual Master Plan, Design Guidelines and a detailed first phase of development, which would provide for specific development rights for the initial phase; and guide further applications for the development of the site which will include substantial commercial and residential components. The site is designated for high density development utilizing the RM-5s and C3 guidelines.

The overall vision for the site is described as: ” a pedestrian-oriented, transit-connected
community that reflects the strong urban design principles and an urban form unique in the City. The Sears Metrotown site is envisioned to be fully integrated with the surrounding Metro Downtown neighbourhood and the broader Town Centre through the creation of new vehicle, pedestrian and cycling connections to existing streets to the north including McMurray and McKercher Avenues, as well facilitating new future connections to the south and west through the Metropolis at Metrotown site and Station Square.”

Preliminary details for the overall master plan include:

• Seven towers
• Four development phases
• 1,945,855 SF of residential space
• 660,734 SF of commercial space
• a total density of 9.75 FSR

Phase 1 details include:

• 1,309 units in Phase 1
• 3 towers ranging from 33 to 65-storeys
• 1,485 parking spaces on 7 levels of underground parking 
• a 48,000 SF indoor amenity space
• towers designed with a ceramic frit super graphic design element
• addition of a new East-West road “Metro Way”

The application describes the first phase: “Phase I is the initial phase of development, located along the Kingsway frontage between McMurray Avenue. The Phase I site measures approximately 132,364 sq.ft., with a frontage on Kingsway of 1,053 ft. Phase
I consists of three residential high-rise apartment buildings.  All three residential buildings are located atop a 3 storey commercial and amenity podium.

The signature tower at the corner of Kingsway and Nelson Avenue does not have commercial uses on the Nelson Avenue frontage, but maintains the high volume in amulti-storey atrium lobby fronting on to the Lake Plaza. Tower 2’s lobby fronts onto Kingsway, in between commercial storefronts, while Tower 3’s lobby is oriented toward McMurray Avenue fronting on to the River Plaza.”

The architect for the project is IBI Group.