With a mission to inform, empower, celebrate and advocate for British Columbia's current and aspiring business leaders, BCBusiness go behind the headlines and bring readers face to face with the key issues and people driving business in B.C.
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/325830
A N V I L C E N T R E Back when Columbia Street was known as The Golden Mile, Segal's second Field's store was located here. He later bought a department store there called Collister's. During the two-year period of negotiation before the sale, Sekhon drove up and down Columbia Street, and the area, with Segal, who shared his enthusiastic memories of that period. "At one time it was the envy of every other community in B.C.," recalls Segal. "It had a mix of every kind of merchant and interest. The thing that was so superb was the loyalty on the part of the residents. New Westminster was their city. Columbia Street was their street." Now, he sees that energy returning. "When I went through the city, having been absent for 15 years, and I saw all the towers and the influx of residents all within a stone's throw of Columbia Street, I saw that the street is evolving and it will once again become that wonderful relaxing street at the core of the community." Directly across the street from Anvil Centre is Shops at New West, a unique new commercial, retail and cinema development built around the New Westminster SkyTrain station, with three residential towers called Plaza 88. Across Columbia Street from the Anvil Centre is the revitalized River Market, and within walking distance is the Westminster Pier Park, an award-winning nine-acre waterfront amenity. In the resurgence of development in the downtown area, an office tower was a vital component. "For several years we've talked about attracting more employment," says Lisa Spitale, New Westminster's city manager. "We realized that the site itself, along the SkyTrain line, could help fulfill a lot of our economic development strategies." The project is expected to generate about 500 direct jobs and 250 indirect jobs, as local businesses respond to the growing need for goods and services. "Those are significant numbers," Spitale says. "The people working there are going downtown to coffee shops, restaurants, taking art classes, so there's all kinds of spinoff effects." Mark Chambers, the leasing agent from Cushman & Wakefield, helped negotiate the sale of the office tower and is now finding tenants for the space. The confidence of well-known "brand-name" landlords, he says, really helped promote the Anvil Centre. "I think it's a complete game changer for the city of New Westminster," says Chambers. "It's a great tower in a market that really needs one. It's a LEED Gold building, and it's on transit. There's not a lot of opportunities like this for a corporate user who wants to send a strong sustainability message." Along with its forward-thinking environmental design, the building also features large floor plates, great waterfront views and big decks. The city will continue its downtown densification strategy, with up to 20,000 residents expected by 2031. A new elementary school will open in the fall of 2014, and a middle school is also under construction. An additional waterfront park and child care centres are also part of the plan for sustainable and responsible growth. "New Westminster is clearly an area undergoing tremendous revitalization and resurgence," says Blair Fryer, manager of communications and economic development at City of New Westminster. "I've been really proud of the attention and recognition that New Westminster has been getting with all these plans coming to fruition. As a resident of the city I'm impressed on a daily basis by what's happening here." This promotional feature was prepared by BCBusiness magazine's Special Advertising Features Dept. Writer: Marcie Good. For more information contact VP of corporate features John Cochrane at 604-299-7311. Email: jcochrane@canadawide.com P r o m o t e d C o n t e n t Westminster Pier Park features a 600-metre waterfront boardwalk and great viewpoints of the city. p162-167-Anvil Centre .indd 166 2014-05-29 3:47 PM