Popular North Vancouver market getting an overhaul in final step of Shipyards District redevelopment
Changes to Lonsdale Quay Market include new food hall, bar, live performance area, extended opening hours
The Shipyards District in North Vancouver, B.C., has seen a flurry of redevelopment over the past few years, but one key destination hasn't quite kept up with the changes: the Lonsdale Quay Market.
First opened in 1986, the market is home to more than 60 local businesses, a food hall and a boutique hotel.
"It's a gathering place," says Greg Holmes, executive director of the Lonsdale Business Improvement Association, adding the market is a special place for those who frequent it.
"My office looks over the south plaza and I see the same people in the same chairs every day having their coffees."
But Holmes, along with Quay North Urban Development — which owns and operates the market — admits it's beginning to show its age, especially in comparison to the rest of the district, which includes new high rises, hotels, restaurants and a skating rink.
Now, the Quay is scheduled for a facelift.
"We've got some pretty exciting plans that we've been working on for a few years, actually, to revitalize Lonsdale Quay Market," says Taylor Mathieson, president of Quay North Urban Development.
Floor space will be expanded and the indoor market will be reconfigured to allow for a new food hall with a licensed bar, according to Mathieson.
The exterior of the building will get a cosmetic overhaul, with the red steelwork removed to highlight the warehouse-style building.
A two-storey, 10,000-square foot restaurant is also being built on the south side of the building, overlooking the Burrard Inlet. An anchor restaurant hasn't yet been announced for the space.
An indoor live performance space is also on the docket, while extended opening hours for the market are planned.
Mathieson said the market will still focus on supporting local, owner-operated businesses.
"It's really the experts behind the counter that truly makes Lonsdale Quay so different," he says.
The Quay and its businesses will remain open throughout the renovations, which are set to be complete by next fall.