While the City of Burnaby is mostly focused on developing its four city centres (Metrotown, Edmonds, Brentwood and Lougheed), it is also looking at densifying two other neighbourhoods.
Urban villages are being eyed for the Bainbridge and Lochdale areas. Bainbridge is a no-brainer due to its close proximity to SkyTrain, but I feel that Lochdale too can benefit from this game-changing concept.
Right now, the city is conducting an online survey about its Lochdale plans.
The Lochdale area is located along Hastings Street, west of Burnaby Mountain and the Simon Fraser University campus. The neighbourhood currently includes commercial uses along Hastings Street, surrounded by largely by single-family and two-family residences to the south, low to medium multiple-family residential to the east, and industrial and petrochemical uses to the north.
This area is woefully underdeveloped, with too much emphasis on single-family detached houses on a major transportation corridor.
“The plan will establish a vision and policies to guide the creation of a vibrant mixed-use urban village and shape how this area will redevelop over the mid and long term,” says the city.
In addition to creating a “thriving mixed-use village centre” along Hastings Street, the Lochdale Plan will lay out a range of opportunities for the area, including:
- new public spaces, community services and amenities for residents
- an expanded mix of market and non-market housing options
- the accommodation of regional growth
- local employment opportunities
- change and reinvestment as the existing building stock ages
- resources to assist the shift to more sustainable forms of transportation (walking, transit, cycling)
- the enhancement of the natural environment
- a carbon neutral community by 2050
Two virtual open house workshops were attended by 81 participants in July and August of 2021. Staff said they also received letters and emails outside of the survey and workshops.
During phase two, consideration was given to further expanding the proposed plan boundary. The area includes properties east of Cliff Avenue and north of Lou Moro Park, where there are currently single-family dwellings.
The west expansion area extends to Holdom Avenue and currently includes residential, commercial and institutional uses.
Phase two survey results revealed that 71% of respondents support the expansion area east of Cliff Avenue and north of Lou Moro Park to explore additional ground-orientated housing forms that could be developed incrementally in the areas over the long term.
"Respondents who were opposed to the inclusion of these areas cited concerns about increased density, crime and traffic, and change in existing neighbourhood character," the report stated.
The city says in its report 76% of respondents supported the proposed west expansion.
It’s good to see residents in Lochdale being generally supportive – unlike those in Bainbridge who are doing the whole NIMBY thing to block an urban village development.
This area could use an injection of new amenities, as well as some more affordable housing.
- With files from Jess Balzer
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
