Rick Amantea (VP of Park Royal and Park Royal Village)

We learned an awful lot from the success of The Village at Park Royal, especially on the planning side of how to create spaces within the village that foster community and natural social interaction. There is something about being around a lot of other people going about their day that curiously is actually quite relaxing. Perhaps it is the paradox of their activity against your rest or just simple 'people watching,' but we have been able to see firsthand how naturally conversations develop between friends and complete strangers. It seems to break down some of the barriers that we all live with in our lives these days.

At The Village at Park Royal we didn’t have any residential elements, which is a decision we would love to have again. So many people told us that they would love to live there that we recognized that when we had the chance to do something similar, we needed to push forward with a bigger vision. That is effectively what drove the idea behind Morgan Crossing; to have a place that actually encourages a community and allows it to flourish. This influenced every decision we made, from how the buildings were placed in relation to one another from where to create suntraps and shade, as well as how we used the landscaping to create both areas of bustle and others of peace, and even what stores you invite to be here.

At Morgan Crossing we have a mix of the practical and the unique, which adds diversity to the area that's completely fresh. For example, the Thrifty Foods store has a large focus upon organic and freshly prepared foods, so that people who live here can decide what they want and pop down and grab it. None of the mundane drudge of the weekly shop and choosing whatever happens to be in the freezer every night. We really wanted to create a day-to-day experience that is just simpler; to allow people to have more time for what is important to them. For some, we know this is fitness and health. This is why we asked Steve Nash to create one of his sports clubs here, meaning a yoga class, workout or maybe just a steam or sauna, is really just an extension of your day, not something else you have to fit in.

Right upfront in the design process we knew we didn’t want any cookie-cutter façades throughout as they take away from the sense of an honest and friendly neighbourhood environment. Each store has their own unique façade, a design that’s specific to them – a sort of anti-strip mall.

We have been following projects like this in the United States for a number of years and many of them have been a huge success. However, we wanted to create something at Morgan Crossing that was uniquely suited to South Surrey and this area of Canada. I’m very confident that we have done it!

Hear more from Rick Amantea in video form!
Rick's passion is retail - find out about Shopping at Morgan Crossing