Lansdowne Unveils Concept of Massive Redevelopment
The future of the 50-acre Lansdowne Centre property is slowly taking shape, at least on paper and in the minds of the design team
Vanprop Investments, which bought the property from the Woodward family in 1983, has launched a website (lansdownedistrict.com), which for the first time shows conceptual drawings of the massive downtown Richmond property along with details of the overall vision for the area.
The owner’s vision is to “revitalize a vital piece of Richmond’s history to build an enduring legacy,” the website says.
“Lansdowne will meet Richmond’s challenge to create homes, jobs, shopping, parks and other amenities—a vibrant and complete community,” the website says.
According to artist’s renderings, the high rises will serve as a dramatic and distinctive addition to Richmond’s skyline, boasting plenty of glass, curves, undulating lines and non-symmetrical, terraced features.
The site will include parks, plazas, promenades and “everything to make a community complete.”
As far as housing goes, the site will offer housing choices for “all stages of life: from children and young families to empty nesters and seniors, in a well-planned, amenity-rich, mixed-use transit oriented and sustainable community.”
To address sustainability issues, the development will be “energy efficient” and will feature “naturalized stormwater management” and be both “green and ecologically resilient.”
From a design perspective, the goal is to achieve design excellence and establish a “unique Richmond style and a high standards of architectural distinction,” the website says.
When could construction begin?
If Richmond City Hall approves the plan this year, then the rezoning and development proposal process would begin that might allow for the phased construction to start on the first residential project by late 2019 or early 2020.
Current plans call for the existing Lansdowne Centre shopping mall to remain in full operation until 2025 “and possibly longer,” the website says.
When construction does begin, that will occur in phases starting at the east end of the property close to Kwantlen Polytechnic University, which would allow the mall to “continue to thrive and evolve, as it has in the past four decades.”
Vanprop is currently “drafting a Master Plan that we hope will, indeed, serve the community of Richmond, enhance the environment, strengthen the economy and create a lasting legacy.”
The current plan calls for a five-acre park that’s visible from Lansdowne Road, as well as a grand civic plaza that would sit adjacent to the Lansdowne station of the Canada Line.
When the site is complete, it will include 24 new towers, including two office towers, and a community or recreation centre adjacent to the proposed civic plaza “gathering place” at the corner of No. 3 Road and Lansdowne.
Updates will be posted on the new website, but the public is invited to asked questions via email to: hello@lansdownedistrict.com
An information centre has been opened inside the mall, with scheduled public information meetings occurring on Feb. 17 & Feb. 22.
Source: Richmond Sentinel: http://www.richmondsentinel.ca/Lateststories/2167/lansdowne-unveils-concept-plans-of-massive-redevelopment
Author: Martin van den Hemel
Date: January 2018