Guildford Town Centre

Guildford, British Columbia

North facing view of Guildford Town Centre on 152 Street
Country  Canada
Province  British Columbia
Region Lower Mainland
Regional District Metro Vancouver
City Surrey, British Columbia
Government
 • Mayor Linda Hepner
Population
 • Total 59,542
  June 2009
Time zone PST (UTC-8)

Guildford Town Centre is a town centre of Surrey, British Columbia. It is a neighbourhood of Surrey and is known for its retail corridors down 104 Avenue and 152 Street, at the intersection of which is found the 200-store Guildford Town Centre Mall (also known as the Guildford Shopping Centre).

The community is named after Guildford in Surrey, England. Guildford occupies the north-eastern corner of the city of Surrey with its northern border the shores of the Fraser River, its western border extending to roughly 144th Street and the east adjoining the city of Langley at 196th Street. Its southern borders with the neighbourhood of Fleetwood extends roughly to 96th Avenue while its southern border with the neighborhood of Cloverdale extends to roughly 84th and 80th Avenue.

Although its land area is extensive, in local vernacular terms, the Guildford "area" centres roughly around the Guildford Town Centre Mall and its surrounding blocks. According to the 2001 census, the population of Guildford was 50,175. A notable landmark in Guildford is the 86 metre (280 ft) tall flagpole, which had been located at the Expo 86 fairgrounds, and was then the record holder for world's tallest flagpole.[1] It is also home to the Guildford Recreation Centre which is owned and operated by the City of Surrey to serve the recreational needs of local residents. The head office of the Coast Capital Savings credit union was located in Guildford until 2015 when it moved to Whalley.

Guildford Town Centre

Guildford Town Centre circa 2010 before the redevelopment began
Guildford recreation centre - not attached to the mall itself

Guildford Town Centre was built in 1966 and is owned by Ivanhoe Cambridge, a Quebec-based real estate company.

The shopping centre has over 250 stores, services, and restaurants with a gross leasable area of 1,203,584 sq ft and its anchors include Hudson's Bay, Sears, Walmart, London Drugs, Old Navy, and Sport Chek. It is the largest mall south of the Fraser River as well as the second largest in British Columbia.

Movie Theatre

There is also a 12-screen movie theatre run by Landmark Cinemas. On June 27, 2013, Empire Theatres announced that this theatre will be bought by Landmark Cinemas along with 22 others in Western Canada and Ontario.[2] On October 29, 2013, Empire Theatres closed and reopened on October 31, 2013 as Landmark Cinemas. It was run by Famous Players, from its opening in 1986 as a 4-plex. Heavily renovated, which took place throughout 1998, until it opened in November of that year under the SilverCity brand. Famous Players operated this theatre until September 30, 2005 when Cineplex Entertainment was required to sell this theatre.

Anchors

Redevelopment

A three-phase redevelopment project began in June 2010. The first phase, completed on October 28, 2011, included a brand new Walmart Supercentre and two-level parkade. The second and third phases resulted in complete refurbishment of the centre's interior and the construction of a 200,000-square-foot (19,000 m2) expansion on the south side of the existing building to accommodate a 1,034-seat food court and 75 new stores. The expansion opened on August 28, 2013, with the rest of the project completed in fall 2014.[3]

Neighbourhood

The northernmost part of Guildford is also known as Fraser Heights. It is a neighbourhood with a population of about 4,000 people. The residents of Fraser Heights consist mostly of middle to upper-income families and the housing consists of large single family homes. Fraser Heights is on the shores of the Fraser River, with most homes having a view of the Fraser River and Coquitlam mountain. Fraser Heights has a recreation centre, a small shopping centre, and a few schools.

See also

References

  1. ↑ The History of Metropolitan Vancouver - 1987 Chronology
  2. ↑ Landmark Cinemas Of Canada Announces Acquisition Of Twenty Empire Theatres
  3. ↑ "Redevelopment @ Guildford". Retrieved 2011-10-30.

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