Thrifty Foods is the newest addition to the Brewery District development in Sapperton.
The project on the former Labatt Brewery site recently welcomed TD Canada Trust. Thrifty Foods will open to the public on Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 9: 30 a.m.
The commercial space is included in the first building at the site, which also includes doctors' office. The Brewery District is located at East Columbia Street and Brunette Avenue.
The second building proposed for the site will accommodate TransLink's head offices, which are expected to open in 2013. Wesgroup will build a purpose-built mixed-use building for TransLink with office space and street-front retail commer-cial floor space at 210 Brunette Ave.
John Conicella, the company's vice president of development strategy and business development, told city council earlier this year that the Brewery District will have a tremendous economic impact on New Westminster and will pay $8.3 million in taxes when the development is fully complete. He said the first building will generate $970,000 in taxes, and the second building will add another $4 million.
Labatt Brewery closed its operations at the site at 101 Brunette Ave. in September 2004, resulting in the loss of 133 jobs. In January 2007, the Wesgroup received the city's approval to rezone the nine-acre site to a mixed-use site that would include retail, offices, health services, residences and amenities such as parks and plazas.
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