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  #1  
Old Posted Jun 4, 2009, 2:49 PM
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High St Shopping Centre (Abbtfd) | Completed

Quote:
Massive mall near Abbotsford interchange stirs up debate


By Brian Morton, Vancouver Sun
June 3, 2009


Artist's rendering of a proposed $170-million, 600,000-square-foot shopping mall near Abbotsford's Mount Lehman interchange.
Photograph by: Submitted image, Vancouver Sun files


A new shopping mall planned for an eight-hectare site near Abbotsford's Mount Lehman interchange will be a major retail draw for Fraser Valley residents, according to the city's mayor.

However, environmentalists see the development as the start of a trend that will see green space paved and sprawl spreading up the Fraser Valley along the Trans-Canada Highway, as a consequence of the provincial government's expansion of the highway and doubling of the Port Mann Bridge's capacity.

"The potential regional draw for that centre is enormous," Abbotsford Mayor George Peary said in an interview about the $170-million, 600,000-square-foot Shape Properties development, dubbed Abby Lane.

"It's huge and it's got amazing freeway access. I think this will be the largest mall in the region. It will be relatively easy for people to get there from Langley, Chilliwack and Mission. Millions travel that freeway and they're all potential customers."

Opponents of commercial sprawl say the new plaza is an example of the type of retail they expect will pop up all along the highway because of the provincial government's Gateway Program to add lanes to Highway 1 and double the size of the bridge.

"They're going to sprawl all the way out to Chilliwack," Cathleen Vecchiato of the Fraser Valley Conservation Coalition said in an interview. "It [the expansion] is just putting more people into their cars."

Vecchiato, a Langley resident, said the planned highway and bridge expansion is fuelling a lot of development proposals, a trend she feels is short-sighted.

She said Abby Lane won't be last of its type. She fears that a "big green section" along the highway in Langley and Abbotsford will see more development. "Once it [the highway and bridge expansion] goes in, it will be an excuse to build more."

But Peary sees the shopping mall as another sign that his city is coming of age. He noted that approximately 400,000 people visit the Fraser Valley Trade and Exhibition Centre (Tradex) each year and another 500,000 people fly through Abbotsford International Airport.

The project, which has been given approval in principle by Abbotsford council, will have access off Highway 1 and draw people from as far east as Harrison Hot Springs and Hope. It is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2011 and will have a "trading area" of approximately 262,000 people.

Peary said the shopping centre will be a series of free-standing buildings accessed from the outside and that he's been told by staff that a huge Wal-Mart Supercentre could anchor the development.

There will also be many small and medium-sized retail tenants.

Peary said the mall is the first major development on a green strip beside Highway 1 east of the Mount Lehman interchange, and that other properties there will also be developed. He said the highway access for Abby Lane will be paid for by the developer.

Darren Kwiatkowski, executive vice-president of Shape Properties, said in an interview the project has the largest dollar value the company has ever undertaken.

"Along the Trans-Canada Highway, there's no development of that nature," he added.

Kwiatkowski said the shopping mall will have a "main street" style, with direct access to stores off the development's streets.

He said it will take about 18 months to construct and will have a mixture of small and large retailers and possibly a theatre.

Kwiatkowski refused to say which stores have signed on and declined comment on whether a Wal-Mart Supercentre would be the anchor tenant in a 150,000-square-foot store.

He said the shopping mall would meet the needs of "a wide range of shoppers," and include higher-end family restaurants and fashion stores.

bmorton@vancouversun.com
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

http://www.vancouversun.com/Massive+...966/story.html
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  #2  
Old Posted Jun 4, 2009, 3:14 PM
Kodii Kodii is offline
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I don't think this is a debate at all. The Mt. Lehman location makes sense. I don't think anyone is looking to stick something of this size at the Aldergrove exit (264th), at 232nd or some obscure exit between Abbotsford and Chilliwack. Heck, most of the Abbotsford exits are already commercial centres (Mt. Lehman, Clearbrook, McCallum and Sumas).

For anyone living on the Mt. Lehman side of town (like myself), we often have to go all the way to Sumas or South Fraser Way to get our shopping done. Now we can stick closer to home.
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  #3  
Old Posted Jun 4, 2009, 3:51 PM
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Any residential density as a part of the project, or is it all shopping?
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  #4  
Old Posted Jun 4, 2009, 9:11 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kodii View Post
When looking up the Mt. Lehman interchange, I stumbled upon this, which I was completely unaware of: http://www.shapeproperties.com/publi...west_broch.pdf

This, along with what is already across the street from it, will make Mt Lehman feel a bit more 200th-like.

EDIT: Okay, maybe not quite across the street. There is still a lot between this development and the one that already exists
From the Suburan Updates thread.
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  #5  
Old Posted Jun 4, 2009, 10:03 PM
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kinda makes me think there trying to do what surrey has done with the grandview area
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  #6  
Old Posted Jun 4, 2009, 10:23 PM
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Does Grandview Corners have underground parking?
This one strikes me as better than Village at Park Royal because almost all parking is underground and the buildings come to the lot line.
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  #7  
Old Posted Jun 4, 2009, 10:31 PM
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actually things like the super walmart do have underground parking
and i think the future shop might have some too
plus grandview apparently has 930,000 sq ft of retail space
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  #8  
Old Posted Jun 4, 2009, 10:31 PM
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No, Grandview Corners is typical big box with huge swaths of parking lots to cross or just drive from one store to the next. Only the Southwest portion compares with a more high street approach. With Abby Lane, park your car at one spot, go to as many stores as your heart desires.
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  #9  
Old Posted Jun 4, 2009, 10:34 PM
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also thats not even including whats over on morgan crossing
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  #10  
Old Posted Jun 4, 2009, 10:34 PM
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i've had no problem walking around grandview=S

also to the it being just a typical big box store area i got to say theres a lot there here a list of what i could find

