Downtown Surrey picks up pace with 28,000 new homes underway or proposed

Concord Pacific's Park Boulevard in Surrey under construction. (Downtown Surrey Business Improvement Association)

Downtown Surrey’s skyline is set to change drastically over the next two decades, with development activity in the city centre picking up pace significantly.

The volume of new construction projects has been growing over the last three years, and the acceleration became particularly apparent in 2020.

According to the latest count by the Downtown Surrey Business Improvement Association, as of November 30, 2020 there were at least 28,000 homes, 4.4 million square feet of office space, and 250,000 square feet of retail space either under construction, approved, or proposed.

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The 1,341 acres of Whalley that is defined as Surrey City Centre will be transformed by these projects, which are set to create over 60 new towers with a height of at least 25 storeys. Many of these towers are far higher than the benchmark used for analysis, including several towers 50 storeys or greater.

surrey developments approved construction proposed map

Surrey City Centre’s major development activities as of December 2020: approved (green/left); under construction (red/centre); and proposed (grey/right). (Downtown Surrey Business Improvement Association)

Approved developments

To date, the City of Surrey has approved 12,681 homes, 1.95 million sq. ft. of office space, and 135,134 sq. ft. of retail space.

This includes last month’s development permit approval of PCI Developments’ next phase of King George Hub, known as Plaza One and Two at 9808 King George Boulevard, located adjacent to SkyTrain’s King George Station. This phase will create 886 homes in 41 and 44 storey towers, and 45,500 sq. ft. of office and retail space.

10547 City Parkway 13468 105A Avenue Surrey

Artistic rendering of 10547 City Parkway and 13468 105A Avenue in Surrey. (IBI Group/Concord Pacific)

Artistic rendering of 13593 104 Avenue, Surrey. (Perkins + Will Architects/Bosa Bluesky Properties)

2020 artistic rendering of 9905 King George Boulevard, Surrey. (ZGF Architects/Century Group)

November also saw city council’s major approval of Concord Pacific’s redevelopment at 10547 City Parkway, just north of SkyTrain’s Surrey Central Station. Concord’s second development cluster in Surrey City Centre, outside its first cluster next to the King George Station area, will provide 1,014 homes in 33 and 44 storey towers.

Earlier in the year, city council approved six other major multi-tower redevelopments, each with over 1,000 homes, for the city centre. This includes:

Century Group’s Holland Parkside at 9905 King George Boulevard, just west of King George Station, with 1,022 homes and 212,000 sq. ft. of office and retail space in towers up to 42 storeys.
Rize Alliance’s Passages at 10138 Whalley Boulevard, near Surrey Central Station, with 1,022 homes in towers up to 42 storeys.
Bosa BlueSky Properties’ Brightside at 13593 104 Avenue, near Surrey Central Station, with 1,352 homes and 239,000 sq. ft. of office and retail space in towers up to 50 storeys.
Thind Properties’ 13437 105 Avenue project, near Surrey Central Station, with 1,026 homes in towers up to 45 storeys.
Plaza 104 at 13774 104 Avenue, near Surrey Central Station, with 1,125 homes in towers up to 36 storeys.
13317 King George Boulevard, next to SkyTrain’s Gateway Station, with 1,042 homes in towers up to 37 storeys.

In July, Blackwood Partners’ proposal to add a 25-storey office tower to its Central City shopping mall property at 10045 King George Boulevard was approved by city council. This tower with 567,000 sq. ft. of AAA office space and 16,200 sq. ft. of retail and restaurant space is the first of a multi-phase, mixed-use development of the shopping mall’s surface parking and other infill sites.

Artistic rendering of 13437 105 Avenue, Surrey. (IBI Group/Thind Properties)

10138 Whalley Boulevard Surrey Rize Alliance Passages

Artistic rendering of Passages at 10138 Whalley Boulevard, Surrey. (Alison Brooks Architects/IBI Group/Rize Alliance)

Central City II 10045 King George Boulevard Surrey

Artistic rendering of the Central City II office tower at 10045 King George Boulevard, Surrey. (ZGF Architects/Blackwood Partners)

Altogether, there are nearly 30 towers with a height of 25 storeys or more that are approved but have yet to enter construction, including a number of taller towers between 40 and 50 storeys.

