Burnaby council has unanimously approved the redevelopment of the BC Tel “Boot” into more than 2,500 homes across five towers.
The historic Boot landmark, a 21-storey modernist office building built in the 1970s, home to BC Tel (now Telus), will be retained and refurbished, according to a 2023 city report on the development plans.
The plan for 3777 and 3791 Kingsway includes two highrise towers along Kingsway with more than 700 market rental homes and three highrise strata condo towers with non-market rental and commercial/retail podiums with about 1,811 homes, including 252 below-market rental units.
The project is now developed through a partnership between Anthem Properties and Crestpoint Real Estate Investments Ltd. after H&R REIT sold its 50 per cent ownership interest to Crestpoint last year in an $82.5-million deal.
The development will be completed in two phases, according to the report.
The first phase (Kingsway South) will include two highrise rental buildings at 31 and 38 storeys with ground-level commercial retail units.
Phase 1a will see the northern portion of the existing office building demolished, followed by the refurbishment of the Boot’s façade.
The developer will update the L-shaped terraced building to ensure it is “more closely aligned with building code and safety standards.”
The second phase (Boundary North) will be made up of three highrise strata condo buildings, with one of the towers including non-market rental apartments required by city bylaw.
Staff said the timing of Phase 2 is “unknown and may be impacted by market conditions,” which means it is “more conceptual in nature” and the specifics may be revised in a future development application.
“Given the many years it is anticipated to complete the first phase of development, (the developer) may choose to refine the mix and number of units or increase the office and retail component to better reflect market conditions,” said the report, noting any changes must meet various city requirements.
The report said the proposed phasing allows for the 724 market rentals to be built upfront “while preserving a degree of flexibility for the future phase.”
Phase 1 (Kingsway South) – 724 rental units total
- Tower 4: up to 31 storeys
- Tower 5: up to 38 storeys
- Parking would include more than 400 total spaces, in addition to the existing 364 existing spaces for the BC Tel building.
Phase 2 (Boundary North) – early concepts indicate about 1,811 units (including 252 below-market rental units)
- Tower 1: Up to 64 storeys
- Tower 2: Up to 60 storeys
- Tower 3: Up to 52 storeys
- Specific parking counts will be determined at a later date.
The 2023 report proposed a new signalized intersection at Kingsway access to help east-west movement and minimize additional traffic on Boundary Road. The intersection would also help access into Swangard Stadium and Central Park.
The report noted the developer at the time and city staff both expressed interest in constructing a new SkyTrain station on the site. Staff will report independently to council if it is possible.
(More than 40 years ago, Burnaby staff tentatively planned for a SkyTrain station at the BC Tel site called Smith Avenue Station as an “alternative” station to Patterson, according to a city report from 1980. The report noted Patterson was the preferred option, though an earlier development plan suggested both.)
The Boot redevelopment is expected to include “extensive community facilities,” including fitness centres, meeting rooms, games rooms, lounges, a wellness spa and pool on Level 3 of Phase 1.
The first phase will also include an outdoor amenity space and ground-level dog run.
The second phase has a proposed shared amenity podium where residents of the three towers would have access to a children’s play area, dog run, pool and outdoor seating.