Aldo
BCBG Maxazria
Calvin Klein
Casbah Evolution
Chatters
CIBC
Coast Capital Savings
Cupcakes
EB Games
Extreme
Garage
Crush
Grandview Corners Dental & Wellness
Great Clips
Hallmark
H&M
HMV
Home Depot
Indigo Books
In The Pink @ Home
IRIS Optical
Jack & Jill Ladies Boutique
La Senza/La Senza Girl
La Vie En Rose
Le Chateau
Mark’s Work Wearhouse
Moores Clothing for Men
Moka House Cafe/Bistro
Nail Studio
Pebblecreek Custom Furniture
Pharmasave/Canada Post
Please Mum(Opening April 4)
RW & Co
Scotiabank
Shoe Warehouse
Smart Set
Sony Style
Sterling Shoes
Subway
TD Canada Trust
Telus
The Children’s Place
Tim Horton’s
Tommy Hilfiger
Turner/Geox
ULiquor Store
ULounge
Wal-Mart Supercentre

Last edited by Whalleyboy; Jun 4, 2009 at 10:45 PM.
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  #11  
Old Posted Jun 5, 2009, 12:19 AM
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Here is a visual representation of the site location. There exists sufficient space for the intensified development although many of the homes on Cardinal have for sale signs up on the lawns since unrelated commercial construction has commenced near the Esso gas station (the red roof building near Bluejay Street). Also, the upper right corner near the Old Yale Road curve has been sold for commercial application, although not part of this project.


Last edited by Cypherus; Jun 5, 2009 at 12:52 AM.
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  #12  
Old Posted Jun 5, 2009, 12:41 AM
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Finally Hwy #1 is finally catching up. Nice to another development like Grandview Corners & the 60 stores under construction at Morgan Crossing pop up next to our billion dollar freeway. These developments remind me of the ones I see all over the GTA but with way less surface parking and shorter walking distances between shopping. Totally makes sense, +1 Vancouver/Abbotsford for getting with the 'times'. Hopefully that fresh interchange can handle the traffic this mall will attract.
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  #13  
Old Posted Jun 5, 2009, 1:05 AM
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To me it looks like a smart place for a shopping center. From what the environmentalists are saying one imagines that the mall is being built in an area consisting of nothing but farmland 10/20 kilometers away from any subdivision or other commercial development. Also the mall itself looks quite well designed, it is not 70% surface parking like a typical sprawl mart. Again it seems like people loosing perspective.
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  #14  
Old Posted Jun 5, 2009, 5:20 AM
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there is underground parking at grandview - under wal-mart, and behind where the shops are like tommy hillfigger is 3 levels of parking - but yes most of it is parking lots on the ground
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  #15  
Old Posted Jan 9, 2010, 5:56 AM
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The website for this project appears to have been updated. The new info is that the main anchors of this new mall are a London Drugs and a Wal-Mart Supercentre.

http://www.shapeproperties.com/project_abby.html

It is also renamed "High Street".
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  #16  
Old Posted Jan 11, 2010, 9:47 AM
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It's funny how people seem to keep mentioning that the mall and related developments along the highway corridor are NOT related to the highway's expansion further west.

In a way that's the same as saying there's no conclusive evidence to prove that induced demand will impact proposed road expansion projects.

The truth is... we're seeing the beginning signs of a potentially bad induced demand situation... one that will put strain on roads and require their expansion once again. And that will probably spur even more developments up and down the area.
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  #17  
Old Posted Jan 11, 2010, 11:15 PM
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Pretty smart shopping centre. Nice and dense, I like the concept.
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  #18  
Old Posted Jan 11, 2010, 11:29 PM
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Thank you! Looking at the render posted by Mr.X there is very little surface parking, it is actually a very dense looking suburban shopping center, and it is located in an area that is already commercial and residential.

Again, people here need to travel down the I-5 to see what a true urban sprawl center looks like, where 80% of the land area of the development is parking and there is not a residential housing area within miles of the development.

This will service Abbotsford very well, and many people in Abbtosford will not need to use the highway to access it.

As for those living North of the River, I am willing to bet that the idea of spending 6 dollars on tolls will keep shoppers away from more spur of the moment or frivolous shopping outings. Only will they generally go with a very determined goal in mind (they need tog there to get something specific they can not find near by).

Maybe if downtown Vancouver expanded the underground shopping center and demolished Sears, replacing it with a larger department/multi-level mall shopping center, properly connected with transit, there would not be such a high demand for such shopping centers along highways...
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  #19  
Old Posted Jan 11, 2010, 11:40 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Metro-One View Post
Thank you! Looking at the render posted by Mr.X there is very little surface parking, it is actually a very dense looking suburban shopping center, and it is located in an area that is already commercial and residential.
I think that render is out of date now. It seems to have changed drastically, design-wise. Im just wondering what the date means. Possession for Fall 2011 - - Does that mean they will start construction then or it will be finished then?
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  #20  
Old Posted Jan 12, 2010, 3:14 AM
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What it most likely means it that exterior construction will be done at that time and it will be ready to turn over to tenants for build out. Usually takes an additional 90days before they are ready to open. Not a fan of this type of development but it is market appropriate.
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