[Burnaby] Sovereign | 155.9m | 45fl | Completed

[red-paladin]

The rendering on the fences looks much different than these renderings.
You can see a tiny picture of the top here: http://www.bosaproperties.com/index.php

[SpongeG]

New plans for major development site

By Wanda Chow - Burnaby NewsLeader
Published: September 04, 2010 9:00 AM

Changes to development plans for a major Burnaby intersection will be the subject of a new public hearing Sept. 21.

Rezoning for the 1.62-acre (6,545 square metres) site at the northeast corner of Kingsway and Willingdon Avenue previously received second reading in 2008.

At the time, the development plan proposed a single, 34-story mixed-use highrise tower comprised of nine storeys of offices and 22 storeys of residential over a two-storey commercial podium, according to a city staff report.

The applicant, Bosa Properties Inc., has since submitted a revised plan that calls for a 45-storey mixed-use tower consisting of 202 residential units on 26 storeys, 169 hotel rooms over 13 storeys (with most configured for longer-term stays), three mechanical levels and a three-storey retail podium.

The project would include 6,100 square feet of non-profit space to be owned by city hall, almost 60,000 square feet of retail space and a 28,000-square-foot fitness facility. It will also be built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver standards.

The developer is proposing to fund the one-time lifetime membership fees of the Co-Operative Auto Network (CAN) for owners of the residential units and donate three cars and allocate three parking spaces for the use of CAN.

Of the housing units, 10 will be adaptable to accommodate disabled residents.

The proposed changes to the project “would maintain this site’s strategic commercial value, by providing hotel support for Burnaby’s motion picture, high tech, corporate and tourism industries, furthering Metrotown’s maturation as a regionally significant commercial area,” the report said.

“Development of this key site within the town centre will also result in a signature building that may act as a catalyst for further substantial redevelopment within the area.”

The public hearing will be held Tuesday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. in city hall council chambers.

Three new crossings on way

Burnaby will soon be getting three new crossings to improve pedestrian safety after Burnaby council approved a contract worth $344,568 to Crown Contracting Ltd.

The projects include a pedestrian-activated traffic signal at Willingdon Avenue and Wildwood Crescent/Price Street at a cost of $166,670. Area residents petitioned council for the signal and crosswalk after neighbourhood resident Lana Marcjan was struck and killed by a motorist while walking there a year ago.

...

http://www.bclocalnews.com/greater_v...102190789.html

[red-paladin]

45 Floors wow! I can't wait for this one, I'd be able to see it through my window.

[hollywoodnorth]

this will be great for Metrotown! thx for the post!

[red-paladin]

Does anyone know what happened at the rezoning hearing on the 21st?
I keep checking the Burnaby city hall website but the minutes aren't posted yet.

[officedweller]

Time to change the thread title to 45...

From the Now:

Residents raise concerns about hotel plan
Development near Metrotown would see new hotel and residential tower

By Janaya Fuller-Evans, Burnaby Now
October 6, 2010

A handful of Burnaby residents expressed concerns about a large hotel and residential tower slated for development near Metrotown as part of a public hearing on Sept. 21.

The City of Burnaby hosted the hearing about bylaw rezoning for the development at Willingdon Avenue and Kingsway last month.

Developers plan to build a mixed-use hotel and apartment tower atop a three-storey retail space in the Metrotown Development Plan area.

Four submissions were made by residents of the nearby Dynasty condo tower, at 4505 Hazel St., one from a resident on Bonsor Street and another in North View Court.

The building's height, possible traffic issues on Hazel Street, servicing, emergency and construction access parking and structural stability were some of the issues brought forward by the residents.

Bosa Properties Inc. had previously applied to put in a 34-storey mixed use high-rise atop a two-storey commercial podium on the site in 2008. The plan for the tower included office and residential space.

Bosa cancelled those plans and presented a revised application for a 45-storey mixed-use tower with hotel and apartment space, and a three-storey retail podium.

City staff with the planning and building department responded in a report presented to council at Monday night's meeting.

Regarding the height issue, the development is in line with zoning for the area, which is intended for high-rise commercial and multiple-family residences, according to the report, and it is not obstructing or interfering with any flight paths.

"Overall, the scale of the proposed building is considered appropriate within the regionally designated Town Centre of Metrotown, where higher-density developments are intended to be accommodated," the report stated.

