Burnaby – Simon Fraser University [p.2]

For years, Simon Fraser University’s 30,000 students and 1,000 faculty and staff were the only occupants atop Burnaby Mountain. But for the past 10 years, a unique, master-planned urban neighbourhood called UniverCity has evolved with modern high-rise condos, garden townhouses, an elementary school, daycare, playgrounds, and a shopping and restaurant district.

The neighbourhood also extends to an enclave of single-family homes on the western slope of the mountain, east of Duthie Avenue.

Neighbourhood amenities

The UniverCity master-planned community is at the east end of Simon Fraser University’s striking campus. The area is well-served by a number of buses that provide quick connections to SkyTrain and service to downtown Vancouver and Burnaby’s Lougheed Mall area. There is also a small commercial development of shops, services, and restaurants, including a supermarket right along the walk from Univercity’s residential area to campus.

The neighbourhood is ringed by the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area, which offers an abundance of hiking and biking trails, a developed park at its west end that offers spectacular views of the Vancouver skyline and beyond, as well as across the Burrard Inlet to the North Shore Mountains and up Indian Arm.

Immediately below the conservation area is Barnet Marine Park. It’s a waterfront jewel on the Burrard Inlet that is accessible by hiking the trails or by car along the Barnet Highway. The park has Burnaby’s only sand beach, a boat launch, picnic areas, hiking trails, and a section of the Trans Canada Trail and a pier from which crabbers and anglers try their luck. The park is a gateway to every cherished aspect of West Coast life, including spectacular mountain views, wildlife like soaring eagles, long-neck cormorants and even the occasional sighting of passing whales and seals, as well as ship traffic from ocean-going freighters to tugs and log boom boats.
Drive west down the mountain to Hastings Street, and you’ll quickly come to the lively, multicultural commercial area of the Heights, where French restaurants sit next to Vietnamese Pho and Italian delis.

Schools

• University Highlands Elementary (K-7)
• Burnaby Mountain Secondary (8-12)
• Simon Fraser University (Post Secondary)

Transit

A major bus loop at the top of Burnaby Mountain connects to routes into Vancouver, Burnaby, and Coquitlam and to the Production SkyTrain station.
Access to commuter routes along Highway 1 and the Lougheed Highway is also quick and convenient along Gaglardi Way.

Simon Fraser University real estate

The UniverCity community is built on leasehold land. The residential real estate consists of condos and townhouses. The area’s proximity to Simon Fraser University also makes it an excellent investment opportunity.

A small area of larger single-family detached is nestled at the foot of Burnaby Mountain.