Much of Metro Vancouver’s future — where residents live, work, and play — will revolve around areas served by SkyTrain stations, where the region is already experiencing its greatest urban transformation projects.

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Buoyed by municipal and regional policies that encourage dense developments around SkyTrain stations, also known as transit-oriented developments, tens of thousands of new homes and millions of sq. ft. of new commercial spaces will be oriented around the region’s rail rapid transit system.

A recent report by commercial real estate firm Avison Young calls these developments, many the size of neighbourhoods and on shopping centre sites, the region’s new urban enclaves.

“With land at a premium, traditional regional shopping centres — most having been built in the car-centric 1960s with expansive parking lots and later connected to regional public transit systems — were identified as unrealized sources of developable land,” reads the report.

“While traditional metrics of valuing shopping centres were based on traffic and sales per square foot, the value of the land — and its potential for redevelopment — rose to prominence in developers’ estimation of its value, particularly in land-constrained markets such as Metro Vancouver.”

The economics of these large-scale types of developments, planned over decades and built over many years, have only become better understood by the local development industry since 2013.

Moreover, public opposition to high-density projects along transit corridors has been relatively limited, compared to the “ferocious” outcry received by infill proposals within low-density residential neighbourhoods.

In accordance to the Metro Vancouver: 2040 Shaping Our Future plan, approved in 2011 and a revision of a similar 1996-approved plan, many of these shopping centres within areas near SkyTrain stations are already designated as regional centres or town centres — commercial nodes and high-growth zones — by Metro Vancouver Regional District and municipal governments.

Over the coming 20 years, the region’s population is expected to climb from 2.57 million today to 3.4 million people by 2041, with the number of jobs growing from 1.34 million to 1.75 million over the same period. A more recent longer term projection forecasts a regional population of up to 4.6 million — larger than the Montreal region’s current population — and 2.1 million jobs by 2050, based on a higher growth scenario.

By focusing a large share of the region’s population and employment growth and new major urban public spaces, community facilities, and cultural amenities around areas well-served by public transit, a far greater proportion of the population will be significantly more likely to get around by walking and riding public transit, effectively reducing the use of private automobiles by way of positive reinforcement.

To date, much of this pattern of growth has been centred within the cities of Vancouver and Burnaby, but increasingly developers and investors are turning to SkyTrain areas across the region.

And the largest of these neighbourhood-scale redevelopments — specifically Brentwood Town Centre, Lougheed Town Centre, Metrotown, and Oakridge Centre — will act as a catalyst for development activity in the surrounding areas and greatly increase the population density around these new urban enclaves.

Dense transit-oriented developments are also expected to sprout around future SkyTrain extensions along Vancouver’s Broadway Corridor and Surrey and Langley’s Fraser Highway Corridor.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of 21 of the largest transit-oriented developments within close proximity to SkyTrain stations:

Oakridge Town Centre (Vancouver)

The redevelopment of the Oakridge Centre mall will serve as the pinnacle of the new density being introduced into Vancouver’s Cambie Corridor.

A 2018-approved master plan for the area framed by 16th Avenue to the north, Ontario Street to the east, Oak Street to the west, and the Fraser River to the south will create 32,000 new homes for approximately 50,000 residents over the coming decades, with the greatest densities located around the four Canada Line stations serving the area.

Major neighbourhood-size redevelopments entail not only Oakridge Centre, but also Pearson Dogwood, Langara Gardens, the old Vancouver Transit Centre, and the old RCMP headquarters on the Heather Street Lands.

Just beyond the station nodes, the Cambie Corridor Plan calls for an outward transition of mid-rise buildings, low-rise buildings, and townhouses.

Oakridge: The Living City

Site: 29-acre redevelopment of Oakridge Centre

29-acre redevelopment of Oakridge Centre SkyTrain access: Oakridge-41st Avenue Station

Oakridge-41st Avenue Station Developer: Westbank

Westbank Lead architect: Henriquez Partners Architects

Henriquez Partners Architects Number of residential towers: 9

9 Number of new homes: 2,600 units

2,600 units Office space: 430,000 sq. ft.

430,000 sq. ft. Retail space: 1 million sq. ft.

