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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2015
Town Centre update in works Century Group president Sean Hodgins has big plans for outdated shopping centre in heart of Tsawwassen BY
SANDOR GYARMATI
sgyarmati@delta-optimist.com
From grey mall to green heart. That’s the idea behind Century Group president Sean Hodgins’ vision for his Tsawwassen Town Centre Mall, a shopping centre he readily admits is woefully out of date and will be even more so with next year’s opening of a pair of mega malls at the Tsawwassen First Nation. Noting he’s been contemplating major changes for the Town Centre Mall but was prompted to get moving with Tsawwassen Mills and Tsawwassen Commons on their way, Hodgins said over the past few months he has come up with an initial redevelopment concept with the help of a consultant and a series of studies. Saying changes are long overdue for the primarily asphalt-covered site, the new “green vision” involves increasing the building site coverage from 27 per cent to over 50 per cent. The idea is to change the 10-acre site at the northwest corner of 56th Street and 12th Avenue “from suburban mall to mixed-use neighbourhood.” Parking would be about the same but underground, which he said is made easier by the natural slope of the site. It’s expected five buildings would be added, most of which would be four- to sixstorey structures that have retail at ground level and condos above as well as a 12- to 20-storey concrete residential tower. In total, about 500 new condos in the 800- to 1,000-square-foot range are proposed. The site would also be linked with a series of pathways and
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SANDOR GYARMATI
Century Group president Sean Hodgins would like to see the Tsawwassen Town Centre Mall redeveloped into a mixed-use neighbourhood, complete with a green heart and a residential tower. gathering plazas, a park and central fountain. “For this entire site we really want to change the enclosed mall concept to street front retail,” Hodgins said. He recently talked with Delta
councillors at an informal meeting to let them know what he has in mind. Hodgins also met with his tenants last week to explain the multi-phased development idea. The existing mall has plenty of
vacancies. He told the Optimist the plan revolves around a larger Thrifty Foods, although he’s still in discussion with Sobeys, Thrifty Foods’ owner, and no deal has been reached.
The current plan would see thetotal amount of retail space at the site be reduced by about 20,000 square feet to around 112,000 square feet. See TOWN CENTRE page 3
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