Sean Hodgins isn’t expecting to set another record for longest public consultation on a real estate development with his company’s multi-tower Tsawwassen Town Centre Mall plan, but he does expect plenty of discussion among planners and residents in Delta, B.C. 

“This would be a dramatic change in the character of the community. There’s no doubt about it,” the president of Century Group told RENX. 

Hodgins' development company has submitted an application to build four mixed-use residential towers up to 24 storeys on separate podiums at the intersection of a proposed new local street network. The location, at 12 Avenue and 56 Street, is at the centre of Delta — a small city of about 23,000 people in Metro Vancouver situated near the U.S. border.

The proposal also aims to construct lowrise residential buildings and podiums, of between five and six storeys, at the peripheries of the site. 

The development would replace the existing single-storey auto-oriented strip mall, a grocery store and ancillary parking lots, according to the proposal posted on the City of Delta site. 

Century Group has owned the property since the 1970s, Hodgins told RENX. 

Century Group is well known in the region as the developer behind Southlands, a master-planned, mixed-use agrihood now expanding just east of downtown Tsawwassen, next to Boundary Bay. An earlier version of Southlands is legendary in Delta as having Canada's longest-ever public hearing process.

Hodgins notes many people have changed their minds about Southlands today. 

Transformative projects can spark fear of change

There tends to be a fear of change when it comes to transformative developments like this, Hodgins says.

"This will probably be another example," he said, noting that he understands those feelings and doesn't dismiss them. He said he intends “participate in sort of a passive way” as an information provider during the permissions process with the town centre project. 

The Tsawwassen project would, if fully approved as proposed, add 1,433 homes including a mix of condos, market and non-market rental to the site. It would also provide 71,000 square feet of commercial space, including a 31,000-square-foot grocery store. 

The proposed development would consist of five phases across two, separate legal parcels with approximately 1,833 underground vehicle parking stalls.

Hodgins said the plan also has community contributions, including construction of a new library at the site and a “mobility hub” along 56 Street. The proposed mobility hub would incorporate features intended to encourage alternative transportation modes, including bike storage, transit pass machines, and car share. 

The proposed library would spill out onto a publicly accessible central plaza to the west, creating an outdoor gathering space for the community. 

Making Delta's town core more walkable 

One of the goals, Hodgins says, is to help make downtown Tsawwassen more walkable and reduce its character as a car-oriented shopping and parking neighbourhood. 

"It's really about trying to create an urban neighborhood where people will live and shop . . . (in) a very walkable core," Hodgins said. "(That) is very much the trend that we're trying to create in our suburban community."

After owning the site for several decades, recent policy changes spurred Century Group to action now, Hodgins said. 

This summer, Delta approved an updated official community plan that named Tsawwassen Town Centre an urban centre that could allow developments up to six storeys - and up to 24 storeys in some cases when proposals included significant community contributions.

Hodgins said this project would likely attract many local downsizers who have cashed out of their single-family homes in the city or region, and want to maintain their roots in the area. 

"We definitely need new people in the community," he added, noting that a sizeable residential project like this could also bring in younger people that will help balance out the demographics of the community’s aging population. 

Century Group submitted its application for the master plan to the city in October and is now anticipating the first of three public information meetings to be arranged by the city.  

Downsizers, newcomers expected among buyers

Meanwhile, the developer continues to develop Southlands, which blends a mix of townhomes, cottages, single-family homes and market and commercial space, including the Four Winds Beachhouse and Brewery.

Southlands will eventually have 950 homes on the site, and includes 275 acres of publicly owned Southlands Farm, a 50-acre Southlands Community Farm with community allotment gardens, and small-scale artisan farming.

There will also be over 100 acres of parks and natural areas. 

The latest efforts there have focused on selling a small collection of townhomes and cottages. Hodgins said marketing and sales there has been less aggressive amid the slower housing market.