New schools, childcare should be built into towers along future SkyTrain: councillor

New schools and childcare should be integrated into towers along future SkyTrain: Surrey councillor

Example: Artistic rendering of a stacked elementary school and childcare facility integrated into an 11-storey, mixed-use building with social housing on downtown Vancouver's Coal Harbour waterfront. (Henriquez Partners Architects/Vancouver School Board/City of Vancouver)

A Surrey city councillor is calling for the integration of new public schools and childcare facilities into mixed-use tower developments along the route of SkyTrain’s future Expo Line Surrey-Langley extension.

“Imagine having a school and daycare in a cluster of condo towers where the walk to school is a short elevator ride,” said councillor Linda Annis of the Surrey First party.

“I want our city and the province to look at how we can incorporate new urban schools into SkyTrain developments, including having a school and daycare considered part of a development project’s community amenity contribution, with a neighbourhood school and daycare at ground level, serving a cluster of towers. I think it would be a terrific selling feature for the development, the neighbourhood and our city.”

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Stacked multi-level schools integrated into buildings would help address land limitations and the related costs.

Such school configurations are highly common in dense areas like New York City, and there are also several local examples, including the 2017-opened, four-storey Crossroads Elementary School, which opened in a void space beneath a previously built condominium tower — next to Rogers Arena and Andy Livingstone Park in downtown Vancouver.

Construction is also underway on an 11-storey stacked elementary school, childcare facility, and social housing building on the Coal Harbour waterfront. The 43,000 sq ft school for 340 students will be within the first three levels, a 9,600 sq ft childcare facility for 64 kids will be on the fourth level with an outdoor play space on the school rooftop, and 60 units of social housing will be within the upper six levels. The elementary school will also take advantage of the adjacent existing public park and community centre.

Crossroads Elementary School in downtown Vancouver. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

480 broughton street vancouver coal harbour elementary school social housing

2021 layout of the Coal Harbour elementary school, childcare, and social housing complex. (Henriquez Partners Architects/Vancouver School Board/City of Vancouver)

2021 artistic rendering of the Coal Harbour elementary school, childcare, and social housing complex at 480 Broughton Street, Vancouver. (Henriquez Partners Architects/Vancouver School Board/City of Vancouver)

Annis says such stacked projects integrated into mixed-use developments could not only require less land but also get schools built faster and take advantage of local public parks and recreation centres.

“There’s nothing saying we can’t do something innovative and different along the SkyTrain route, particularly if it ensures we have the right number of schools so we can stop this addiction to portables,” she said.

As of Spring 2023, the Surrey School District used a total of 361 portable structures across its public school system, which means at least 10% of students are now learning in low-quality portables.

By September 2024, due to the long-running inability to build permanent purpose-built school structures at the rate that is required to meet enrolment growth, the number of portables could grow to almost 400.

Current enrolment growth is being driven by Surrey’s rapid population growth, and this is expected to accelerate even further from the densification that will occur along the future SkyTrain extension. New transit-oriented development community plans for Fleetwood, Clayton, and other areas near the future rapid transit rail project will enable about 200,000 more residents.

“With land at a premium, creative school projects need to be considered from day one,” she added.

“Over the past few years, we have consistently underestimated the number of new students in our city and the result is a growing number of portables.”

16065-16099 Fraser Highway Surrey Fleetwood Orion 2022

September 2022 artistic rendering of the revised mixed-use development concept for Fleetwood Orion at 16065-16099 Fraser Highway, Surrey, located next to SkyTrain’s future 160 Street Station. (Casola Koppe Architects/Bucci Developments)

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