Greater Vancouver Submarket
Burnaby.
The Lower Mainland's manufacturing core.
Overview
The market in one read.
Burnaby has historically anchored Greater Vancouver's industrial manufacturing base, with Big Bend, Lake City, and Still Creek serving as the three primary submarkets. Big Bend remains the largest concentration of heavier industrial and food production. Lake City and Still Creek increasingly attract tech-adjacent and light industrial occupiers, including biopharma, electronics, and specialty manufacturing. Strata industrial inventory turns relatively quickly, while freestanding facilities are tightly held by long-term owners.
Market Snapshot
Key metrics for Burnaby.
- Lease Range
- $17 – $24 PSF net
- Vacancy
- 1 – 2% across most submarkets
- Clear Heights
- Mix — 22 – 30 ft in modern stock, 18 – 24 ft in legacy product
- Asset Mix
- Heavy industrial, mid-bay multi-tenant, strata industrial, light flex
- Land Availability
- Constrained; most quality sites sold off-market
Defining Characteristics
What makes Burnaby distinct.
- Historic manufacturing core of the Lower Mainland
- Big Bend remains the densest legacy industrial submarket
- Lake City and Still Creek trending lighter-industrial and tech-adjacent
- Strong strata industrial inventory for owner-users
- Skilled labour catchment for advanced manufacturing
- Direct access to Highway 1 and SkyTrain-adjacent submarkets
Typical Tenant Base
Who occupies space here.
- Food and beverage producers
- Biopharmaceutical and life sciences
- Specialty manufacturing (electronics, advanced materials)
- Construction services and equipment distributors
- Light industrial flex occupiers
Notable Industrial Areas
Where the industrial inventory clusters.
Big Bend (Marine Way, Riverway, Glenlyon)
Lake City Industrial Park
Still Creek industrial corridor
Boundary Road industrial frontage
Brentwood-adjacent flex industrial
Why I Work Burnaby
Direct submarket coverage.
Burnaby rewards specificity. The submarket you choose — Big Bend vs. Lake City vs. Still Creek — meaningfully changes your operating cost, your labour catchment, and your eventual exit profile. Samuel works each of the Burnaby submarkets directly, tracks the strata-vs-rental decision economics, and maintains relationships with the long-term owners who control most of the off-market inventory.
Burnaby tenants should weight commute and labour catchment heavily in site selection. Big Bend's industrial-heavy character provides clustering benefits but limits transit access. Lake City and Still Creek offer better employee draw for tech-adjacent operations. Owner-users should compare strata acquisition economics against rental — the math favours ownership for stable operators with 10+ year hold horizons.
Frequently Asked Questions
Burnaby industrial, answered.
What's the difference between Big Bend, Lake City, and Still Creek industrial?
Big Bend is the densest legacy industrial submarket, concentrated along Marine Way and Riverway, with heavier industrial users and lower-cost legacy product. Lake City and Still Creek are lighter-industrial submarkets attracting tech-adjacent and biopharmaceutical occupiers, with better transit access and higher-end product. Lease economics, labour catchment, and tenant mix differ materially across the three.
Is strata industrial in Burnaby a good owner-user investment?
For operators with stable 10+ year occupancy horizons, strata industrial in Burnaby is one of the most defensible owner-user investments in Metro Vancouver. The buy-vs-lease math typically favours ownership when financing is in place and the owner-user can absorb maintenance and capex responsibilities. Modelling should compare total occupancy cost over a 10-year hold including amortization, op-cost, taxes, and exit residual.
What lease rate should I expect for industrial space in Burnaby?
Burnaby industrial net rents typically range from $17 to $24 PSF, varying by submarket, clear height, loading configuration, and office build-out percentage. Big Bend tends toward the lower end of this range for legacy product; Lake City and modern Class A inventory toward the upper end.
Why is Burnaby still a strong industrial market despite high housing pressure?
Burnaby has explicit municipal protections for industrial zoning in Big Bend and other submarkets, recognizing the economic role of industrial employment. While some submarkets face conversion pressure, the core industrial designations remain stable, and demand from advanced manufacturing, biopharma, and tech-adjacent industrial continues to absorb available inventory.
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