The former Safeway site in the Edmonds neighbourhood up for redevelopment will be sent to an open house this spring so concerned Burnaby residents can be part of the preliminary concepts and vision.
At Monday night's meeting, council approved the public consultation process for the future redevelopment of the Safeway Distribution Complex and Dairy Plant sites, which comprise the Southgate Neighbourhood Concept.
Developer Ledingham McAllister acquired the 48-acre site on Dec. 15, 2011. While the dairy plant continues to operate within the site under a lease agreement, the food distribution complex has relocated off-site, according to a city planning and building report.
The Southgate site is comprised of four properties: 7650 and 7702 18th St., and 7105 and 7205 11th Ave., which is located in the southeast area of the Edmonds Town Centre.
"The site's recent acquisition presents an opportunity for the city to redefine the site's land use framework and role to achieve community plan objectives contained within the city's official community plan and the Edmonds Town Centre Plan, more specifically," states Lou Pelletier, director of planning and building, in his report to council.
Since 1960, Canada Safeway Ltd. operated the food distribution warehouse for Western Canada. In 1989, the site was expanded to include the current Lucerne Foods Inc. dairy plant.
In February 2011, Safeway relocated the food distribution operations to Langley and made the site available for purchase, according to the staff report.
Last spring, city staff and the new property owner started to work together to draw up an idea of what the site could become under the framework of the official community plan.
The site currently has five industrial-warehouse buildings supported by several smaller facilities and is surrounded by residential neighbourhoods made up of single-and two-family dwellings, as well as a nearby multiple-family, non-market housing development.
"Given the significant size of the site and strategic location within the Edmonds Town Centre, redevelopment of the site presents a unique opportunity to create a truly special place/neighbourhood, one that is inclusive and diverse and fully integrated within the town centre," Pelletier states.
"More significantly still, development of the site requires a contemporary approach to planning, a process that is dynamic and responsive, creative, and inclusive in its engagement of the community and public for input."
James KM Cheng Architecture Inc. was chosen by the property owner to develop key components to guide the visioning and eventual transformation of the site into a new community of neighbourhoods.
"The preliminary vision for the site is a pedestrian-oriented, transit connected community that reflects the natural beauty of Burnaby," Pelletier states. "At its heart is a memorable gathering place comprised of various unique spaces that are accessible to people of all ages and abilities."
The Southgate area is expected to integrate with the nearby neighbourhoods and complement them with diverse housing types with a "broad range" of affordability, according to the report.
One of the community benefits identified is to "improve connectivity to and from the site and surrounding neighbourhood by improving urban trail connections, providing more accessible and convenient connections to transit and designing safe and direct linkages to the Edmonds SkyTrain Station," the report states.
As part of the public notification process, city staff is expected to send out a brochure summarizing the report to Burnaby property owners and residents within the Edmonds Street, Kingsway, Griffiths Drive and Tenth Avenue areas.
The city's website, www.burnaby.ca, will eventually have a spot for the public to post comments and ideas.
