Surrey City Council approves 14-acre land acquisition for new public park

Location of 17351 16 Avenue, Surrey. (Google Maps)

On Monday, Surrey City Council provided the final green light to city staff to purchase 14 acres of privately owned property for public park uses.

The property is located at 17351 16th Avenue in Grandview Heights and is a major amenity for the municipality’s Darts Hill Neighbourhood Concept Plan in South Surrey.

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This site is undeveloped and largely treed, with Upper Sam Hill Creek, which runs north-south, bisecting the lot.

The value of the acquisition was not immediately disclosed; Daily Hive Urbanized has reached out to the city for the sale price. The City of Surrey notes it has spent $45 million on acquiring 240 acres for new parkland since 2019.

According to BC Assessment, the property’s latest assessed value is $19.8 million — all from the land value. The city has indicated the highest and best use of this property is townhouse development, with a density of 20 to 24 units per acre, based on a net developable area of eight acres to protect the creek and riparian areas.

Location of 17351 16 Avenue, Surrey. (City of Surrey)

In May 2021, city council approved the Darts Hill Neighbourhood Concept Plan, which indicates the acquired site forms just one parcel of a larger park and protected system in the area.

The plan largely calls for townhouses, with low-rise residential and mixed-use being the maximum density. Currently, Darts Hill has 115 homes with a population of 324 people. Over the coming decades, the plan will increase the number of homes to 3,901 units with up to 10,400 residents.

Surrey Darts Hill Neighbourhood Concept Plan. (City of Surrey)

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