Colwood City Centre Heating Up

(Rendering by MCM Partnership showing the project as originally conceived in 2007)

(Image from City Centre Colwood website)

(Image from City Centre Colwood website)

(Image from City Centre Colwood website)

Colwood, British Columbus is a city located on Vancouver Island about 275 miles north of Portland, Oregon and 90 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Colwood City Centre is a project originally proposed in 2007 but was shelved as the economy began to sour.  It was announced recently work will finally begin on the reported $1.0 billion project and construction is expected to start in September.

The 14.25 acre property will be developed over the next 15 to 20 years depending on market demand and will eventually be home to 2,200 condominium units in multiple mid-rise and high rise towers, over 200,000 sf of retail and restaurants, and significant amount of office space (not yet determined).  Total build out of the project is expected to be more than 3 million sf. Developers hope Colwood City Centre will become the western urban hub of the island and is currently reported to be one of the top three single-site projects in Canada.


MCM Partnership (Vancouver, British Columbia) is the architect for the project and it is being developed by Turner Lane Development Corporation (Victoria, British Columbia).  Financing the project is League Assets Corp also of Canada.


Again, its great to see stalled projects make their way off the boards and back into the headlines.  I know from my personal experience as well as talking with other Architecture and Design firms, many are very busy which means future project announcements are sure to come in the coming months and perhaps some sustainable growth in the real estate/retail development sector.


Here is a article from the Vancouver Sun:
Condo, Retail Development in Colwood Nearing Launch


And here is a statement from League Assets Corp from September 2010:
Colwood City Centre:  Full Steam Ahead


(Mouse over these books for details)
  

Hunters Point Naval Shipyard is a Go

(Photos from Lennar Urban)

I blogged recently about South Weymouth Naval Air Station and the plans to convert that closed government facility to Southfield - a 1,500 acre mixed development south of Boston.

San Francisco has just approved the redevelopment of the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, a similar project to Southfield, located just north of San Bruno Mountain State Park on San Francisco’s Bay.  This site has been undergoing 20 years of environmental cleanup that started several years after the base was closed in 1974. Because of the toxic nature of the site, $700 million dollars in Superfund dollars were used to bring the site to EPA standards.

The new 700 acre development will be completed in two phases on one of the last large tracts of land in the San Francisco Bay area ; Parcel A will be a 63 acre neighborhood that will include 1,400 homes, 25 acres of parkland, and over 9,000 sf of retail and commercial space.

Phase II, dubbed Candlestick-HP II will include 10,500 homes, 300 acres of parks and recreation areas, two million sf of retail and commercial as well as a potential future site for the new San Francisco 49ers stadium and a green technology research hub.

Lennar Urban, the developer of the project plans a total investment for both phases of almost $8 Billion and 10 to 20 years to complete.

Read more about Hunters Point:

Associated Press

San Francisco Approves Giant Redevelopment Project

The Bay Citizen

SF Board Says "Yes" to Lennar

2008 Hunters Point Urban Design Plan