Proposed 46-storey tower in limbo.

A proposal for what could potentially be one of Burnaby’s tallest towers – standing at 46-storeys – was withdrawn at a recent public hearing held in council’s chambers.

On March 19, three rezonings were up for public input, except for the highrise proposed for Gilmore Ave. with a three-storey townhouse podium facing Halifax Street and a two-storey residential amenity podium that included a rooftop swimming pool.

Coun. Colleen Jordan, who attended the public hearing, said she could not comment on why the proposed tower was withdrawn.

Now the proposal is in limbo – it will either go to a future public hearing with changes or not go ahead at all. The site’s developer is Millenium Development, which has also developed 10 other highrises in the city, including Mayfair Place, Belvedere and One University Crescent in the SFU community.

5695 Lougheed_Brochure

Here is a quick look at Vancouver’s largest residential and mixed-use/residential projects that are either under construction or at the latter stages of planning and approvals. What is notable is that a large majority of the projects are transit-oreinted; if not built directly near a Skytrain station, then within a short walking distance of one. Planning efforts to densify around transit have been formalized in the Official Community Plans of cities such as Burnaby, Surrey and Richmond.

Now on to the list. Limited to developments of 400 units or greater, the list represents 34 projects totaling 39,647 units. Almost all of the projects are multi-phase buildouts of 2 to 10+ years. Telus Garden, Marine Gateway and 1400 Howe are the only projects being built in one go.

There are 10-15 other major projects in the works that aren’t yet at the stage of approvals or construction.

PCI Group has sold two office buildings located at 3033 Beta Avenue and 4606 Canada Way in Burnaby, two properties that they acquired only last year. The combined sale price was $27,470,000, representing $250 per SF, and a cap rate of approximately 6.0%.

3033 Beta Avenue

A 46-storey tower has been proposed for the Southeast corner of Halifax Street and Gilmore Avenue in the Brentwood Town Centre area of Burnaby. The rezoning proposal for the site at 1846-1904 Gilmore Ave includes 340 units, 374 underground parking spaces, and a total density of 5.0 FAR under the City’s RM-5s designation.

Source: City of Burnaby