A movie theatre, 60-storey towers and interactive art installations could be a reality of Brentwood mall's near future.
An info session at Brentwood Town Centre drew almost 200 people to the back of the food court where giant cards painted a picture of the first phase of the mall's redevelopment Wednesday evening.
Shape Properties, which acquired Brentwood mall in 2010, had multiple staff members present to answer any questions attendees had from 4 to 7 p.m. One resident showed up early to share black and white pictures he had of the Brentwood mall site before it was built.
The first phase involves a massive transformation of eight acres connected to the SkyTrain at Lougheed Highway and Willingdon Avenue. The proposed redevelopment is divided into four phases and will include 10 residential buildings, two office towers ranging from 30 to 40 storeys, a redeveloped commercial centre, a 50,000-square-foot food store and a variety of outdoor spaces.
On June 26, the public was able to see more specific plans for the plaza coming in the first phase, such as the two 60-storey towers - one at the corner of Lougheed Highway and Alpha Avenue, and the other on the corner of Willingdon Avenue and Halifax Street, which would be Burnaby's tallest highrises if the plan goes through.
Shape's executive vice-president of acquisitions development, Darren Kwiatkowski, was at the info session fielding questions from the public and said the reason why the towers could sit at 60 storeys is because "taller towers means less towers" in the plaza.
"Tall towers create thin shadows," he added. "It frees up the ground plaza, makes it more open and more friendly."
He said the company is also in talks with a few players on the cinema scene and a movie theatre could be part of the first phase, but no deal has been finalized.
As the redevelopment's first phase is being touted as the new face to the existing mall by Shape, Kwiatkowski said the theatre will help create a nightlife and draw more top-end restaurants and shops to the site.
The theatre is intended to be part of the plaza's first phase, along with interactive art, water fountains, and the removal of the bus loop.
"When you look at the site, the corner of Lougheed and Willingdon is the urban focal point," Kwiatkowski told the NOW. "As you move away, there's single-family residences and the highest density is going to be at that corner."
The overall anticipated number of residential units is between 2,000 and 4,200 - housing about 8,400 people.
On-site services will be removed this summer, with construction and excavation targeted to start in early 2014.
As for the mall's iconic roofs that look like tents, Kwiatkowski said he doesn't know whether or not they will remain as is.
"It's to be decided," he added. "It's not in the first phase so we're not really thinking about it yet. You talk to one person and they say they love them, then the next says get rid of them. We'll see."
The 28-acre site will be redeveloped over the next 20 years. Shape's portfolio includes 10 projects in B.C. and Alberta totaling 2.6 million square feet of retail space on 295 acres.
For more information, visit www.shapeproperties.com.
