Anthem Properties’ announced on Tuesday the acquisition of new 4.4 acre site at 10232 Whalley Blvd on the corner of 102 Avenue. The site is currently occupied by a Toys R’ Us and Dollarama, and is located directly across the street from the developer’s soon-to-be underway ‘Georgetown’ master-planned community – which received preliminary approval for Phase 1 back in April.
In the news release, Anthem notes that they plan on submitting a development application for rezoning of the site in the near future, to allow for a new ‘master-planned residential community’ in line with the City Centre Plan. The site is currently designated ‘Mixed-use / Mid to High-Rise 3.5 FAR’, similar to ‘Georgetown’ across the street, but is likely to see lower towers heights as a transition away from the core to lower density designated lands to the east.
Subject Site within City Centre Plan – designated ‘Mixed-Use / Mid to High Rise 3.5 FAR’Anthem’s proposed ‘Georgetown’ master-planned community on existing Canadian Tire / Save-On Food site
It is unclear whether the new acquisition will become an extension of ‘Georgetown’ or be marketed as a stand-alone development. Also unclear is how the project will fit into the anticipated decade-long phasing of Georgetown’s 7 towers across the street – whether the project will come to market concurrently with one of those phases or be marketed after the build-out of Georgetown.
The first phase of Anthem Properties ‘Georgetown’ development at Whalley Blvd & 102 Ave is heading to Council on Monday for 1st & 2nd readings. The application is seeking Rezoning and Development Permit to allow for a single 30-storey residential tower above a 2-storey podium containing retail and townhouses. The tower will replace an existing A&W restaurant on that corner, and is the first of 7 towers to come as part of a master plan to redevelop the entire site which also contains a Save-On-Foods and Canadian Tire. In total, phase 1 will include 351 residential units, including 9 two-storey townhouses, above 15,435 sq.ft. of ground floor commercial space.
Architectural Design
The Chris Dikeakos Architects designed tower is shaped by its rounded/curved floor plate reflecting the curved nature of Whalley Blvd. Materials will include a glass curtain wall and high quality white metal panels on the podium, glass balconies wrapping the tower, and interspersed spandrel and white painted concrete. A graphic art illustration is contemplated for the glass at the street level. The rooftop mechanical enclosure will be screened by frosted glass, reflecting the rounded geometry of the tower, and be backlit – creating a lighting feature for the crown of the tower.
View from Whalley Blvd looking south-westView from future 102A Ave through site at corner of new Green Lane showing retail podium with townhouses above.View from corner of Whalley Blvd and future 102A Ave through site of retail podium with townhouses above.
Outdoor Amenity Space
A highlight of Phase 1 is the proposed outdoor amenity space to be located on the podium roof. Measuring 22,675 sq. ft., the outdoor amenity to be provided is double the minimum requirement under the sites zoning, and will feature: a sun deck, outdoor fitness and activity space, an outdoor theatre with covered seating area, a great lawn with outdoor lounge area, an outdoor dining room, a dog play area, and a walking/running circuit.
Phase 1 site plan showing expansive outdoor amenity space above the buildings podium
Road Dedications
In addition to the tower and retail podium, phase 1 will also dedicate and construct a new section of 102A Ave through the site, as well as a new north-south green lane to the west of the building. Additional road dedications will be taken along Whalley Blvd and 102 Ave for the widening of each of those streets to a full municipal collector road standard. New grade separated bike lanes will also be created along 102 Ave, Whalley Blvd, and 102A Ave.
Georgetown Master Plan
The ultimate master plan for Georgetown is to subdivide the entire property into 7 lots to allow for a mixed-use, multiple residential and commercial community to be completed over 7 phases. Designed by Vancouver-based CIVITAS Urban Design & Planning, Georgetown will consist of multiple buildings ranging from 6 to 45-storeys, with ground floor commercial space, and a significant public plaza located centrally within the site:
Phase 1: a 30-storey residential high-rise with ground floor commercial Phase 2: a 32-storey and a 31-storey residential high-rise with ground floor commercial Phase 3: a 6-storey residential building with ground floor commercial space centred on a large public plaza Phase 4: a 41-storey residential high-rise Phase 5: a 39-storey residential high-rise with office space Phase 6: a 45-storey residential high-rise with office space Phase 7: a 15-storey mid-rise residential building with ground floor commercial space.
Georgetown Phasing PlanMaster Plan for Georgetown Site
While no timeline is given for the ultimate build-out of the plan, Phase 1 on the south-west corner of the site is expected to begin construction in 2019. This will allow for the existing Save-on-Foods and Canadian Tire to remain in operation on the northern portion of the site in the interim until future phases are developed.
Ground level site plan for Phase 1 showing retail / restaurant unitsLevel 2 site plan for Phase 1 showing rooftop outdoor amenity, townhouses, and tower
Georgetown’s first 30-storey residential tower above grocery at 102 Ave & Whalley Blvd
Anthem Properties’ has given us a first look at the first phase of its much anticipated ‘Georgetown’ development at 102 Avenue between King George Blvd and Whalley Blvd. According to the Fall 2017 Anthem Newsletter, the project, which will include 6 residential towers in total above a mix of office, retail, and townhomes, will begin with a single 30-storey tower above a grocery store and retail at the corner of Whalley Blvd and 102 Avenue. While the render indicates a targeted construction begin date of Summer 2018, it could be more likely 2019 given the project has not yet received preliminary or final approval, and has yet to begin marketing units.
