Burnaby planning a new city hall in Metrotown

The exterior of Burnaby City Hall is seen.

Planning is underway for a new Burnaby City Hall in the Metrotown area, the city announced Friday.

Burnaby’s current city hall at 4949 Canada Way is “nearing the end of its service life,” a news release from the city reads.

Dating back to 1955, the building would require significant upgrades in order to meet current building code standards. Those upgrades would cost around $70 million, according to the city.

As such, the city as begun the process to build “a modern, environmentally sustainable, accessible, inclusive and resilient” city hall, reads the web page about the project.

City council has chosen the Metrotown area as the location for the new building in order to reinforce the neighbourhood as Burnaby’s downtown and urban focal point.

“The new city hall will be a significant investment in our community and will enhance the civic heart of Burnaby’s true downtown," said Mayor Mike Hurley in the news release.

“We are committed to building a new facility that reflects the diversity of our community — a place that is safe, inclusive and welcoming to people from all walks of life.”

Councillors have asked city staff to begin public engagement later this spring, to gain community input on a preferred location for the new city hall and potential programming it could offer.