Over 1,100 homes proposed next to future Fleetwood SkyTrain station

September 2022 artistic rendering of the revised concept for Fleetwood Orion at 16065-16099 Fraser Highway, Surrey. (Casola Koppe Architects/Bucci Developments)

A proposal for the first major transit-oriented development along the future Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension east of King George Station has undergone major revisions.

Bucci Developments’ new concept for its Fleetwood Orion redevelopment calls for a high-density, mixed-use development of three buildings on a five-acre site at 16065-16099 Fraser Highway. The site is immediately east of the future 160 Street Station, which will open in 2028 as part of the SkyTrain extension project.

A previous proposal concept shared by Bucci Developments with Daily Hive Urbanized in early 2020 showed three towers — 40 storeys, 44 storeys, and 57 storeys — with 1,320 homes and 87,000 sq ft of office, institutional, retail, and restaurant spaces.

But as of Fall 2022, the proposal has now been downsized to 42 storeys, 37 storeys, and 15 storeys, with the tallest buildings — the first two phases — located closest to Fraser Highway and each containing a a five-storey base podium for the various commercial uses below the residential floors. The third phase on the northernmost parcel of the site is fully residential.

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The revisions bring the total residential unit count to 1,130 homes, which is still more than twice the number of homes within the two residential towers of PCI Developments’ Marine Gateway next to SkyTrain Marine Drive Station in South Vancouver.

16065-16099 Fraser Highway Surrey Fleetwood Orion 2022

September 2022 artistic rendering of the revised concept for Fleetwood Orion at 16065-16099 Fraser Highway, Surrey. (Casola Koppe Architects/Bucci Developments)

The decision to remove a full-height high-rise tower is partially due to the site’s close proximity to a future tower on an adjacent property, with the City of Surrey’s policies requiring minimum distancing between towers.

Similar to Marine Gateway, Fleetwood Orion will incorporate a pedestrian-only spine and plaza, which will be activated by ground-level retail and restaurant uses. New vehicle access roads will also be created within the property along the western and eastern perimeters, and through the site east-west, separating the first two phases to the south from the third phase to the north.

The northeasternmost corner of the property will form a parcel of a future municipal public park that spans multiple properties.

September 2022 artistic rendering of the revised concept for Fleetwood Orion at 16065-16099 Fraser Highway, Surrey. (Casola Koppe Architects/Bucci Developments)

Revised September 2022 site plan for Fleetwood Orion at 16065-16099 Fraser Highway, Surrey. (Casola Koppe Architects/Bucci Developments)

September 2022 artistic rendering of the revised concept for Fleetwood Orion at 16065-16099 Fraser Highway, Surrey. (Casola Koppe Architects/Bucci Developments)

It is emphasized by the developer their plans for Fleetwood Orion align with the City of Surrey’s emerging Fleetwood Plan of densifying the areas around the future SkyTrain extension with new residential and commercial opportunities, with the highest densities located adjacent to the SkyTrain extensions.

“Together with the City of Surrey’s planning department, the applicant team has worked diligently to propose a development that is well positioned to become a significant catalyst for the visions and objectives set out by the Fleetwood Plan,” states the developer.

The floor area ratio (FAR) density of the project will reach a floor area of 4.1 times larger than the size of the lot. Casola Koppe Architects is the design firm.

In contrast, Marine Gateway has a FAR of 4.17, and the newly revised proposal to redevelop the Safeway next to Commercial-Broadway Station now calls for a FAR of 7.0 — up from the previous proposal for a FAR of 5.7.

September 2022 artistic rendering of the revised concept for Fleetwood Orion at 16065-16099 Fraser Highway, Surrey. (Casola Koppe Architects/Bucci Developments)

Over the next 30 years, the Fleetwood Plan will catalyze at least a doubling in the number of homes — from 13,000 units today with 40,000 residents to 28,000 units with 84,000 residents, absorbing about 10% of Surrey’s overall annual average growth. The full build-out of the area plan over the longer term could reach 52,000 units with 142,000 residents — a population increase of about 100,000 residents compared to today.

The number of jobs created by new additional employment spaces — such as retail, restaurants, services, hospitality, institutions, and offices — would grow from 3,500 today to over 16,000 by 2051.

Upon the opening of the SkyTrain extension, travel times by train between the existing King George Station and 160 Street Station will be about eight minutes.

The new makeup of Surrey City Council is expected to review and consider the Fleetwood Orion proposal over the coming months. The site is currently largely used as a surface parking lot.

Site of Fleetwood Orion at 16065-16099 Fraser Highway, Surrey. (Casola Koppe Architects/Bucci Developments)

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