Burnaby NewsLeader – Stuck in redevelopment limbo near Brentwood.

Wiinton Williams will likely one day get a nice windfall from the sale of a property he owns in the Brentwood area. Today, though, his industrial property has a breathtaking property tax bill based solely on its development potential. If only he could develop it.

2450 Alpha Ave

 For now, with the taxes so high, he’s having trouble just leasing out the place. Williams says he can’t redevelop his property and sell it for what it could be worth because Burnaby city hall has been slow to come up with an area plan.

Since 1993, his company, Vernon-based Sako Pacific Properties Ltd. has owned the property at 2450 Alpha Ave. in Burnaby where it also owned and operated Universal Concrete Accessories, a business that first opened there in 1970.

Starting in 1995, Burnaby city hall started sending Williams’ company notices about redevelopment plans for the Brentwood area, including the industrial lands south of Dawson Street where Sako’s property is located.

Read more: http://www.burnabynewsleader.com/news/204309651.html

As we reported back in February, Brenhill Development is planning a 36-storey mixed use building at the corner of Richards and Helmcken with 344 market residential strata units (including 5, 2-level townhouses at grade), 110 market rental units and a private school.

In response to comments from the Urban Design Panel, the tower has been redesigned to lower the density slightly from 17.40 FSR to 17.10 FSR, and to reduce the floorplate from 10,300 SF to 10,130 SF. The site is a 15,000 SF site which is being expanded to 21,000 SF through the acquisition of lanes to the west and north.

Richmond Review – Onni seeks rezoning in Steveston.

Onni has formally submitted a proposal to rezone its new riverfront commercial units in Steveston.

The developer’s six low-rise buildings—built on the last piece of land at Imperial Landing—feature apartments on upper floors and commercial units on the ground floor. But the commercial zoning only allows for maritime-related businesses.

At two open houses last year, Onni tested the waters of public opinion to change the restrictive zoning to allow businesses such as a grocery store, pharmacy and fitness centre.

On April 16, city council’s planning committee heard that Onni has officially submitted a rezoning proposal, and noted the Steveston Merchant’s Association has already responded to it. In an April 10 e-mail to the city, association president Jim Van der Tas said any change needs to be carefully reviewed.

Read more: http://www.richmondreview.com/news/204165321.html

Developing Story: Musqueam showcase preferred option for development on endowment lands.

The preferred option for the Musqueam Indian Band’s development of a 22-acre site on University Endowment Lands was presented at an open house last night.

The band plans to develop a site known as Block F between University Boulevard and Acadia Road, land which was returned by the provincial government under a 2008 reconciliation agreement. The open house is part of the pre-application process.

The preferred option envisions a commercial village of 30,000 square feet, a four-storey 120-room hotel, residential buildings, including three-storey town homes, four-to-six storey buildings, and four towers between 18 to 22 storeys, as well as open spaces in the form of trails, parks and village greens, according to Gordon Easton, project manager at Colliers International.

Easton added it allows for the mature stand of trees to remain with the wetlands in the centre of the site.

“That’s something we heard quite strongly from the community and the Pacific Spirit Park Society — that that was something they’d really like to see and also respecting the current trail network connections that exist on the site,” he said.

Thursday marks the third open house for the project — about 300 attended the first open house in early December and another 170 attended the second one in early February. Almost 1,300 views have been recorded to date for the Block F topic on PlaceSpeak, an online community consultation site.

Richmond Review – Steveston Secondary on the block, again.

As many as 20 developers are in the mix as potential suitors for the former 13-acre home of Steveston secondary school on No. 2 Road, which is once again on the sales block.

For the past five years or so, the Ministry of Education has placed a moratorium on the sale of school lands to parties other than independent school operators. And with the local school board opting not to sell to an independent school, the Steveston site has remained unsold.

But the prospects for a sale changed earlier this month, when B.C. Education Minister Don McRae wrote to the district that it would extend the completion period for the sale and transfer of title for the Steveston Secondary School site until March 31, 2015.

For the past month, the Richmond school district has sought expressions of interest for the site from developers as well as 75 other parties who previously expressed an interested in the land, Sargent said.

Read more: http://www.richmondreview.com/news/203484941.html