An abandoned shopping mall in the heart of downtown Aldergrove in Langley Township will finally be demolished to make way for a village-style redevelopment called Aldergrove Town Centre.
The mall, built in 1970s, used to be a bustling hub, complete with a grocery store, shops and services. However, the mall has fallen on hard times in a changing marketplace, with only a dentist and a dollar store remaining today.
The developer of the future Aldergrove Town Centre, Janda Group, purchased the property in 2008 and plans to redevelop the property with three, six-storey buildings with condo units and commercial space on the ground floor, as well as a 10-storey tower with a parking garage on the lower floors and residential above. This first phase will also include a daycare, with plans for more residential in additional phases.
Now that Langley Township has approved the demolition permit, construction is expected to begin soon. Part of the plan also involves revitalizing the adjacent Bertrand Creek.
“Residents continued to tell us 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,” commented Colin Hogan, principal architect of Focus Architecture.
There will also be a new transit exchange on the west end of the development, and a bike path through the project to encourage alternative modes of transportation in the car-centric township.
“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,” says Alisha Dhillon, marketing coordinator at Janda Group.
