[Surrey] King George Hub | U/C

[GMasterAres]

Oh also on the surface parking point, there is a reason why they will do it that way.

1. Surface Parking is always needed, you won't get rid of cars, sorry

2. Angled is actually less disruptive than parallel. Most people have difficulty parallel parking and it often takes longer and causes more traffic issues than angled because angled you just pull in, back out. Easy. Parallel most people go too far, get a car up their rear, people have to back up, try to go around, Major issues. Add to that a higher incidence rate of fender-benders or parking cars bumping parked cars.

3. It creates a needed comfort buffer between the sidewalk and the road. While the road doesn't look like it will be insanely busy for the first 5 to 10 years I'd imagine, it is still more comfortable than if you are right on the road. The same is done in downtown Vancouver where there are very few major pedestrian roads that don't have a "parking buffer."

4. You fit more parking in with angled than parallel. At least double the spots.

I don't see it as an issue and I actually like angled parking much better than parallel.

[Whalleyboy]

personally i think the parking is fine here myself. Like someone said they will likely have a time limit to park in those spots above ground. which is nice for someone picking someone up from the grocery store or droping there kids off at the theater.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by Whalleyboy

so i was looking at the photos on civic surrey while they say 2 office towers and 3 residential tower. I noticed there is another one right above the drug store in this one photo. So i'm starting to think 3 office towers are going in. That or they are building a new hotel

Yeah, the plans differ from some of the renders.

The leasing plans show 2 office towers and the roadway direct from King George Blvd. and a pedestrian mews from the SkyTrain station.
Doubt they could add a 3rd office tower without demolishing the drug store and half the upper retail tenant (i.e. I don't see a provision for an elevator core through the retail space).

The renders show the 3 office towers and the roadway in an "L" shape leading to 98B.

Personally, I think a direct roadway access to King George (right in, right out) and the pedestrian mews to the station would be less congested, more obvious for drivers to navigate and provide a pleasant pedestrian walkway.

[VanCvl]

The more I think and read about this development the more impressed I am with it. To put it in perspective, this is probably the largest mixed use development ever in Surrey but more importantly, it will have the biggest impact on this area.

The closest thing to this proposal is NewPort Village, which is probably the best suburban redevelopment that Metro has seen.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by invisibleairwaves

Looks awesome. My only concern isn't the height of the buildings along King George (the massive streetwall more than makes up for that), it's the tower-in-the-park-ish look of the residential buildings. Not really appropriate for such a major intersection IMO. Would be nice to have a podium of some sort.

Agreed on the need for a residential podium - it comes across like those two condo towers at Station Square in Burnaby (and once built, the condo ownership structure won't allow renovation/reconstruction in the future without votes from the condo owners)

[Whalleyboy]

Originally Posted by VanCvl

The more I think and read about this development the more impressed I am with it. To put it in perspective, this is probably the largest mixed use development ever in Surrey but more importantly, it will have the biggest impact on this area.

The closest thing to this proposal is NewPort Village, which is probably the best suburban redevelopment that Metro has seen.

i dont know morgan cross is pretty nice. Its got some small office buildings in the area too dont forget.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by trofirhen

Whatever is built, low-rise or high rise, I have a gut feeling we're heading for another "Mississauga of the West." Oh well, nothing's perfect.

Originally Posted by idunno

I'm not so sure about that Trofirhen - the scale of this development is exactly what Missassauga isn't. You just have to look at it. It goes right to the street, involves a walkable internal grid system, and I would say has a lot less 'dead space' than most Missassauga developments. Just check out this one for example http://g.co/maps/9spz9

Boy, hope you're right. That picture of Mississauga has a cold ugly sterility that smacks of Novosibirsk, or such. Surely we can do better.

[MechMike]

Isnt this the old berezan development site? What happened to that?

[Whalleyboy]

It never happened. another failed dream

[Whalleyboy]

just saw they have a rendering now on there site from the fraser hwy side
http://www.loopnet.com/Attachments/3...325030EC22.pdf

[invisibleairwaves]

Originally Posted by Whalleyboy

just saw they have a rendering now on there site from the fraser hwy side
http://www.loopnet.com/Attachments/3...325030EC22.pdf

Ew.

[Whalleyboy]

personally i dont mind it although if they could add green roofs it would make for a much better view when looking out from the towers around the area and king george skytrain station

[invisibleairwaves]

It's not the roof that bothers me, it's the total lack of integration with Fraser Highway. Seriously, what's the deal with the massive setback? And why are we allowing tower-in-the-park buildings at a major intersection next to a Skytrain station? Is Mississauga our model for a pedestrian-oriented downtown core now?

It's a shame, because the King George side is so great. But that's just typical for the "new" Surrey...big ideas, lazy execution.

[SpongeG]

it doesn't look that bad, the set backs aren't bad at all

[logicbomb]

Originally Posted by invisibleairwaves

It's not the roof that bothers me, it's the total lack of integration with Fraser Highway. Seriously, what's the deal with the massive setback? And why are we allowing tower-in-the-park buildings at a major intersection next to a Skytrain station? Is Mississauga our model for a pedestrian-oriented downtown core now?

It's a shame, because the King George side is so great. But that's just typical for the "new" Surrey...big ideas, lazy execution.

I share the same sentiments. Hopefully we at least see some mixed commercial/residential developments in the old Nissan lot in the near future (at the SE corner of Fraser Highway and KGH)

Also find it rather comical how one of the buildings (to the NW) appears to resemble the rear end of a cruiseship.

[GMasterAres]

They haven't even put forward a development request into Surrey so this is quite early and I'm sure set backs and all that stuff will change a bit. As for integration with Fraser Highway, it isn't a road requiring much integration to be honest. Fraser Highway is a major road connection to central Surrey so imo incompatible with major pedestrian access much like in Vancouver you don't have any major through roads with major pedestrian traffic (and no Davie Street isn't a major through road...)

The integration at least from the render seems to make sense to me. Your integration is inside the complex and will be focussed around the new 99a that will cut through the Sky Train to King George (can't see it in the new render). Again remember this is the very edge of "downtown Surrey". I'd be way more critical if this was more central. I do think the "trees" between the road and large sidewalks though may be throwing a few of you off since it isn't downtown Vancouver like. I happen to think it isn't necessarilly a bad thing as it puts a bit of a buffer between the cars traffic and pedestrian traffic. The key is that there isn't a massive wall or tree line between the pedestrians and the buildings themselves and that doesn't look to be the case in the render so it's fine.

I agree on the roofs though. Hopefully it's just a case of bad-texture-renderitus.

[SpongeG]

there are wide sidewalks with trees like that in many yaletown areas, doesn't that look that much different to me

[Whalleyboy]

I'm actually betting the wideness on fraser hwy has to do with surrey requires a greenway route along the skytrain. Instead of setting it in the middle they pushed it out to the side along fraser hwy. which is likely why you see an inner and an outer path way.

[officedweller]

Thanks for posrting.

The greenspace could also be for future widening of Fraser Highway itself. It reminds me of the setback along Lougheed Highway at Madison Centre.

It just occurred to me that the project looks a bit like the "before (existing)" version of Station Square at Metrotown.

[CoryHolmes]

I want my 70-storey tower, dammit.

That being said, this is great news. New buildings for Surrey can be nothing but good.