The Tsawwassen Town Centre Mall is the subject of a rezoning application that would see it redeveloped into a high-density mixed-use hub, continuing the trend of mall redevelopments that has been seen across the country.
The Tsawwassen Town Centre Mall, originally constructed in 2001, is located at 1219 56 Street in Delta and site of the rezoning proposal also includes 1236 55 Street, 5499 12 Avenue, and an unaddressed parcel between the latter two parcels. The proposal does not include the Shoppers Drug Mart building at 1215 56 Street, which is owned by a different party.
BC Assessment values the parcels at $52,525,000, $1,693,000, $1,509,000, and $4,277,500, for a total valuation of $60,004,500, which dates back to July 1, 2023.
The properties are owned by Century Group — the developer behind the 537-acre Southlands Tsawwassen project and the Century City Holland Park project in Surrey — and the parcels are held under Century Group Lands Corporation and TTC 1236 Holdings Inc.
An overview of the Tsawwassen Town Centre Mall redevelopment plan. / Arcadis IBI Group, Century Group
For the site, comprised of the single-level mall and its surface parking lot, Century Group is proposing four mixed-use residential towers between 21 and 24 storeys that would be situated at each corner of a new internal intersection that would be constructed near the middle of the site. Those four towers would sit atop building podiums that would then extend out towards the edges of the site and house additional residential units as well as commercial space.
As a whole, the proposal includes 1,433 new residential units (80% strata, 15% market rental, and 5% non-market rental), approximately 70,000 sq. ft of commercial space (including 31,000 sq. ft for a grocery store), a new public plaza that spans over 25,000 sq. ft, and 1,833 vehicle parking spaces. Notably, the proposal also includes a new library with over 15,000 sq. ft of space that would replace the existing library located just outside of the northern boundary line of the project site.
As part of the proposal, the four aforementioned parcels would be consolidated and then subdivided into two parcels (a northern parcel and a southern parcel), and the proposed development would unfold across five major phases. The exact sequence of those phases has yet to be finalized.
A rendering of one of the residential edges of the redeveloped site. / Arcadis IBI Group, Century Group
The project has a total proposed floor space ratio of 3.4 and Century Group is seeking to rezone the site from C1 (Core Commercial), CD-332 (Comprehensive Development), and RS1 (Single-Detached Residential) into a new CD zone in order to allow for the proposed uses and density. Under the City of Delta's Official Community Plan, the Tsawwassen Town Centre Mall site is designated as "Urban Centre" and envisioned to serve as a vibrant urban mixed-use hub.
"Our vision for the Tsawassen Town Centre Master Plan (TTMP) is to deliver more than a new Shopping Centre, creating an urban neighbourhood with hundreds of homes over new retail and anchored around a state-of-the art public library," said Century Group in their rezoning application. "Carefully integrated into a setting that prioritizes the pedestrian, TTMP will provide places where Tsawwassen residents can gather, socialize, shop, dine and recreate."
"Particular attention will be paid to placemaking and urban design interventions to help bring vibrant street life to Tsawwassen," they added. "Given the TTMP site's size and location adjacent [to] the nexus of the downtown core, its success will positively influence the form of redevelopment of other parts of sites in Tsawwassen's downtown core in the decades to come."
After receiving the rezoning application in early-October and publishing the application in late-November, the City of Delta will soon set up a series of public information sessions before the proposal is officially considered by Council.
