New YMCA community centre with pool opens at Burquitlam SkyTrain

New YMCA community centre with pool opens next to Burquitlam SkyTrain (PHOTOS)

Bettie Allard YMCA (Concert Properties)

A sizeable new community and recreational centre located near SkyTrain Burquitlam Station has now opened, serving the future residents of the immense densification of the Burquitlam area and the growing needs of the broader Tri-Cities and Burnaby.

The Bettie Allard YMCA opened just last month, wedged between the initial residential towers of the Myriad and 55One redevelopment by Concert Properties.

The three-storey, 55,000 sq ft YMCA facility, located on the Coquitlam side of the Burquitlam area, features an aquatic centre, gymnasium, walking track, fitness gym, fitness class studios, a dedicated Family Centre, community spaces, and a cafe.

You might also like:

“Creating a welcoming, safe and inclusive centre of community is just as important to the YMCA as our high-quality programs and services,” Heidi Worthington, president and CEO of YMCA BC, in a statement.

“Now that we are open, we look forward to welcoming people of all ages, stages, backgrounds and abilities to the Bettie Allard YMCA, supporting their journey to live healthier, happier lives, and providing them with the quality experience they deserve and we expect to deliver at the YMCA.”

Bettie Allard YMCA (Concert Properties)

December 2022 construction of the aquatic centre at Bettie Allard YMCA. (YMCA BC)

In 2016, the City of Coquitlam reached an agreement with Concert Properties to fulfill the area’s community gathering and recreational needs through a partnership with the YMCA of Greater Vancouver.

While the YMCA facility is accessible to everyone, Coquitlam residents are eligible for a special Coquitlam resident reduced access rate, which provides 30 hours per week of aquatic access, and 13 hours per week of fitness access at fees equivalent to Coquitlam rates. Upon opening in mid-January, the facility already had 3,000 members.

In exchange for the rezoning approval to Concert Properties to build eight towers with 2,700 homes on two separate sites in the Burquitlam area, the developer provided about $100 million in public benefits to the municipal government, including a contribution towards the YMCA facility within its primary development site closest to the SkyTrain station.

The YMCA facility also includes a 3,700 sq ft office for a Community Policing Station and an underground parkade with 222 vehicle stalls, including stalls dedicated for a TransLink park-and-ride facility given that the location is just footsteps from the SkyTrain station and bus exchange.

Bettie Allard YMCA (Concert Properties)

Other public benefits entail 2.6 acres of new parkland, including the expansion of Cottonwood Park and a redesigned Burquitlam Park.

“We are tremendously excited to see the Bettie Allard YMCA come to life, and are grateful for our unique partnership between the YMCA and the City of Coquitlam making this facility, and this new transit-oriented, master plan community, possible,” said David Podmore, the chair, president, and CEO of Concert Properties, in a statement.

“The YMCA fills a long-sought need, and combined with the additional housing we are building, this new community will help support the rapidly growing Tri-Cities/Burquitlam neighbourhoods.”

The Concert Properties residential towers immediately adjacent to the YMCA facility entail Myriad, which is a 50-storey tower with 468 condominium homes, and 55One, which is a 32-storey tower with 308 secured purpose-built rental homes, including 100 non-market rental homes.

Myriad is expected to reach completion in 2026, while 55One will be ready for its residents starting this April.

Situated between the transit hub and the YMCA/Myriad/55One complex is the Burquitlam Plaza strip mall, which is eyed by Morguard Investments for redevelopment into six towers up to 53 storeys, containing 2,200 homes and 85,000 sq ft of retail/restaurant uses.

myriad ymca 55one burquitlam concert properties f

Artistic rendering of the Myriad and 55One towers and Bettie Allard YMCA near SkyTrain Burquitlam Station. (Concert Properties)

December 2022 construction of the Myriad and 55One towers and Bettie Allard YMCA. (Concert Properties)

You might also like: