The City of Lougheed

The City of Lougheed is a large shopping centre and mixed-use urban redevelopment in northeast Burnaby, British Columbia, near the Coquitlam boundary. The property was established in 1969 as Lougheed Mall and later became widely known as Lougheed Town Centre. It occupies approximately 16 hectares and is connected directly to the regional SkyTrain network through Lougheed Town Centre station, making it an important retail and transportation destination for Burnaby, Coquitlam, New Westminster and other communities in Metro Vancouver. When it opened on September 24, 1969, the centre included The Bay, Safeway and Woolco as anchor tenants. The opening was notable because the location was the first The Bay store to operate within a shopping-centre setting. Over time, the property expanded and changed its tenant mix. A three-screen Famous Players cinema operated within the complex from the centre's opening until 1991. The former theatre later became a discount second-run cinema operated by Theatre Near You, which continued until 2002; the space was subsequently converted for additional retail use. The shopping centre was expanded in 1986 and underwent a renovation in the early 2000s. Its role began to change substantially after Burnaby adopted a long-term planning framework for the Lougheed Town Centre core area. The master plan, adopted by Burnaby City Council in 2016, envisioned the site as a higher-density, transit-oriented community combining housing, offices, shops, restaurants, services, public spaces and improved pedestrian connections. The redevelopment is being carried out by Shape Properties Corp. in collaboration with the City of Burnaby and project consultants. The rebranded City of Lougheed concept is intended to grow beyond the conventional shopping-centre format. The long-term plan describes up to 23 residential towers, more than 10,000 new homes, approximately 300 shops and restaurants, and more than two hectares of parks and plazas. Development is being delivered in phases, with early work focused on the eastern portion of the site. The first neighbourhood was planned around four residential towers and new retail space. In 2019, the existing food court was replaced by Eateries, a casual dining area designed to signal the transition from Lougheed Town Centre to the City of Lougheed. The centre currently provides a broad range of shopping, dining and personal services, with more than 160 shops and services and approximately 57,100 square metres of floor area according to reference descriptions. The closure of The Bay in December 2023 marked another significant change in the property's traditional department-store anchor structure. Despite this evolution, retail remains integrated with the wider development strategy: the property is positioned as a walkable, transit-accessible town centre rather than solely as an enclosed mall. Its location beside an interchange between SkyTrain's Expo and Millennium lines, together with extensive bus connections, supports a regional customer base and future residential population.

The property now known as The City of Lougheed opened on September 24, 1969, under the name Lougheed Mall. It was established in northeast Burnaby near the Coquitlam border and opened with The Bay, Safeway and Woolco as its principal anchors. The Bay's presence was historically notable because the location was the department store's first shopping-centre outlet. The centre's location later became especially valuable because it stood beside Lougheed Town Centre station, a major interchange in Metro Vancouver's SkyTrain system. Entertainment was part of the original complex. Famous Players operated a three-screen cinema from the opening of the mall until February 1991. After a period of vacancy, the theatre was taken over by Theatre Near You in November 1991 and operated as a discount second-run cinema. That use ended in 2002, when the lease was terminated and the former cinema was renovated for additional retail space. Lougheed Mall expanded in 1986 and received a further renovation in the early 2000s. During this period it functioned primarily as a conventional enclosed shopping centre serving the northeastern part of the metropolitan region. Its tenant base included retail, food, grocery and service businesses, while its transit access and nearby bus connections gave it a customer catchment extending beyond Burnaby. A more fundamental change began with planning for the redevelopment of the Lougheed Town Centre core area. Burnaby City Council adopted the master plan on August 29, 2016. The planning process involved municipal staff, Shape Properties Corp., James KM Cheng Architects and other consultant teams, as well as public open houses and information displays. The plan recast the site as a transit-connected urban community with a mix of housing, employment, retail, services, recreation and public space. It also became the framework for subsequent site-specific rezoning and development applications. The plan received a gold award from the Planning Institute of British Columbia in the City and Urban Areas category for 2016 planning practice. The redevelopment was presented under the City of Lougheed name. Its long-term concept includes up to 23 residential towers, more than 10,000 new homes, around 300 shops and restaurants, and over two hectares of parks and plazas. Development is intended to proceed through multiple phases rather than as a single replacement project. Demolition and construction began on the eastern part of the site, where an initial neighbourhood was planned with four residential towers, new retail and associated public-realm improvements. The project is being completed by Shape Properties Corp., a real estate management, investment and development company. The 2019 opening of Eateries, a new casual dining area, represented an operational and branding transition. It replaced the former food court while the wider property moved from the Lougheed Town Centre identity toward the City of Lougheed concept. The centre continued to provide shopping and services during the broader transformation. The closure of The Bay in December 2023 was another important change, removing an original anchor from the operating tenant mix. Today, the brand represents both the existing shopping and dining destination and a continuing mixed-use redevelopment intended to create a denser, more walkable and transit-oriented town centre.

