NEWS 3
Diamond heist ends well
NEWS 5
COMMUNITY 13
City makes its case
5
They’re in it for the long haul
THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND FRIDAY JANUARY 15 2016
There’s more at Burnabynow.com
LOCAL NEWS – LOCAL MATTERS
SEE PAGE 15
RIVER KEEPERS AT WORK
Oliver Xie and Lucy Depieri test the water quality in the Brunette River as part of a Citizen Science: Uncover Your Creeks program on Sunday morning. The non-profit environmental group Evergreen offers the programs regularly to give people a chance to learn about the ecology of local watersheds and to help in tasks such as monitoring water quality and removing invasive plants. The programs also take place on the second Saturday of the month at Jim Lorimer Park on Gilmore Avenue. Check out www.tinyurl.com/ UncoverCreeks BBY for the details. PHOTO JENNIFER GAUTHIER
Five ‘community precincts’ planned Dramatic changes in future for Gilmore area By Jeremy Deutsch
jdeutsch@burnabynow.com
Four decades ago, it was a drive-in theatre. And within the next decade, the property around the Gilmore SkyTrain station could be the hub of the Brentwood neighbourhood. On Tuesday, Burnaby residents got their first glimpse
of a major project for the community, as the city hosted a pair of open houses for the public to get more information and to provide feedback on the Gilmore Station Area redevelopment. And what they saw are major plans for the area that includes 1.5 million square-feet of combined retail and office space and a
high-rise development that could reach up to 65 storeys, which would be one of the tallest in the region. The preliminary concept for the Gilmore station area site, which is 12.48 acres in size, is to have five different “community precincts,” each with a distinct and unique architectural and landscape expression.
The Onni Group bought the chunk of property, located around Gilmore Avenue, Dawson Street and Lougheed Highway, a few years back and has big plans including developing 3,000 residential units along with the million-plus square feet of office and commercial space. The plans also include SkyTrain station and plaza upgrades, new cycle paths, open plazas for communi-
ty events and a new northsouth connector for Carleton Avenue. The idea is to have all the shops and services connect directly to the Gilmore station. The developers are projecting the project will lead to 4,000 direct office jobs and 1,500 new retail jobs. And the early feedback from residents trickling into the open house Tuesday was positive.
REALTOR® BJELICA
Making Transitions Smooth 604-619-6263 Cell 604-435-9477 Office vidabjelica@hotmail.com
EvaYuen lives across the street from the property and likes the plans, especially the addition of the plaza and shops. She said she likes the way the development is integrated into the community, noting the shops are needed in the area. “It’s nice they’re adding more for young families,” Yuen told the NOW. Continued on page 8
“Let’s Get Ahead Together”
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