The slender design of the single tower should minimize the impact of the building's shadow on other properties, the report added, and may assist in reducing noise reverberation.

The city report also said the building would meet or exceed B.C. Building Code regulations.

In response to other concerns, the report stated that servicing for the site, such as utilities, would be provided before occupancy permits are issued.

The engineering department will assess whether the development will require the pedestrian signal at Hazel Street and McKay Avenue be upgraded with a new traffic signal, the report said, and added that a proposed residential driveway on Hazel Street would not interfere with other driveways.

As part of the rezoning, Pioneer Avenue will be closed to traffic, but this is part of the original Metrotown development plan, the report stated.

The staff report attempted to address residents' concerns and determined that, despite these concerns, the project is supportable.

The development application includes a commercial fitness facility, streetfront access for non-profit office space (the non-profit space owned by city hall was part of the developer's original proposal), improved street access and plans to build the project to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver standards.

The hotel is intended to support Burnaby's motion picture, high tech, corporate and tourism industries, according to the city manager's report presented to council for the Aug. 30 council meeting.

The hotel would take up 13 storeys of the tower, with 169 rooms, while residential space would take up 26 storeys, with 202 units total, according to the plan.

jfuller-evans@burnabynow.com

© Copyright (c) Burnaby Now

http://www.burnabynow.com/business/R...586/story.html

[Ronnie Yau]

Um, could someone change this thread to 45 floors, please?

[jlousa]

Can someone find the height as well. Has the extra floors been approved at this stage?

[Dylan Leblanc]

The height may not have changed. A 45 storey hotel and residential building could still be 131.4 m.

[SpongeG]

from 34 to 45 storeys without a change in height?

[red-paladin]

Originally Posted by Dylan Leblanc

The height may not have changed. A 45 storey hotel and residential building could still be 131.4 m.

Maybe that is the new height? If it was a 35 storey office building, I could see it being that tall, but it seems too high for a residential building.

[Ronald Jack]

BOSA PROPERTIES has finally given a name to their landmark project in Metrotown. It is THE SOVEREIGN.
Although I don't usually write about real estate in my Runagates Club Blog,
this project does interest me, so I put together an article using info just sent to me by the Sales Manager for the SOVEREIGN, including elevation and a aerial photo of the site.
The article is here:
http://therunagatesclub.blogspot.com...rule-over.html

I am promised some sightline photos and prices soon.
The views from a 45 floor tower, high atop Metrotown Ridge
are sure to be spectacular.

[SpikePhanta]

So the former name Empress is gone!
I enjoyed reading your blog update on this project!
Btw any specific type of retail planned?

[dleung]

Wha... that's the 45-storey landmark everyone's so excited about? Looks like another Yaletown clone, and barely cracks 40-stories. The proportions make it look like it's 30 stories (by vancouver standards)

[Metro-One]

511 feet (156M) will look great sitting on Kingsway and will add a lot to the Metrotown Skyline. I would love to see this get under way in the near future, Burnaby could have itself on out top 11 to 30 u/c list then.

[jlousa]

I merged the new thread with the existing one on the Empress. Once confirmation is received on the new name and height the thread title will be edited to reflect it. We don't need two threads for the same project.

[webster]

"Simply put, there is no high-rise residence that sits higher above sea level anywhere in Greater Vancouver."

i guess SFU are considered mid-rise?

[Ronald Jack]

Originally Posted by SpikePhanta

So the former name Empress is gone!
I enjoyed reading your blog update on this project!
Btw any specific type of retail planned?

I'm glad my blog article is of interest. I am trying to get floor plans
and am promised sight line photos. I did find floorplans for retail at
the base of the tower. On Monday I'll write an update article using
anything that turns up over the weekend.

There was a doubt expressed in this Thread about whether the
name is legally fixed, and if this project is underway. The name is
on the marketiing material, distributed January 3, 2010. I just added
it to my Blog article at http://therunagatesclub.blogspot.com/
In early December City of Burnaby issued permission for a $200,000
prefab Sales Centre on site, which is going in soon.
Since we have Buyers for units in this tower we will follow its
progress intently. And as I wrote, I plan to cover property
issues in the Blog over the coming months.

[officedweller]

Thanks for posting.

I think the term "Estates" was used for the Fairmont Pacific Rim (and maybe Shangri-La. That makes me think it'll be marketed by Rennie.

[vansky]

135 beats the tallest in the area by 1/3, great