• 2023

  The Bay location closes

  [1]The City of Lougheeden.wikipedia.org

  The Bay closed its Lougheed location in December, ending the operation of one of the site's original anchors.

• 2019

  Eateries opens

  [1]The City of Lougheeden.wikipedia.org

  A new casual dining area opened in place of the former food court as part of the property's brand and redevelopment transition.

• 2016

  Lougheed Town Centre core-area master plan adopted

  [1]The City of Lougheeden.wikipedia.org

  Burnaby City Council approved a framework for a transit-oriented mixed-use redevelopment of the site and surrounding core area.

• 2002

  Former cinema converted to retail space

  [1]The City of Lougheeden.wikipedia.org

  The discount cinema closed after the lease was terminated, and the former theatre was renovated for additional retail.

• 1991

  Cinema changes operator and format

  [1]The City of Lougheeden.wikipedia.org

  After Famous Players ended its cinema operation, Theatre Near You reopened the former three-screen theatre as a discount second-run cinema.

• 1986

  Shopping centre expansion

  [1]The City of Lougheeden.wikipedia.org

  The centre was expanded as part of its development as a major retail destination in northeast Burnaby.

• 1969

  Lougheed Mall opens

  [1]The City of Lougheeden.wikipedia.org

  The shopping centre opened on September 24 with The Bay, Safeway and Woolco as anchor tenants.

A regional, transit-oriented town centre combining shopping, dining, services, housing and public spaces. The brand's current positioning extends the traditional Lougheed Mall identity into a master-planned mixed-use community intended to support walking, cycling, public transit and a broad range of everyday urban needs.

• Retail · 1969

  Shopping centre retail

  The core offering is a broad collection of shops and services serving everyday and discretionary needs. The centre's retail mix has historically included department-store, grocery, apparel, specialty, beauty and personal-service businesses. The exact tenant roster changes over time as redevelopment phases alter the site.

• Food and beverage · 2019

  Eateries

  Eateries is the casual dining area introduced in 2019 as the replacement for the former food court. It serves as both a food-and-beverage destination and a visible part of the transition from the traditional Lougheed Town Centre shopping-centre format to the City of Lougheed mixed-use concept.

• Mixed-use development · 2016

  City of Lougheed mixed-use community

  The long-term development concept combines residential towers, shops, restaurants, services, parks and plazas on the former shopping-centre site. It is planned as a phased, transit-oriented community with walking, cycling and public-transit access integrated into the retail environment.

• 2019

  Launch EateriesProduct launch

  Background

  The former food court was replaced as the property began implementing the City of Lougheed identity and redevelopment program.

  Action taken

  A new casual dining area called Eateries opened in 2019.

  Aftermath

  Eateries became an early visible element of the centre's shift toward a broader mixed-use, dining-oriented town-centre experience.

  Source

• 2016

  Adopt a transit-oriented mixed-use redevelopment strategyStrategy

  Background

  The existing shopping-centre site was incorporated into Burnaby's planning vision for a town centre offering housing, employment, retail, services and public spaces around rapid transit.

  Action taken

  Burnaby adopted the Lougheed Town Centre core-area master plan, developed with Shape Properties Corp., municipal staff, architects and other consultants. The plan became a guide for later rezoning and site-specific development.

  Aftermath

  The property began transitioning from a conventional mall identity to The City of Lougheed, with phased demolition, new residential development, retail changes and public-realm improvements.

  Source

1. 1The City of Lougheeden.wikipedia.org
2. 2The City of Lougheed official shopping and dining websitethecityoflougheed.com