Burnaby sits at the geographic heart of Metro Vancouver — equidistant from downtown Vancouver, Surrey, and the Tri-Cities. For businesses that need to serve the whole region, there is no better address. For industrial, that centrality comes at a premium. Knowing where to look makes all the difference.
Burnaby is Metro Vancouver's commercial crossroads. It has the region's best SkyTrain coverage, the highest concentration of major corporate offices outside downtown Vancouver, and industrial corridors that are chronically tight on availability — because every business that needs to be central wants to be here.
For retail and food service, Metrotown and Brentwood drive the highest sustained foot traffic in Metro Vancouver outside of downtown. For industrial, Big Bend and Still Creek offer the shortest average delivery time to any address in the region. For professional services, the SFU and BCIT campuses anchor a strong knowledge economy.
The trade-off is cost and availability. Burnaby commands premium rates and moves fast. Off-market access and speed matter here more than anywhere else in the Lower Mainland.
Burnaby's commercial landscape is highly fragmented — Big Bend has nothing in common with Brentwood, and Still Creek is a different world from Metrotown. Every corridor serves a different business type with different zoning and different lease dynamics.
Burnaby's premier industrial corridor along the Fraser River — and one of the tightest industrial markets in Metro Vancouver. Distribution centres, last-mile depots, and light manufacturing all compete for the same limited supply. Most available spaces are filled before they hit MLS. Off-market network is essential.
Burnaby's northern industrial corridor along Lougheed Highway. Mix of older and newer industrial buildings with strong Hwy 1 and Lougheed transit access. More flex-industrial and multi-tenant options than Big Bend — better for smaller industrial footprints and service businesses needing central visibility.
The highest foot-traffic retail and food service node in Metro Vancouver outside downtown. Anchored by Metropolis at Metrotown — the largest mall in BC — with dense SkyTrain ridership driving continuous daily traffic. Premium rates reflect the location advantage. Tenant mix is intensely competitive.
Burnaby's fastest-transforming commercial node. The Brentwood Town Centre redevelopment is one of the largest mixed-use projects in Canadian history — dozens of new towers with active ground floor commercial. Developer TI packages available. Food service, healthcare, and retail all in high demand.
Lougheed Town Centre is mid-redevelopment — new towers going up around the SkyTrain station, creating fresh ground floor commercial inventory at rates below Metrotown and Brentwood. Strong for healthcare, food service, and services targeting the NE Burnaby and Coquitlam border population.
South Burnaby's neighbourhood commercial corridor — more affordable than Metrotown, more accessible than Big Bend industrial. Growing mixed-use development around Edmonds SkyTrain. Strong for neighbourhood healthcare, food service, and services. Overlooked and undervalued relative to its transit connectivity.
Burnaby's zoning bylaw has dozens of designations — but a handful govern almost all commercial and industrial activity. The key distinction in Burnaby is between M-1/M-2 industrial zones (which have specific automotive and operational restrictions) and the C-series commercial zones serving the SkyTrain nodes.
Big Bend and Still Creek are predominantly M-2 with some M-1 pockets. The SkyTrain commercial nodes (Metrotown, Brentwood, Lougheed) are a mix of C-3, C-4, and CD zones — each with site-specific permitted uses under their development permits.
High-density, high-income demographics across Metrotown, Brentwood, and east Burnaby neighbourhoods
Central Burnaby location reaches every Metro Vancouver address faster than any other single point in the region
Big Bend and Still Creek among the tightest industrial markets in Metro Vancouver — scarcity drives premium and off-market deals
Expo, Millennium, and future Broadway extension make Burnaby the best-connected city in Metro Vancouver for transit-reliant customers
Tell me your commercial space requirements in Burnaby—whether warehouse, retail, or industrial. I will personally audit available inventory and deliver a ranked shortlist of spaces that actually fit your loading dock needs, ceiling height, zoning compliance, and operational specifications.
A Note on This Content
Information in this article — including market data, pricing, financing figures, tax information, zoning details, and legal or regulatory content — is for general informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, tax, or professional advice. Figures, rates, and regulations change frequently and may not reflect the most current information at the time you're reading this. Always consult a licensed professional before making a real estate, financing, or business decision. Reading this article does not create a client or advisory relationship.