A series of major road projects are now underway as part of the new Parkwood Industrial Estates development, located at 5224 88 St.
The industrial project is being delivered by Parkwood 88th Street Property LP, a joint venture between Beedie and Pineland Peat Farms
In 2018, the Beedie Development Group got involved by assuming ownership of the former Pineland Peat site which was to be turned into a major industrial park adjacent to Burns Bog.
Earlier that year, following a public hearing, Delta council granted approval in principle to the Pineland Peat Farms Ltd. application to develop the 66-hectare (163-acre) property into several heavy-industrial lots.
The new zoning permits a range of light and heavy industrial uses such as warehousing, wholesaling and distribution, as well as the sale, repair and rental of a range of products, cold storage, research laboratories, manufacturing and processing industries, fish processing and construction industries. Office operations and eating and drinking establishments are also be permitted.
There is also a long list of specifically excluded uses such as hazardous waste facilities and special waste processing.
The property, which is not in the Agricultural Land Reserve, borders the south side of the Burns Bog conservancy area.
The industrial park will be accessed from 88 Street and to facilitate two-way truck traffic, while the street will be widened.
To mitigate traffic impacts, several other improvements were planned, including a new interchange at Highway 99 and 78 Street, which includes an overpass over Highway 99 at 78 Street with a traffic light at Ladner Trunk Road, as well as a new collector road north of Highway 99 from the new 78 Street overpass to 88 Street.
That project has recently started.
Parkwood will be also be delivering other improvements including a relocation of the Burns Drive roadway to enable direct and continuing parallel traffic to Highway 99 for farm and service vehicles.
The venture will also add new traffic circles with on-ramps and off-ramps at 80 Street and at 88 Street to increase safety, traffic flow and access to Highway 99.
Drivers have been advised of traffic impacts as the project is expected to be complete by December 2026.
Meanwhile, Metro Vancouver is currently updating its 2019 Economic Value of Industrial Lands Study to incorporate the latest data available, including employment counts from the 2021 Census and land uses from the 2020 Regional Industrial Lands Inventory.
The Metro board approved the Regional Industrial Lands Strategy in 2020, setting out 34 actions and recommendations that continue to be implemented.
According to the strategy document, “The Metro Vancouver region is facing a critical shortage of industrial land. Years of steady population and economic growth in the region, ongoing conversion and non-industrial uses of industrial lands, and the constrained geography of the region, have precipitated the challenges facing Metro Vancouver’s industrial land supply.”
To support the development of the strategy, the regional district had commissioned the economic value study documenting the economic value and employment contribution of industrial lands in the region.