The new tower and retail will replace a standalone A&W restaurant currently on the corner, along with underutilized surface parking. The first phase will also dedicate and construct a new section of 102A Avenue through the site, connecting Whalley Blvd to King George Blvd, and eventually continue west through to the GEC Education Mega Centre and Surrey Central Station. Future phases to the north of 102A will replace the current Save-on-Foods and Canadian Tire stores with a mix of retail, residential, office, townhomes, and plaza space, along with 3 more new streets, including a new section of Central Avenue.
Anthem Properties has revealed a sneak peak of their upcoming Surrey City Centre project at King George Blvd and 102 Avenue. Since submitting a Development Application back in October 2016, a conceptual rendering has since been posted on the Anthem Properties project page, along with a proposed site plan. Details at this time are limited, but what is known is:
The project is described as a 1,500,000 sq.ft. master planned community with a total of 7 residential towers above newly created retail and office spaces.
The current parcel will broken up into 7 new sites, containing a mix of commercial retail, office, and residential uses, with a residential tower on each site.
2 new east-west streets will be introduced (102A Ave and 103 Ave), 1 new north-south street (136A St), and 1 new north-south ‘urban green lane’.
The project is consistent with the City Centre Plan for this area
Conceptual Rendering of future 102A Avenue through site
Existing site containing a Save-On-Foods, Canadian Tire, and A&W
From the conceptual rendering and site plan released, it’s apparent that:
There will be a central plaza at the heart of the development with a public art installation and a full-service restaurant with patio space fronting onto the plaza.
Townhouses will be located towards the north of the site.
Commercial retail units will be located at ground level throughout the development.
An office entrance is shown fronting King George Blvd indicating office uses may be concentrated on upper levels fronting KGB.
Curiously, some brand placement has been shown on the early rendering, including Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo. It is unclear at this time whether this is purely aspirational placement, or if Anthem is eyeing these particular tenants for the development. Uniqlo recently entered the Canadian market in 2016 with 2 stores in Toronto. It is expected that they will also enter the Vancouver market within the next few years, timing right with Anthem’s Surrey City Centre development.
Development Phasing
While the timeline of the project is unclear, it is clear that the project will be developed in phases, likely corresponding with the sites shown on the plan, beginning with Site 1.
Site 1, which is currently under application with the City, is located at the bottom of the property near the corner of 102 Ave and Whalley Blvd. It appears that this site will contain a 30-storey residential tower, ground-level retail, and what looks to be big-box type retail on the 2nd or 3rd floors. Details on the plan indicate the possibly of this being a grocery store, possibly a relocated Save-On-Foods from its existing location to the north on the property.
It is expected that the project could appear before council sometime later this year.
Further to last month’s Anthem Properties announcement, an application has now been submitted by the developer for a 6-tower mixed-use development on the Save-on Foods / Canadian Tire site at 102 Ave between King George Blvd and Whalley Blvd in Surrey City Centre. This differs slightly from details released on Anthem Properties website indicating a 7-Tower project. Details of the application submitted (Project Number 16-0448) are as follows:
Rezoning from CD to CD (based on RMC-135), development permit for six mixed-used high-rise tower buildings, subdivision from one to six properties.
Rezoning from CD to CD (based on RMC-135) to permit development of a 30-storey mixed use building.
Development permit for a 30-storey mixed-used building.
Based on this, it appears Anthem wishes to subdivide the property into 6 parcels for a multi-phased development, starting with a 30-storey mixed-use tower.
While no plans have yet been released, the City Centre road network plan gives an indication of how the site will be parceled, with 2 new roads to run east-west through the large site, and a new urban green lane to run north-south.
Well known Vancouver developer Anthem Properties has recently posted information on their website indicating that they are working on plans for a substaintial redevelopment of a large sitein Surrey City Centre at 13645 102 Avenue. According to the project page on their website, they have revealed that they are working on a new 1,500,000 Sq.Ft. Master planned community which will consist of 7 residential towers above newly created retail and office spaces. While no plans have yet been released, the website indicates that the project is ‘coming soon’ with no timeline given.
At present, the subject site contains a Save-on-Foods, Canadian Tire, and A&W Restaurant, and is mostly covered by a large under-utilized parking lot. Under the City Centre Plan, the site is designated to be broken up by 2 new roads running east-west, as well as a new ‘urban green lane’ running north-south. One of the new roads will be an extension of 102A Avenue, which is set to replace the Surrey Central Bus Loop and be created through other projects in the area such as the SFU expansion and recently announced 50-Storey Education Centre. The other road will be an extension of 103 Avenue which is also being created through developments in the area. The Anthem project will extend both of these streets through to Whalley Blvd in the east, improving both vehicle and pedestrian connectivity in the area.
