The proposal for the Willingdon Lands in Burnaby. / Arcadis IBI Group, Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh, Aquilini
Burnaby City Council have granted final approval to the first Indigenous-owned development project in the city: Kʷasən Village, which is also the largest Indigenous-led development project outside of Vancouver.
Kʷasən Village will be located at 3405 Willingdon Avenue, a 40-acre parcel at the southwest corner of Willingdon Avenue and Canada Way that’s also known as the Willingdon Lands. The site is located directly across the street from BCIT’s Burnaby campus and about midway between the Metrotown neighbourhood and Brentwood neighbourhood.
The project is being undertaken by the Musqueam Indian Band, Tsleil-Waututh Nation, and Aquilini Development, who jointly acquired the property from the Government of British Columbia in 2014 for $57.9 million. BC Assessment currently values the property — which primarily consists of some institutional buildings, parking lots, and greenspace at $233,114,000.
At the northwest corner of the site, along Canada Way, will be the Residential District, which will include six buildings between six and 20 storeys, including building podiums of between six and 10 storeys. This district is “exclusively residential,” “prioritizes ground-floor residential uses,” and “has a quieter, local neighborhood feel,” the developers said in their rezoning application.
The Trade District will then run from the northeast corner of the site, where Canada Way and Willingdon Avenue intersects, down Willingdon Avenue about halfway through the site. This district serves as the “commercial core” of the community and is expected to include a large-format grocery store, smaller retail spaces, restaurant space, cafe space, and some office space, contributing towards a “commercially-activated streetscape.”
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