The rezoning application for Phase 2 of Concord Pacific’s Concord Brentwood project is moving to first reading. The overall project master plan was approved by the City of Burnaby in 2016, with individual phases requiring detailed rezoning applications.

The first phases of the project (1a and 1b) are currently under construction and summarized as follows:

• Hillside West – two towers (44 & 49-storeys), 892 units. Sold out in early 2018.
• Hillside East – two towers (55 & 45-storeys), 900 units. Over 90% sold out.

Phase 2 of the site is located within the “Flatlands” subarea of the overall site, and fronts the future Dawson Street extension and Yukon Crescent. Phase 2 totals 204,000 SF and consists of two high-rise residential buildings, one mid-rise residential building, a low-rise residential podium, common amenities (super club), and street oriented retail uses atop, and fronting, underground and structured parking.

Details include:

• A 45-storey tower, a 50-storey tower, and an 18-storey tower
• 825 total condo units;
  • 247 one-bedrooms, 438 two-bedrooms & 218 three-bedrooms;
• 50,000 SF of retail space (0.25 FAR);
• A 31,000 SF “Super Club” serving all phases of the project that includes fitness space with gym, pool, bowling alley & spa.
• A total density of 4.97 FAR;
• 1,001 underground parking spaces;
• New roadways including:
  • Extension of Dawson Street
  • Construction of Douglas Road/Delta Avenue and Lougheed Hwy intersection
  • New pedestrian and cycling routes

The sale of Saputo’s 19-acre Burnaby plant to Peterson Group has completed for $209,000,000. The site at 6800 Lougheed Highway had been listed by Cushman & Wakefield in early 2017. 

Saputo will relocate their operations to a new processing plant on a 20 acre site on Kingsway Avenue in Port Coquitlam, which is expected to be completed within the next three years. In the interim, their sale deal with Peterson envisions a lease back until their new plant is ready in 2021.

Redevelopment plans for the Lougheed site have yet to be revealed; however, previous planning efforts for the Bainbridge area anticipated a higher density mixed use development given the site’s location adjacent a Skytrain station.

Anthem Properties has submitted rezoning applications for two sites in the Metrotown area of Burnaby. If the applications are approved at Council, they will move forward to public hearing next month.

The proposals are:

6444 Willingdon Avenue & 4241 Maywood Street

The plan for this 65,486 SF site located at the comer of Willingdon Avenue and Maywood Street is a new 42-storey highrise, with townhouses fronting Maywood Street and Cassie Avenue, and a 3-storey non-market rental building. The site is in the Maywood neighbourhood and is utilizing the RM5s and RMS Multiple Family Residential Districts and Metrotown Downtown Plan as guidelines.

Details of this proposal include:

• 378 units;
  • 348 condo units;
  • 30 non-market rental units (New Vista Society);
• a total density of 5.32 FAR;
• a total tower height of 430 ft.;
• 470 underground parking spaces.

6075 Wilson Avenue

This site is located at the comer of Wilson Avenue and Central Boulevard and totals 62,641 SF. The Metrotown Downtown Plan identifies this neighbourhood as a high density neighbourhood with a garden-like setting that is defined by its relationships to Central Park, Kingsway, the BC Parkway and Patterson SkyTrain station. The rezoning policy for the site is based upon the RM5s and RM3 designations.

The proposed development plan is for a single 45-storey condo tower oriented towards the comer of Central Boulevard and Wilson Avenue with a 4-storey townhouse podium oriented towards Wilson Avenue and a 4-storey non-market rental housing component oriented towards Central Boulevard.

Details include:

• 379 units;
  • 347 condo units;
  • 32 non-market rental units;
• a total density of 5.37 FAR;
• a total tower height of 425 ft.;
• 419 underground parking spaces.

The architect for both projects is listed as GBL Architects.

Three more residential towers are going to Burnaby City Council this week for permission to move to public hearing. All three are located in Metrotown, near the Skytrain line; a rapidly developing area with more than 20 highrises at various stages of approval and construction.

Details of the three current applicaitons are summarized below:

6562 Telford Avenue

Intracorp‘s rezoning application for 6525 Telford Avenue is seeking approval to move to public hearing. The 48,833 SF site sits on the West side of Telford Avenue, just South of Beresford.

The site is designated RM-5s in the Metrotown Downtown Plan.

The proposal calls to build a 33-storey highrise residential tower that includes:

• 298 condo units;
• 81 studios, 81 one-bedrooms, 91 two-bedrooms & 45 three-bedrooms (including 8 townhouses);
• a total density of 5.0 FAR;
• a total building height of 319 ft.;
• 331 underground parking spaces.

