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City of Lougheed - Looking into the future

Burnaby’s Lougheed neighborhood is slated to become the futuristic “City of Lougheed.” According to developer Shape Properties Corp., the $7 billion project will transform the area into a downtown-style urban centre over the next 30 years.
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Burnaby’s Lougheed neighborhood is slated to become the futuristic “City of Lougheed.”

According to developer Shape Properties Corp., the $7 billion project will transform the area into a downtown-style urban centre over the next 30 years. Forty acres of land surrounding Lougheed Centre will house 23 new highrise towers, as well as a plethora of retail and public spaces. Marketed as “Canada’s Largest New Master Plan,” Shape’s proposal was adopted by Burnaby city council in August 2016. Shape plans to create a “pedestrian and transit-oriented centre with a fuller and better integrated range of uses, leading to a more complete and self-sufficient town centre,” according to the developer’s proposal submitted to city hall

If approved, new highrise towers would soar up to 65 floors, becoming the tallest residential structures in the city. Most of these buildings would encircle Lougheed Town Centre SkyTrain station, which itself will be renovated to become a weather-protected “transit plaza” similar to New Westminster SkyTrain station. Connecting to the transit plaza will be a covered outdoor “pedestrian spine” flanked by retail space. The main north-south connector will feature a grand promenade, linking Cameron Street to the transit plaza, while the main east-west connector will be Cross Creek. Both routes will feature pedestrian-friendly paths with retail and public spaces.

The new construction will add 11,000 residential units to the city, nearly double the number at Shape’s 6,000-unit project at Brentwood.

“While the two projects are based on the same general fundamentals, the details of their design will make each project unique,” said Darren Kwiatkowski, executive vice-president of Shape Properties Corp.  “While Brentwood will feel like an urban metropolis, Lougheed will feel like an urban oasis with a strong emphasis on parks and lush greenery.”

The Lougheed development features condos starting at $329,900 for a one bedroom suite, roughly 520-square feet in size. Presales started in November 2016 and haven’t been dampened by the B.C. foreign buyer’s tax.

“With limited housing inventory, capped housing starts and Metro Vancouver’s healthy migration numbers, the local demand is great enough to sustain continued interest,” said Kwiatkowski. “The City of Lougheed is backed by fundamentals that appeal to purchasers looking for the long-term advantages of a planned community, such as on-site SkyTrain, shopping and dining, lush greenspace and great homes.”

When asked if low-income families will be able to afford the new development, Kwiatkowski replied, “We don’t have subsidized housing, but we’ve included a variety of small, efficient floorplans that provide more affordable options. We’ll also have one full tower dedicated to rental homes.”

Burnaby senior current planner Karin Hung adds that in addition to the 203 rental units in Tower 4, redevelopment will also generate community benefit bonus funds, which will be used on amenities that may include affordable housing units.

Projected growth in the area has seen rezoning and transportation expansion by the city, exemplified by the Evergreen extension of the Millennium Line to Coquitlam, according to both Burnaby city hall and TransLink. Kwiatkowski added that there will also be upgrades to the site’s perimeter roads including enhanced sidewalks, new landscaping and dedicated bike lanes.

The Lougheed Town Centre Core Area Master Plan can be found on the City of Burnaby’s website.