Surrey's first student housing building starts construction with 810 beds | Daily Hive

Construction starts on Surrey's first purpose-built student housing building, bringing 810 beds

Concept of the City Centre 5 student housing tower at the Health and Technology District in Surrey City Centre. (WA Architects/ICT Group/Lark Group)

Surrey’s first purpose-built student housing building is now officially under construction, marking another major step in the mixed-use transformation of the Surrey City Centre area just north of Surrey Memorial Hospital.

Lark Group, ICT Group, and Western Community College have broken ground on City Centre 5 — a 23-storey student housing tower that will create 810 student beds when it opens in Fall 2028.

This is substantially higher than the previously stated capacity of about 500 beds in early 2024, when it was first announced that the tower had pivoted from office space to student housing.

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Construction at 9682 137 St. officially began late last month. The 182,000 sq. ft. building will rise within ICT and Lark’s complex of Health and Technology District (HTD) buildings, situated about an eight-minute walk south of SkyTrain’s King George Station, which will see greatly enhanced regional connectivity in late 2029 when the Surrey-Langley extension of the Expo Line opens.

The location will place students within walking distance of rapid transit, healthcare services, restaurants, shops, and post-secondary campuses and programs.

“We are incredibly proud to deliver Surrey’s first student housing development project designed to meet the growing demand for affordable, high-quality accommodation for post-secondary students right here in Surrey,” said Kirk Fisher, CEO of Lark Group, in a statement.

“This collaboration brings together Lark Group and ICT Group’s experience in construction and development, Western Community College’s deep commitment to student success, and UniLodge Canada’s globally recognized expertise in student housing management. Together, we are creating an environment where students can live, learn, and thrive in a vibrant innovation-driven community.”

lark city centre 5 surrey student housing construction may 20 2026

Construction groundbreaking on the City Centre 5 student housing tower at the Health and Technology District in Surrey City Centre. (ICT Group/Lark Group)

The new residence will include a mix of studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units designed specifically for student living.

Planned features include semi-private bathrooms, shared kitchen and dining areas, a fitness centre, gaming room, theatre, study rooms, laundry facilities, and both indoor and outdoor lounge areas. WA Architects is the project’s design firm.

For Western Community College, City Centre 5 will add a major housing component to its growing campus presence in HTD. The private post-post secondary institution already operates out of City Centre 3 and the newly-built City Centre 4, with the latter serving as its flagship campus.

lark city centre 5 surrey student housing

Concept of the City Centre 5 student housing tower at the Health and Technology District in Surrey City Centre. (WA Architects/ICT Group/Lark Group)

“This partnership reflects our long-term commitment to creating environments where students can truly thrive,” said Gurpal Dhaliwal, president of Western Community College.

“Purpose-built student housing integrated into Surrey’s Health and Technology District strengthens the live–learn ecosystem we are building, one that supports academic success, student wellbeing, and meaningful engagement with the community and industry.”

UniLodge Canada will operate and manage the student residence after it opens. The company will provide on-site management, resident support services, and community programming.

“As a Canadian-owned and operated company, we are proud of our legacy as one of the world’s leading student housing operators, with projects across Australia and New Zealand,” said Mike Porritt, the Chief Development Officer of UniLodge Canada.

“This partnership with ICT Group, Lark Group and Western Community College marks our first operational contract in Canada and will serve as the flagship for our Western Canadian operations. We look forward to supporting student success by creating a safe, engaging, and supportive living experience where students can thrive academically, socially, and personally.”

Concept of the City Centre 5 student housing tower at the Health and Technology District in Surrey City Centre. (WA Architects/ICT Group/Lark Group)

Purpose-built student housing can also help ease pressure on Metro Vancouver’s broader rental market by giving students a dedicated housing option instead of having them compete with other renters for conventional apartments, basement suites, and shared homes.

By adding more student-specific beds near post-secondary institutions and public transit, projects like this can free up existing rental supply for workers, families, and other residents, supporting wider efforts to improve housing availability and affordability.

Although rental housing supply is currently elevated due to a wave of newly completed projects and slower population growth — including fewer international students as a result of the federal government’s immigration policy changes — that could quickly change later this decade, when this project reaches completion.

City Centre 5 is part of the broader HTD, an 11-phase master-planned development by Lark and ICT. In total, the district is expected to include nine City Centre buildings, creating a cluster of healthcare, education, business, and technology uses.

The student housing project also comes as Surrey City Centre continues to attract major institutional investment.

The University of British Columbia (UBC) already operates several programs out of the district’s City Centre 1 building, including its Nurse Practitioner program, as well as its Master of Physical Therapy and Master of Occupational Therapy programs. In the last few years, UBC also acquired significant nearby properties for the purpose of creating a new purpose-built satellite Surrey City Centre academic campus with a mix of residential and commercial uses.

Concept of the City Centre 5 student housing tower at the Health and Technology District in Surrey City Centre. (WA Architects/ICT Group/Lark Group)

Simon Fraser University is also expanding its presence in Surrey City Centre, with construction on a purpose-built dedicated medical school building set to begin in late 2026.

This past spring, ICT and Lark’s City Centre 4 saw the opening of the Homewood Suites by Hilton hotel within the upper floors of the 25-storey tower. Operated by Aquillini Group, a total of 189 guest rooms are optimized for both short-term stays and longer-term stays, with separate living and sleeping spaces and fully equipped kitchens. Other uses in the levels below the hotel include academic space for Western Community College and Stong’s Market grocery store.

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