The application describes the design rationale: “The proposed development plan is for a single 33-storey apartment building and two three-storey townhouse buildings, in which the overall development is oriented towards Telford Avenue. The design inspiration for the development, a bamboo plant, is expressed in the architectural elements, features and materiality of the buildings. The use of clay brick masonry, bamboo coloured wood materials, and other architectural details at the apartment building base and townhouse buildings are unifying elements that tie the overall development together. All parking is to be provided underground with vehicular access provided via the rear lane.”

The architect for the project is NSDA Architects.

Intracorp acquired the site in 2016 for $20,888,888. The site is currently improved with an older 54-unit apartment building.

5977 Wilson Avenue

BlueSky Properties is seeking to go to first reading next month for a site in the Central Park East neighbourhood of Metrotown. This 53,000 SF site sits just North of Patterson Station. This project also falls within the City’s RM-5s district guidelines in the Metrotown Downtown Plan.

The plan calls for a 39-storey highrise building that includes:

• 293 units;
• 34 studios, 92 one-bedrooms, 138 two-bedrooms & 29 three bedrooms (including 6 townhouses);
• a total density of 5.0 FAR;
• a total building height of 430 ft.;
• 323 underground parking spaces.

The application describes the design rationale: “The design concept for the overall development is a celebration of modem architecture through simplicity in design. The tower base features a fully glazed double-height lobby that is inwardly-set to convey a sense of “airiness”. The tower body, which is rectilinear in form, features a verticd mullion pattern that carries to the top of the tower. Architectural interest to the building is enhanced by a horizontal break at the mid-section of the tower, which features a double-height framed box. The overall design of the tower is also expressed in the architecture of the townhouses, which are oriented towards Wilson Avenue and the proposed east-west neighbourhood linkage along the south property line of the site. Allparking is to be provided underground with vehicular access provided via the rear lane.”

The architect for the project is Gensler Architects.

6433 McKay Avenue & 6366 Cassie Avenue

Belford Properties have submitted their formal rezoning application for “Cassie & McKay”, a two lot assembly located between the above-referenced streets, just south of Beresford. The 65,547 SF site is located in the RM-4s area of the Metrotown Plan, allowing a density slightly lower than the above two sites, this one at 3.60 FAR. 

This will be Belford’s second project in Metrotown, after the success of Sun Towers, currently under construction.

The plan calls for a 31-storey tower that includes:

• 274 units;
• 58 studios, 87 one-bedrooms; 89 two-bedrooms & 40 three-bedrooms;
• a total density of 3.60 FAR;
• a total building height of 327 feet;
• 331 underground parking spaces.

The application describes the design rationale: “Key architectural elements of the apartment building include the use of a series of “woodstyle” frames that zig-zag along the east and west elevations, juxtaposed by a south elevation that is air-like in character and defined by two vertical fins that extend from a sloped building roof feature to the base of the building and extensive use of glazing material. Architectural features, materials and colour palette from the apartment building are replicated in the townhouse buildings, unifying the overall development. It is also noted that the townhouses, which are two-storeys in height, are designed to have a three storey appearance in order to provide a continuous street wall that also relates to adjacent developments in the neighbourhood.”

The architect for the project is Buttjes Architecture.

Belford acquired the site in 2017 for $40,000,000.

More rezoning applications head to Burnaby City Council next week. Below is a brief summary of some of the larger projects planned which, this week, includes only Metrotown highrise sites (of which there are many!):

6525 Telford Avenue

This 48,553 SF site, owned by Intracorp, is located just south of Beresford in Metrotown and is improved with an older walkup apartment building. Now designated RM5s in the Metrotown Plan, the site is slated for a highrise tower at 5.0 FAR, which will be Intracorp’s ninth tower in Metrotown.

6556-6596 Marlborough Avenue

This 36,361 SF site assembly of five lots is located at the northeast corner of Marlborough Avenue and Grimmer on the East side of Metrotown. The application, by Accorde Properties, proposes a residential highrise with townhouses under the RM4s designation at 3.60 FAR.

5852 Patterson Avenue

This is a 20,000 SF site located mid-block on Patterson between Kingsway and Central Boulevard. The site is in the “Central Park East” neighbourhood of the Metrotown Plan and has an RM5s designation. The plan includes 31 rental units in addition to market condo units. The total density is 4.7 FAR. The developer is Artillery Developments, with development consulting by Brook Pooni. A variance is required as the site is under the 24,000 SF minimum site area in the Metrotown Plan.

5895 Barker Avenue

Yet another Metrotown highrise application!  The fourth highrise tower rezoning application for Metrotown is 5895 Barker Avenue by Concord Pacific. The 46,285 SF site is located at the southwest corner of Baker Avenue and Olive Avenue and is designated under the RM5s high density residential guidelines which allow up to a density of 5.00 FAR (in this case 4.99 FAR). The site is also occupied by an older 3-storey walkup apartment building. The tower will be in the range of 30-40 storeys.