SFU is "very interested" in building student housing in Surrey

SFU Surrey's new Sustainable Energy Engineering building (right) and the Central City campus (left). (SFU)

Simon Fraser University (SFU) first established its satellite campus in Surrey two decades ago within the then-new Central City office tower.

But in her remarks to Surrey City Council during a public meeting on Monday, Joy Johnson, the president and vice-chancellor of SFU, says the Surrey campus has grown into becoming a core pillar of the university and its future.

This now necessitates new purpose-built student housing options within Surrey to account for not only the growing size of the academic campus within the core of Surrey City Centre, but also SFU’s changing student demographics.

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“We are very interested in looking to build student housing in Surrey. I think we all recognize the pressures that are evolving in the housing market. I think there’s a wonderful opportunity,” said Johnson.

“Students want to study close to the university or live close to the university where they study and I think it could make a huge difference in this community.”

When SFU Surrey first opened within Central City, it only had a few hundred students. Now, she says, the university’s floor area in Surrey City Centre has grown to over 600,000 sq ft, with the most significant addition after Central City being the 2019-built, 220,000 sq ft Sustainability Energy Engineering building just across the street.

Currently, the Surrey campus has 3,000 full-time equivalent students or 7,000 students in over 30 undergraduate, graduate, continuing education, and professional study courses.

Johnson shared that Surrey’s high school system is now SFU’s largest feeder of new students across all three campuses, including downtown Vancouver. This trend has taken shape since 2013. Moreover, one-in-four SFU students is now from Surrey schools.

It should also be noted that worsening housing affordability conditions have also pushed more of the region’s residents, including post-secondary students, into the far-flung suburban municipalities, which have traditionally been more affordable than Vancouver and Burnaby.

Map of where SFU students live in Surrey. (Google Maps)

sfu surrey student residence locations metro vancouver

Changing trends for the place of residence of domestic SFU undergraduate students in Metro Vancouver. (SFU)

She says that SFU would like help from the municipal government in identifying potential sites and partnerships for student housing. City Councillor Gordon Hepner made comments indicating he was highly receptive to working with the university on this front.

“In the coming years, I think we’re going to see growth and innovation, and we want the City’s support. We want to collaborate with you. We need you now more than ever,” said Johnson.

“Surrey has made a huge difference to Simon Fraser University and I think SFU has also done the same for Surrey in some ways.”

Currently, SFU’s only purpose-built student housing building outside of the Burnaby Mountain campus is within the upper floors of the 2016-built Charles Chang Innovation Centre located immediately next to Victory Square in downtown Vancouver, which is within very close proximity to the Woodwards campus. There are 68 beds at this student residence.

This past spring, SFU opened the new Courtyard Residence building at the Burnaby Mountain campus, which added 383 beds to bring SFU’s total student housing capacity to about 2,500 beds. By 2035, SFU is aiming to expand its student housing capacity to 3,250 beds — equivalent to 10% of its student population.

During the public meeting, Johnson also provided City Council with an update on SFU’s forthcoming proposal to build a new purpose-built building for its new medical school building, including new details on the precise location and timeline.

Early this fall, Vancouver City Council approved a member motion directing City staff to explore policies that catalyze off-campus student housing.

courtyard residence sfu burnaby simon fraser university

Courtyard Residence at SFU Burnaby (Ledcor Group)

Courtyard Residence at SFU Burnaby (SFU)

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