2,500 homes in 5 towers proposed for Telus "Boot" site on Boundary Road

2,500 homes in five new towers proposed for Telus "Boot" site on Boundary Road in Burnaby (RENDERINGS)

Artistic rendering of Central Park Commons at the Telus Boot at 3777-3791 Kingsway, Burnaby. (Arcadis/PC Urban)

For nearly half a century, the Telus “Boot” office tower at the northeast corner of the intersection of Boundary Road and Kingsway in Burnaby has served as a visual landmark from great distances.

The 1976-built, L-shaped, 21-storey office tower was originally constructed for the headquarters office of BC-Tel, now known as Telus. To this day, the Telus Brian Canfield Centre is still one of Metro Vancouver’s single largest office buildings.

It is a clear marker for the Vancouver-Burnaby municipal boundary, but a potential major mixed-use development on the site could reimagine this “western gateway” into Burnaby by further reinforcing it through renewal.

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Local developer PC Urban is proposing a major mixed-use, infill development of the Boot’s surrounding lands on the 6.6-acre, triangular-shaped lot at 3777-3791 Kingsway, providing the site’s office uses with a very significant residential addition, including a major secured purpose-built rental housing component.

The developer first made public their intentions to pursue a sizeable infill development in October 2020, and they have released more information on Central Park Commons — the name of the project — as of today.

Central Park Commons Telus Boot 3777-3791 Kingsway Burnaby

Site of Central Park Commons at the Telus Boot at 3777-3791 Kingsway, Burnaby. (Arcadis/PC Urban)

Existing condition:

Existing condition of the Telus Boot at 3777-3791 Kingsway, Burnaby. (Google Maps)

Telus Boot 3777-3791 Kingsway Burnaby 11

Existing condition of the Telus Boot at 3777-3791 Kingsway, Burnaby. (Google Maps)

Future condition:

Artistic rendering of Central Park Commons at the Telus Boot at 3777-3791 Kingsway, Burnaby. (Arcadis/PC Urban)

Central Park Commons will consist of five new additional towers with residential uses — reaching 31, 36, 53, 58, and 63 storeys in height.

The three tallest towers will be located on the northern side — on the footprints of the north surface vehicle parking lot, and the Boot’s existing 10-storey office base podium fronting Boundary Road. The existing main 21-storey Boot office tower at the corner with the prominent intersection will be retained and integrated with the new development.

The demolition of the 10-storey office base podium fronting Boundary Road will reduce the site’s total office space from about 687,000 sq ft to 512,000 sq ft.

The tallest tower will be located downhill at the site’s lowest elevation point, next to Boundary Road’s intersection with Vanness Avenue. It will be roughly more than twice the height of The Boot, and about two times taller than the relatively new residential towers across the street on the Vancouver side of Boundary Road. The existing towers on the Vancouver side were intentionally designed to match the height of the Boot, in accordance to the City of Vancouver’s urban design preferences.

Telus Boot has even provided design inspiration for projects as far away as next to SkyTrain Joyce-Collingwood Station, where Intracorp Homes recently applied to the City of Vancouver to build a pair of rental housing towers with a facade that mimics the Burnaby tower’s white bands.

Existing condition:

Telus Boot’s existing 10-storey office base podium fronting Boundary Road will be demolished for the footprint of three of the five new towers. (Google Maps)

Existing condition of the Telus Boot at 3777-3791 Kingsway, Burnaby. (Google Maps)

Future condition:

Site plan of Central Park Commons at the Telus Boot at 3777-3791 Kingsway, Burnaby, with the building heights and phasing depicted. (Arcadis/PC Urban)

The remaining two new shorter towers will replace an existing surface vehicle parking lot fronting Kingsway, immediately east of the retained office tower — an area that is the easternmost corner of the entire lot.

When viewed from the south at Swangard Stadium and Central Park, the two new shorter towers carry an architectural form that resembles a contemporary interpretation of the Boot, effectively providing the site with a “second Boot.”

The facade of the base podium levels of these two residential towers will visually seamlessly integrate into the 21-storey office tower’s base podium by replicating the distinctive long, white bands.

Existing condition:

Existing condition of the Telus Boot at 3777-3791 Kingsway, Burnaby. (Google Maps)

Future condition:

Artistic rendering of Central Park Commons at the Telus Boot at 3777-3791 Kingsway, Burnaby. (Arcadis/PC Urban)

As well, the base podium of these Kingsway residential towers will have an opening at ground level to enable a roadway to cut through into the site.

“The site will be a space that is inviting, inclusive, and creates a distinct sense of arrival as people approach Burnaby and Metrotown from Kingsway or Boundary Road,” reads the design principles by architectural firm Arcadis (IBI Group).

“The hilltop location and landmark towers will reflect the significance of the site as an economic driver and community hub in Burnaby’s Metrotown downtown area.”

Artistic rendering of Central Park Commons at the Telus Boot at 3777-3791 Kingsway, Burnaby. (Arcadis/PC Urban)

The five new towers will contain a combined total of over 2,500 homes, including 950 secured purpose-built rental homes — 700 market rental units and 250 affordable rental units — and 1,550 market condominium homes. Over 40% of the homes will be designed for families, which is defined as units with two or more bedrooms.

Along the ground level of the new structures on both the Boundary Road and Kingsway frontages, there will be a total of about 48,000 sq ft of retail/restaurant uses to help activate the street. This includes space for a flagship retail tenant fronting Boundary Road, such as a potential grocery store.

Central Park Commons’ concept also sets aside 35,000 sq ft of public open space with public art being key features.

Existing condition:

Existing condition of the Telus Boot at 3777-3791 Kingsway, Burnaby. (Google Maps)

Future condition:

Artistic rendering of Central Park Commons at the Telus Boot at 3777-3791 Kingsway, Burnaby. (Arcadis/PC Urban)

Site plan of Central Park Commons at the Telus Boot at 3777-3791 Kingsway, Burnaby. (Arcadis/PC Urban)

The Boot’s existing pedestrian overpass over Kingsway will be retained and upgraded. Using the pedestrian overpass and the BC Parkway pathway, the site is about a 13-minute walk to SkyTrain Patterson Station in the east. The City of Burnaby already has standalone plans to significantly improve the BC Parkway throughout the Metrotown area between Central Park’s Kingsway edge — where the Boot is located — and SkyTrain Royal Oak Station.

As well, SkyTrain Joyce-Collingwood Station is about a 15-minute walk to the west, and the development site is served by frequent bus routes.

It should also be noted that when SkyTrain Expo Line was built in the 1980s, the elevated guideway segment immediately north of the Boot was designed in a way to enable the future construction of a potential Boundary Road Station. Such a complex investment involving TransLink and many other entities is not being considered at this time.

The proposal for Central Park Commons is still in the early stages, but it aligns with the City of Burnaby’s 2017-approved Metrotown Downtown Plan, with this particular site deemed to be a part of the Central Park North neighbourhood.

It is anticipated Burnaby City Council’s initial consideration and public hearing for the application will be conducted in Fall 2023, and the final reviews for approval could be achieved in the middle of 2024.

Artistic rendering of Central Park Commons at the Telus Boot at 3777-3791 Kingsway, Burnaby. (Arcadis/PC Urban)

Brian Canfield Centre 3777 Kingsway Burnaby The Boot Telus

Site of the Telus Brian Canfield Centre, also known as “The Boot,” at 3777 Kingsway, Burnaby. (Google Maps)

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