Two excavators were knocking down walls at the former Aldergrove Mall at 272nd Street and Fraser Highway on the weekend, turning the concrete and brick structure into a pile of rubble, and loading the debris into waiting trucks.
It marked the next phase of demolition for the building, after crews spent weeks tearing out material from the interior.
Property owner Janda Group is planning a a mixed-use master-planned development, Aldergrove Town Centre, on the site.
Built in 1976, the mall was home to a large grocery store, retails shops and dozens of small businesses.
By the time it closed down, only a dentist’s office and a dollar store remained.
Once it is completed, the new Aldergrove Town Centre will include three six-storey buildings, with residential condos and ground-level commercial space, a 10-storey tower with four levels of public parking and six levels of residential housing, and a stand-alone two-level daycare.
The first, sold-out phase, features three creekside buildings named after some of Aldergrove’s pioneer families, Jackman, Shortreed and Vanetta.
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Plans include expanding and lighting pathways, adding footbridges and reclaiming green space by replanting native vegetation into the habitat around the adjacent Bertrand Creek area.
Sonny Janda, President of Janda Group, said the goal with the development of Aldergrove Town Centre “has been to keep the core values of the community at heart while helping to facilitate Aldergrove’s future growth.”
Colin Hogan, principal architect of Focus Architecture, said residents have said “that they were looking for ways to connect. Whether it was walkability, bike-friendly pathways or a transit exchange, we identified this recurrent theme, this desire for connectivity.”
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There will be a new bike path through the neighbourhood, to encourage a less vehicle-centric downtown core, as well as a new transit exchange on the west end of the development.
Janda Group’s Marketing Coordinator Alisha Dhillon said “while Langley Township has seen significant population growth over the past ten years, Aldergrove hasn’t been equipped to keep the same pace. This transit exchange has the enormous potential to contribute to the economic vibrancy and sustainability of the community.”
More photos can be viewed at the Langley Advance Times Facebook page.
Is there more to the story? Email: dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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