Thousands of jobs will be moving into Burnaby with the arrival of a major distribution hub for Amazon, says the city’s director of planning and building.
Ed Kozak was updating council earlier this month on plans for a new observational platform being built by Oxford Properties in the Riverbend area on the Fraser River as part of a multi-building business development.
When asked who some of the tenants will be, Kozak said Amazon will be taking over about 500,000 square feet of space in building five at 8351 Fraser Reach Court. Kozak said this will be the “primary” distribution hub for Western Canada and will bring “thousands of jobs” to the city.
“This is quite a dynamic vision for a master planned project,” Kozak said about what Oxford is building, adding that K-Bro linens is another tenant.
The Amazon facility will be a multi-level facility. Here’s what Oxford Properties says about the overall project: “Located in the Big Bend area of Burnaby, Riverbend is one of Oxford’s flagship industrial complexes and is the premier infill distribution location providing proximity to Vancouver’s core population,” reads a statement. “The six modern buildings comprise more than 1.3M SF and are designed to adapt to any industry. Along with transportation savings, this next generation logistics park enjoys direct access to riverside walking trails, balancing industrial progress with employee wellness. This multi-storey logistics facility represents the largest available space at Riverbend. Comprising over 707,000 SF across two levels, its flexible design accommodates tenants as small as 70,000 SF. Access to the second floor is via a heated ramp and loading is provided by three separate truck courts with 124 loading doors. Building 5 at Riverbend is the latest evolution in industrial space.”