Developments under construction

As for projects that are underway, a total of 16 notable projects are currently under construction in the city centre, creating a total of 5,255 homes, 312,179 sq. ft. of office space, and 164,220 sq. ft. of retail space.

The largest of the projects under construction are:

Concord Pacific’s Park Boulevard and Park George at 9887 Whalley Boulevard, next to King George Station, with 1,203 homes in up to 41 storeys.
Anthem Properties’ Georgetown One at 13645 102 Avenue, near Surrey Central Station, with 351 homes in a 30-storey tower. This is the first phase of a five-tower project.
PCI Developments’ King George Hub phases B and C at 9900 King George Boulevard, next to King George Station, with 1,107 homes and 268,000 sq. ft. of office and retail space in towers up to 40 storeys.
Bosa BlueSky Properties’ University District at 13409 104 Avenue, near Surrey Central Station, with 742 homes in two towers up to 37 storeys.
Aoyuan International’s One Central at 13350 Central Avenue, near Surrey Central Station, with 550 homes in a 44-storey tower.

A particularly unique development under construction is Legion Veterans Village at 13525 106 Avenue in Surrey, near Gateway Station. The first phase of this project will complete a 20-storey, mixed-use tower — containing a veterans mental health rehabilitation centre, 148 condominium homes, and 48 affordable homes for veterans and their families — with a design inspired by the forms of the Canadian National Vimy Ridge Memorial in France.

Currently, there are about a dozen towers under construction with a height of at least 25 storeys.

pci developments king george hub phases b c under construction surrey

PCI Developments’ King George Hub phases B and C in Surrey under construction. (Downtown Surrey Business Improvement Association)

Rize Alliance’s Linea in Surrey under construction. (Downtown Surrey Business Improvement Association)

anthem properties georgetown one construction surrey

Anthem Properties’ Georgetown One in Surrey under construction. (Downtown Surrey Business Improvement Association)

Proposed developments under review

For projects that are in their application phase under review by the city, a total of 9,820 homes, 2.157 million sq. ft. of office space, and 44,424 sq. ft. of retail are in this category. The largest proposals include:

Surrey City Development Corporation’s 1.446-million-sq-ft “Centre Block” office development in multiple towers, replacing the closed recreation centre and ice rink, and bus loop next to Surrey Central Station. A major expansion of the SFU Surrey campus is part of this project.
WestStone Group’s multi-tower proposal for 9525 King George Boulevard across from Surrey Memorial Hospital with 920 homes.
Global Education City’s (GEC) 55-storey education campus at 10240 City Parkway, near Surrey Central Station, with 383 homes (including short-term and long-term rentals) and 94,607 sq. ft. of institutional space.
Anthem Properties’ multi-tower proposal with 1,230 homes and 24,143 sq. ft. of retail at 10232 Whalley Boulevard, the site of the former Toys “R” Us, near Surrey Central Station.
WestStone’s 43-storey tower for West Village 4 at 13328 104 Avenue near Surrey Central Station with 487 homes.
Tien Sher Group’s 51-storey “Whalley Station” tower at 10761 King George Boulevard, located near Gateway Station, with 501 homes and 243,000 sq. ft. of office retail, and their 35-storey Flamingo first phase tower with 349 homes.
10662 King George Boulevard proposal near Gateway Station for two towers up to 49 storeys with 979 homes.
10925 University Drive proposal near Gateway Station with 500 homes and 17,000 sq. ft. of office.
13433 Gateway Drive proposal near Gateway Station with two towers up to 30 storeys with 518 homes.
10744 City Parkway proposal near Surrey Central Station with 541 homes and 68,000 sq. ft. of office and retail.
37-storey Janda Tower at 10342 136A Street, near Surrey Central Station, with residential space above, and 26,000 sq. ft. of office space and 14,000 sq. ft. of retail space in the lower levels.

At least two dozen towers with a height of 25 storeys or more are proposed.

Artistic rendering of the “Centre Block” redevelopment of North Surrey Recreation Centre, and the bus exchange and parking lot serving SkyTrain’s Surrey Central Station. (Surrey City Development Corporation)

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