Citynow Condo project could cause flooding, residents fear

LaurenVanderdeen lvanderdeen@burnabynow com

Neighbours of a proposed Brentwood development in Burnaby are worried the massive project could cause flooding and settling.

The four-tower Emerald Place development at 2300 Madison Ave., developed by Polygon Homes, includes plans for about 1,460 new homes and five to six levels of underground parking with 1,466 parking spots.

But the strata council of the condo next door wants a guarantee the construction would not lead to ground settling or flooding

At a public hearing on May 30, Fulton House strata council member Sophia Quiring spoke on behalf of residents at 2388 Madison Ave

Quiring said her neighbours have concerns about flooding in the neighbourhood, especially near the 64-storey development Gilmore Place

“We have Gilmore Place with significant settling and so many problems happening,” Quiring told council. “We already have problems with water in the area; we have to watch it very carefully.”

The City of Burnaby is currently suing Gilmore Place developer Onni Group, as well as its architect, structural engineers and geotechnical consultant, for “cracking and deformation” of city side- walks and streets allegedly caused by the Gilmore Place excavation and pile driving

Ed Kozak, the city’s general manager of planning and development, said the city’s role is to ensure the developer follows through on the consulting engineers’ recommendations.

Polygon’s vice-president of development, Brian Ellis, said the company has experience developing in the neighbourhood, as it developed Fulton House next door to the Emerald Place site Coun. Alison Gu asked if the city could discuss digging less deeply than five or six levels for underground parking to “proactively mitigate” affecting the water table.

Kozak said the city requires the developer not to draw down the water table during or after construction and the developer must demonstrate that before they can get a building permit

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