Langara Gardens

Site: 21-acre infill development of Langara Gardens, located on the northwest corner of the intersection of Cambie Street and West 57th Avenue

21-acre infill development of Langara Gardens, located on the northwest corner of the intersection of Cambie Street and West 57th Avenue SkyTrain access: Langara-49th Avenue Station (and a possible future 57th Avenue Station)

Langara-49th Avenue Station (and a possible future 57th Avenue Station) Developer: Concert Properties

Concert Properties Lead architect: James Cheng Architects

James Cheng Architects Number of residential towers: 7

7 Number of new homes: 2,100 units

Pearson Dogwood

Site: 25-acre redevelopment of Vancouver Coastal Health’s former Pearson Dogwood property

25-acre redevelopment of Vancouver Coastal Health’s former Pearson Dogwood property SkyTrain access: Langara-49th Avenue Station and Marine Drive Station (and a possible future 57th Avenue Station)

Langara-49th Avenue Station and Marine Drive Station (and a possible future 57th Avenue Station) Developer: ONNI Group

ONNI Group Lead architect: IBI Group

IBI Group Number of new homes: 2,800 units

The recent renovations and capacity upgrades to Metrotown Station provide an indication of the scale of the massive changes Burnaby’s Metrotown Station is expected to see.

Over the long-term, the municipal government’s 2017-approved Metrotown Downtown Plan even envisions the complete demolition and redevelopment of the existing Metropolis at Metrotown indoor mall into a new mixed-use neighbourhood with the street network extended onto the site.

Lower-density areas around the mall have also seen significant new residential tower developments.

Station Square

Site: Redevelopment of the 12-acre Station Square site immediately west of Metropolis at Metrotown

Redevelopment of the 12-acre Station Square site immediately west of Metropolis at Metrotown SkyTrain access: Metrotown Station

Metrotown Station Developer: Anthem Properties and Beedie Living

Anthem Properties and Beedie Living Lead architect: Chris Dikeakos Architects

Chris Dikeakos Architects Number of residential towers: 5

5 Number of new homes: 1,800 units

1,800 units Office and retail space: 450,000 sq. ft.

Concord Metrotown

Site: Northeast corner of the Metropolis at Metrotown shopping mall property, on a nine-acre parcel fronting Kingsway that is currently mainly used as parking

Northeast corner of the Metropolis at Metrotown shopping mall property, on a nine-acre parcel fronting Kingsway that is currently mainly used as parking SkyTrain access : Metrotown Station

: Metrotown Station Developer: Concord

Concord Lead architect: IBI Group

IBI Group Number of residential towers: 7

7 Number of new homes: 1,310 units (Phase 1)

Brentwood Town Centre (Burnaby)

The redevelopment of Brentwood Town Centre shopping mall into The Amazing Brentwood, complete with residential towers and a significant new and refreshed infusion of retail, will “set the tone for Burnaby development in the coming years.”

The first phase of the shopping centre is scheduled for an opening in the fall of 2019, while the second phase is slated to be completed in 2021.

Burnaby’s Brentwood area will also be the location of Metro Vancouver’s new tallest building: a 700-ft-tall residential tower within the Gilmore Place redevelopment will take the title from the region’s current tallest — the 660-ft-tall Shangri-La Hotel in downtown Vancouver.

A proposed 37-storey office tower at Gilmore Place with nearly 700,000 sq. ft. of commercial floor area will also be one of the region’s largest upcoming office developments.

The Amazing Brentwood

Site: 26-acre redevelopment of Brentwood Town Centre shopping mall

26-acre redevelopment of Brentwood Town Centre shopping mall SkyTrain access: Brentwood Town Centre Station

Brentwood Town Centre Station Developer: Shape Properties

Shape Properties Lead architect: James KM Cheng Architects and Stantec Architecture

James KM Cheng Architects and Stantec Architecture Number of residential towers: 11

11 Number of new homes: 6,000 units

6,000 units Office space: 1 million sq. ft.

1 million sq. ft. Retail space: 1.1 million sq. ft.

SOLO District

Site: 6-acre site located immediately southwest from The Amazing Brentwood

6-acre site located immediately southwest from The Amazing Brentwood SkyTrain access: Brentwood Town Centre Station

Brentwood Town Centre Station Developer: Appia Developments

Appia Developments Lead architect: Chris Dikeakos Architects

Chris Dikeakos Architects Number of residential towers: 3

3 Number of new homes: 920 units

920 units Office space: 230,000 sq. ft.

230,000 sq. ft. Retail space: 80,000 sq. ft.

