Surrey City Council approves absorbing City-owned development company again | Daily Hive

Surrey City Council approves absorbing municipally owned real estate development company again

2025 concept of the SCDC Gateway towers. (ZGF Architects/Surrey City Development Corporation)

The real estate development company wholly owned by the City of Surrey is once again set to have its operations brought directly under the municipal government, following another change in direction under Mayor Doug McCallum and his newly elected Safe Surrey Coalition party’s supermajority in Surrey City Council.

During its meeting on the evening of Nov. 9, 2026, City Council approved the move to direct City staff to begin the process of re-integrating Surrey City Development Corporation into municipal operations.

City councillor Harry Bains cast the only vote in opposition. He is the only Surrey Connect party representative re-elected from the previous administration of Brenda Locke, on a City Council otherwise made up of McCallum’s Safe Surrey Coalition.

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Bringing the company’s work back into Surrey City Hall was one of 16 priorities adopted by the McCallum-controlled City Council during the same meeting. City staff were directed to begin advancing those priorities immediately.

The decision on SCDC reverses the approach taken under former Mayor Brenda Locke’s Surrey Connect majority in November 2022, when City Council first directed City staff to begin the process of reviving the arms-length, City-owned company. That earlier decision by Locke had itself reversed the Safe Surrey Coalition-led City Council’s 2020 decision to dissolve SCDC and transfer its assets and operations to the municipal government.

While SCDC is wholly owned by the municipal government, it operates as a separate, for-profit company with its own staff, executive management, and board of directors. It was first created by the City in 2007, with its work including developing municipal land, attracting investment, and generating revenue through its real estate development projects.

Bains argued that this structure already provides accountability to the municipal government.

He warned that bringing the company’s responsibilities into regular municipal operations could weaken its flexibility, dedicated focus, and ability to operate with a commercial approach.

“An organisation like the Surrey City Development Corporation is accountable to the city. City is the only shareholder of this entity, and I think Surrey benefits from a dedicated commercially orientated development corporation that focusses on strategic city building projects,” said Bains during the meeting, explaining his reason for voting against the move.

“Absorbing SCDC into regular city operations risks losing flexibility, focus, and commercial approach that make it a valuable municipal development tool.”

Surrey City Hall, Civic Library, and 3 Civic Plaza tower in Surrey City Centre. (Ed White Photography / ZGF Architects)

The decision marks the latest pivot over how Surrey’s municipal government should manage its development activities.

In 2020, the City Council under McCallum directed City staff to wind down SCDC and move its assets and operations into the municipal government. City staff subsequently replaced SCDC’s board of directors, its office closed, and most of its assets and operations transferred to the municipality.

However, the company was not fully dissolved as a legal entity. SCDC and its subsidiaries remained in existence, with outstanding commitments still requiring attention. This enabled the subsequent City Council controlled by Locke to quickly restart the operations of the company that still legally existed.

In November 2022, shortly after that year’s civic election, the Surrey Connect-led City Council directed City staff to prepare the restart of SCDC’s business. By Spring 2023, SCDC had officially restarted its operations.

At the time, Locke presented the company’s revival as a way to attract investment, build on its work in Surrey City Centre, and help deliver a wider range of housing.

2025 concept of the SCDC Gateway towers. (ZGF Architects/Surrey City Development Corporation)

SCDC’s corporate leadership and board of directors are comprised of professionals with experience in real estate, urban planning, and business. Currently, Bill Aujla is the company’s president and CEO, while Darren Donnelly is the chair of the board of directors.

SCDC’s development history includes its previous partnership with Century Group to build the 52-storey 3 Civic Plaza tower, which combines residential, hotel, educational, and office space. This 2018-completed project was pursued as an economic catalyst to help grow Surrey’s emerging downtown area.

Its future projects include the Centre Block project next to SkyTrain’s Surrey Central Station, with the first phase associated with the new permanent home for Simon Fraser University’s medical school — in partnership with the university and the provincial government. This is a redevelopment of the former North Surrey Recreation Centre site.

As well, SCDC is leading the master planning process for redeveloping the Cloverdale Fairgrounds and a high-density, mixed-use development in Newton Town Centre in partnership with TransLink. It is also pursuing the SCDC Gateway towers — a major high-density residential development near SkyTrain’s Gateway Station.

sfu medical school surrey centre block concept

2026 revised concept of the SFU medical school building at the Centre Block site of Surrey City Centre. (Surrey City Development Corporation/SFU)

The company is also involved in the City’s plan to build a new mixed-use complex on the former Safeway site in Surrey City Centre — complete with a 10,000-seat arena, a luxury hotel, a conference centre, residential uses, and retail/restaurant space.

However, McCallum has more recently cast a shadow of uncertainty over this arena project previously spearheaded by Locke, questioning the public funding required and the City’s previous land swap deal with local developer Wesgroup. One of the 16 priorities approved by City Council during the meeting directed City staff to begin an independent forensic audit of land dealings over Locke’s four-year term, including the arena project, the parkland site at 152nd Street and 76th Avenue, and the training facility in Tynehead.

SCDC also has industrial property assets within Campbell Heights.

vancouver giants surrey city centre arena 10355 King George Boulevard

June 2026 preliminary conceptual artistic rendering of the Surrey City Centre Arena and Cultural Event Centre, a mixed-use redevelopment at 10355 King George Blvd. with a new 10,000-seat arena for the new home of the Vancouver Giants. (City of Surrey)

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