North Vancouver residents sick of seeing a defunct bus depot sit mostly empty for years will be pleased to learn of new plans to redevelop the site.
TransLink said it’s exploring development options at 502-535 Third St. East, former home of the North Vancouver Transit Centre.
The regional transit authority said it has started engaging with residents in the area, and has handed out notices explaining plans to transform the site.
“This is part of TransLink’s real estate development program, which will generate long-term revenues for transit services through mixed-use real estate developments,” TransLink told the North Shore News by email.
“It’s early days in terms of planning – the project is in the preliminary design phase. As such, timelines and project details have not been finalized,” the authority said.
No formal application has yet been submitted to the City of North Vancouver.
Pop-up garden centre at defunct depot criticized by North Van business community
Whatever is suggested to be built at the site is sure to draw the attention of the neighbouring community.
When plans to close the bus depot emerged more than a decade ago, city council pushed back against the move, arguing that losing the local depot could pose a risk to riders if the nearby bridges shut down.
But TransLink decommissioned the site in August 2016, moving the buses to the Burnaby Transit Centre on Kitchener Street near Boundary Road.
At the time, TransLink estimated that building a new facility would cost an unfeasible sum of $100 million, and consolidating it with the Burnaby depot would save $20 million over 10 years.
In the event of catastrophe, West Vancouver’s Blue Buses, which operate out of a facility off Lloyd Avenue in North Van, could provide service, the transit authority said at the time.
The former depot drew more controversy in 2022, when the community learned that the lot would host a pop-up location for Urban Roots Garden Market. Local businesses said the low-commitment nature of the pop-up gave Urban Roots an unfair advantage, and that longer-term operators provide more value.
Currently, the site is home to a National Car Rental location as well as two car dealerships.
On July 29 of this year, Vancouver city council approved a mixed-use highrise project at Broadway and Arbutus, TransLink’s first real estate development to get a green light.