Concord Brentwood

Site: 26-acre redevelopment located southeast of The Amazing Brentwood

26-acre redevelopment located southeast of The Amazing Brentwood SkyTrain access: Brentwood Town Centre Station and Holdom Station

Brentwood Town Centre Station and Holdom Station Developer: Concord

Concord Lead architect: James KM Cheng Architects and Francl Architecture

James KM Cheng Architects and Francl Architecture Number of residential towers: 11

11 Number of new homes: 2,610 units

Gilmore Place

Site: 12-acre redevelopment surrounding Gilmore Station

12-acre redevelopment surrounding Gilmore Station SkyTrain access: Gilmore Station

Gilmore Station Developer: Onni Group

Onni Group Lead architect: IBI Group

IBI Group Number of residential towers: 7

7 Number of new homes: 3,500 units

3,500 units Office space: 1 million sq. ft.

1 million sq. ft. Retail space: 450,000 sq. ft.

Lougheed Town Centre and Burquitlam (Burnaby)

The redevelopment of Lougheed Town Centre shopping mall into the City of Lougheed, with new residences and an expansion of retail and office, will be an immense catalyst for new development in the area and along the North Road corridor between Lougheed Town Centre Station and Burquitlam Station.

The City of Lougheed’s first phase alone will entail 119,000 sq. ft. of new retail space by 2022 and 1,570 new homes by 2023.

Just west of the mall site, there is a proposal to add two towers with over 1,000 rental homes to the Lougheed Village rental housing complex.

And up North Road around Burquitlam Station, Concert Properties’ eight-tower residential redevelopment — including a 50-storey tower — accounts for roughly half of the total number of towers planned or already underway for the area around the SkyTrain station.

The City of Lougheed

Site: 37-acre redevelopment of Lougheed Town Centre shopping mall

37-acre redevelopment of Lougheed Town Centre shopping mall SkyTrain access: Lougheed Town Centre Station

Lougheed Town Centre Station Developer: Shape Properties

Shape Properties Lead architect: James Cheng Architects and GBL Architects

James Cheng Architects and GBL Architects Number of residential towers: 20

20 Number of new homes: 10,000 units

10,000 units Office space: 1 million sq. ft.

1 million sq. ft. Retail space: 1.3 million sq. ft.

SOCO

Site: 6-acre redevelopment at the northeast corner of the intersection of North Road and Delestre Avenue

6-acre redevelopment at the northeast corner of the intersection of North Road and Delestre Avenue SkyTrain access: Lougheed Town Centre Station

Lougheed Town Centre Station Developer: Anthem Properties

Anthem Properties Lead architect: IBI Group

IBI Group Number of residential towers: 5

5 Number of new homes: 1,390 units

Concert Properties-YMCA Burquitlam

Site: Two sites along the North Road corridor

Two sites along the North Road corridor SkyTrain access: Burquitlam Station

Burquitlam Station Developer: Concert Properties

Concert Properties Lead architect: Endall Elliott and Raymond Letkeman Architects

Endall Elliott and Raymond Letkeman Architects Number of residential towers: 8

8 Number of new homes: 2,700 units

Edmonds (Burnaby)

A single redevelopment by Ledingham McAllister will completely transform the Edmonds area, which has been one of the quietest in Burnaby in terms of development activity in recent years.

Southgate City

Site: 51-acre redevelopment of the former Safeway distribution and dairy plant

51-acre redevelopment of the former Safeway distribution and dairy plant SkyTrain access: Edmonds Station

Edmonds Station Developer: Ledingham McAllister

Ledingham McAllister Lead architect: IBI Group

IBI Group Number of residential towers: 20

20 Number of new homes: 6,400 units

6,400 units Office and retail space: 200,000 sq. ft.

Richmond City Centre (Richmond)

Following the completion of the Canada Line a decade ago, transit-oriented developments have sprouted outwards in all directions from the stations along No. 3 Road, including redevelopments of underutilized sites at CF Richmond Centre and a planned massive redevelopment of Lansdowne Centre.

Construction will begin on the CF Richmond Centre redevelopment this year for completion in 2026, and the existing Lansdowne Centre mall will remain fully open until 2025.

This is in addition to a number of smaller, multi-tower projects on other sites near Richmond-Brighouse Station and Lansdowne Station.

Further up the No. 3 Road Corridor, in the area around the intersection of No. 3 Road and Capstan Way, various developers — including Concord, Pinnacle Living, Polygon Homes, and Yuanheng Holdings — are creating new developments that will house up to 16,000 residents upon full completion.

Developers in the Capstan Village area have also provided the City of Richmond and TransLink $32 million to date to build a new Canada Line station at Capstan Way to serve the new residential density.

And further north, just east of Bridgeport Station on the Fraser River waterfront, long-term plans call for the $4-billion development of a vacant 22-acre site (including the site of the Richmond Night Market) into an entertainment district for Richmond, including six high-end hotels, 1.1 million sq. ft. of office space, a large international shopping centre, nightclubs, bars, clubs, theatres, 450,000 sq. ft. convention centre, and 300-slip boat marina.

