New 500-bed student housing tower to be built in Surrey City Centre

Previous 2022 artistic rendering of City Centre 5 at 9682 137 Street, Surrey. (WA Architects/Lark Group)

The City Centre-branded complex of buildings in Surrey’s Health and Technology District (HTD) campus will see a new major infusion of purpose-built student housing.

To date, this complex on the southern edge of Surrey City Centre by local developers Lark Group and ICT Group — strategically located immediately north of Surrey Memorial Hospital, and just south of SkyTrain King George Station — has generated significant office space for medical clinics, health, professional services, and tech.

But now, the developer will also be adding significant student housing — over 500 beds for students and faculty. This is a partnership with Western Community College (WCC), which currently has seven campus locations across the Lower Mainland, including a space in the adjacent City Centre 3 building, where its Bachelor of Hospitality program is based.

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“We are blazing a trail in BC’s business and innovation landscape with the continuing expansion and accelerated momentum of Surrey’s Health and Technology District,” said Kirk Fisher, CEO of Lark Group, in a statement.

“The incredible demand for health, office, education space, and now student accommodations, as Surrey becomes BC’s largest City, has propelled us to accelerate the construction of our City Centre 5 building… Not only are we igniting Surrey’s innovation, health care and business landscapes, we’re creating access to local academic opportunities for future generations.”

Site of the future City Centre 5 tower, adjacent to the Lark Group’s existing and future City Centre buildings in Surrey’s Health and Technology District. (Google Maps)

9682 137 Street Surrey City Centre 4 Health and Technology District Lark Group

Previous 2022 artistic rendering of City Centre 5 (left) and City Centre 4 (right) at 9682 137 Street, Surrey. (WA Architects/Lark Group)

Previous 2022 artistic rendering of City Centre 4 (left) and City Centre 5 (right) at 9682 137 Street, Surrey. (WA Architects/Lark Group)

This mixed-use building called City Centre 5 will include not only student and faculty housing, but also potential short-term housing space for local healthcare institutions. There will also be a cafe and a large dining hall supported by Bachelor of Hospitality internships and practicums, resident support offices, a multi-purpose room, an Indigenous-focused reflection space, laundry facilities, student study, lounge and kitchen area, and bike storage spaces.

Construction is now underway at the site of the City Centre 5 tower at 9682 137 Street — the southeast corner of the intersection of 97a Avenue and 137 Street. Previous artistic renderings released in 2022 coinciding with the start of construction of the City Centre 4 tower to the south also depict the design of City Centre 5, which is shown to be about 18 storeys.

However, Yvonne Chiang, a spokesperson for Lark Group, told Daily Hive Urbanized the design of City Centre 5 will likely see some design changes now that it includes a sizeable student housing component that will be mixed in with not only supporting spaces for the residences, but also academic spaces and other uses.

Previous 2022 artistic rendering of a plaza separating the City Centre 4 and City Centre 5 towers at 9682 137 Street, Surrey. (WA Architects/Lark Group)

Previous 2022 artistic rendering of City Centre 4 at 9682 137 Street, Surrey. (WA Architects/Lark Group)

The adjacent City Centre 4 is a 100% office tower and the single largest and tallest building within the HTD to date — a 331-foot-tall, 23-storey building that will contain about 359,000 sq ft of office uses. The City Centre 4 and City Centre 5 towers will be separated by a large plaza area activated by retail/restaurant frontage.

Construction on City Centre 4 is expected to reach completion in 2025, while City Centre 5 is targeted for completion in 2028. WCC will also occupy space within City Centre 4 and City Centre 5 to expand its programs.

“I am proud to announce our groundbreaking initiative in collaboration with ICT Group and Lark Group to address the pressing need for student housing,” said Gurpal Dhaliwal, president of Western Community College.

“As the first private institution in Surrey to tackle this issue head-on, we reaffirm our commitment to student success and well-being. By prioritizing access to safe and supportive housing, we ensure that all who come through our doors have the opportunity to pursue their dreams with confidence and peace of mind.”

The first three HTD buildings in existence by Lark Group and ICT Group — City Centre 1, City Centre 2, and City Centre 3 — have a combined total floor area of roughly 500,000 sq ft. Future phases of HTD on adjacent lots could add an additional million sq ft, generating employment spaces for 15,000 people or more. City Centre 1, the first building in HTD, reached completion a decade ago.

“Surrey is seeing more private sector investments because of the scope and depth of our population and to see educational institutions like Western Community College choosing Surrey, especially in this downtown core around the Health and Technology District is a testament to the leadership and innovation the Lark Group and ICT Group brings to Surrey,” said Anita Huberman, president and CEO of the Surrey Board of Trade.

The various completed phases of Lark Group’s Health and Technology District, and the future City Centre 4 and City Centre 5 phases. (Lark Group)

City Centre 1 at 13737 96 Avenue, Surrey. (Lark Group)

Artistic rendering of Surrey Health and Technology District. (Lark Group)

The University of British Columbia (UBC) has also shown very strong interest in establishing a major campus in the area over the long term. In 2021, UBC acquired the adjacent three-acre site immediately to the northwest at 9770 King George Boulevard to build a multi-tower complex with academic, residential, and commercial uses. In 2022, it also acquired a 23,000 sq ft strata office space in the City Centre 1 building for the university’s Midwifery and Master of Physical Therapy programs.

UBC’s leadership previously suggested their expansive future Surrey City Centre campus in the area could grow to 10,000 students.

Simon Fraser University (SFU) also has major plans to expand its existing hub in and around the Central City area, including significant space for SFU’s new medical school later this decade — the province’s second medical school for training doctors and nurses after UBC’s Faculty of Medicine. SFU leadership also recently noted their keen interest in building purpose-built student housing serving SFU Surrey.

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