Live at CF Richmond Centre

Site: Infill development of the parking spaces of the 27-acre CF Richmond Centre shopping mall

Infill development of the parking spaces of the 27-acre CF Richmond Centre shopping mall SkyTrain access: Richmond-Brighouse Station

Richmond-Brighouse Station Developer: Cadillac Fairview and Shape Properties

Cadillac Fairview and Shape Properties Lead architect: GBL Architects

GBL Architects Number of residential towers: 12

12 Number of new homes: 2,000 units

2,000 units Retail space: 420,000 sq. ft.

The Paramount

Site: 3.2-acre property immediately southeast of Richmond-Brighouse Station

3.2-acre property immediately southeast of Richmond-Brighouse Station SkyTrain access: Richmond-Brighouse Station

Richmond-Brighouse Station Developer: Keltic (Brighouse) Development Ltd.

Keltic (Brighouse) Development Ltd. Lead architect: GBL Architects

GBL Architects Number of residential towers: 3

3 Number of new homes: 563 units

563 units Office space: 104,000 sq. ft.

104,000 sq. ft. Retail space: 30,000 sq. ft.

Lansdowne Centre

Site: 50-acre redevelopment of Lansdowne Centre shopping mall

50-acre redevelopment of Lansdowne Centre shopping mall SkyTrain access: Lansdowne Station

Lansdowne Station Developer: Vanprop Investments Ltd. (property owner)

Vanprop Investments Ltd. (property owner) Lead architect: DIALOG Architecture

DIALOG Architecture Number of residential towers: 22

22 Number of new homes: 4,000 units

4,000 units Retail space: 276,000 sq. ft.

Atmosphere

Site: 5-acre property at the southwest corner of No. 3 Road and Alderbridge Way

5-acre property at the southwest corner of No. 3 Road and Alderbridge Way SkyTrain access: Lansdowne Station

Lansdowne Station Developer: South Street Development Group

South Street Development Group Lead architect: GBL Architects

GBL Architects Number of new homes: 670 units

670 units Office space: 65,000 sq. ft.

65,000 sq. ft. Retail space: 71,000 sq. ft.

Surrey City Centre (Surrey)

Currently, Surrey City Centre’s largest development underway is the King George Hub at The Stations — located next to King George Station, on a former parking lot.

A 510,000 sq. ft. office tower addition is planned for Central City shopping mall, which could be redeveloped into towers with a new street grid over the longer term.

But overall development patterns for the future remain unclear following the cancellation of the Surrey Newton-Guildford LRT, which largely serves the emerging city centre area, in favour of a SkyTrain extension along the Fraser Highway from King George Station to Langley Centre.

King George Hub at The Stations

Site: 9-acre site immediately adjacent to King George Station

9-acre site immediately adjacent to King George Station SkyTrain access: King George Station

King George Station Developer: PCI Group

PCI Group Lead architect: MCM Partnership

MCM Partnership Number of new homes: 1,100 units

1,100 units Office space: 320,000 sq. ft.

320,000 sq. ft. Retail space: 134,000 sq. ft.

Georgetown

Site: 10-acre site east of Surrey Central Station

10-acre site east of Surrey Central Station SkyTrain access: Surrey City Centre Station

Surrey City Centre Station Developer: Anthem Properties

Anthem Properties Lead architect: Chris Dikeakos Architects

Chris Dikeakos Architects Number of residential towers: 7

7 Number of new homes: 11,000

11,000 Office and retail space: 180,000 sq. ft.

Park George

Site: Located adjacent to King George Station

Located adjacent to King George Station SkyTrain access: King George Station

King George Station Developer: Concord

Concord Lead architect: DYS Architecture

DYS Architecture Number of residential towers: 2

2 Number of new homes: 676 units

Coquitlam

Morguard Investments and Pension Fund Realty have long-term plans to redevelop the sprawling 60-acre Coquitlam Centre shopping mall property.

This redevelopment is still in the early planning stages, but preliminary plans call for tall residential towers, office space, street front retail, and an entertainment district that could include nightclubs, movie theatres, and live entertainment venues. A 16-acre parcel on the northeast corner of the property — next to Lincoln Station — would be the redevelopment’s first phase.

The Coquitlam Centre redevelopment is deemed to be the core of the City of Coquitlam’s emerging downtown area — a catalyst of the recent Millennium Line Evergreen extension.

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