Another hotel is coming to City Centre. On Monday, council gave third reading / preliminary approval to a proposed 30-storey mixed-use hotel, condo, and commercial building at the corner of King George Blvd and 98th Ave. Branded as a Hampton by Hilton, the hotel will occupy the building’s 6-storey podium, along with ground level commercial space including a wine bar. Above the podium will be amenity space on the 7th floor, and a residential tower rising to 30 floors. In total, the building will consist of:

• 181 residential dwelling units
• 112 hotel rooms
• 8 two-storey ground oriented townhouses
• 133 square metres (1,432 sq. ft.) of ground-level commercial space

Designed by Architecture 49, the building features a unique form and massing, high-quality architectural design features, with substantial glazing and a high quality material palette, including an abstract pixelated image of a British Columbia landscape on the podium’s curtain wall glass.

When complete in 2020, the hotel will become City Centre’s second hotel offering an alternative to the upscale 5-star Marriott Autograph Collection – Civic Hotel, which is scheduled to open in November 2017. It will serve the growing nearby medical / technology district known as Innovation Boulevard as well as the needs of other business and personal travellers to the area.

The building will be located directly across from PCI Group’s The Hub at King George project ‘Phase B’, which is expected to begin construction on its 3 towers around the same time as construction would begin on the hotel project in 2018.

For more information on the project:
http://www.surrey.ca/bylawsandcouncillibrary/PLR_7916-0183-00.pdf

Google Earth view of Hawthorn Park looking north from 104 Ave

On Monday, Surrey Council authorized staff to move forward with an Alternative Approval Process to remove a 1979 bylaw reserving a portion of lands in Hawthorne Park for park purposes. The bylaw, which applies to 6 properties (shown on the map below), currently preserves the properties for park purposes. City Staff want to construct a new portion of 105 Avenue through the properties as part of an east-west connector road project which has been planned since the 1980’s. An ‘Alternative Approval Process’ will now move forward involving the public, with aim to remove the 1979 Bylaw and allow for the road’s construction.

Properties affected by the 1979 Bylaw preserving lands for parkland

While some have expressed discontent with the proposed plan, fuelled by misinformation from mainstream media outlets the proposed plan will actually bring many improvements to the park including a net increase in total size and number of trees. Under the original 1987 OCP plan for 105 St through the park, the alignment was to cut straight across the park east-west. As part of the current design process, the proposed road has been re-aligned to cut further south to have the least environmental impact to the park, and preserve a pair of environmentally sensitive ponds within the park. In total the improvements include:

• Careful alignment of the proposed 105 St to minimize environmental impacts.
• The proposed roadway will be a narrow, 2-lane cross section through the park with no on-street parking to minimize impacts.
• 3 properties along 108 Avenue are proposed to be added to the park to make up for parkland lost by road construction. This will result in a net increase of 1 acre of parkland from what exists today (4 acres of park removed for the road, 5 acres of park to be added in exchange)
• 200 additional trees from what exists today will be added to the park.
• Addition of new bike lanes and sidewalks on 105 St improving accessibility to the park.
• A previous proposed connection to 142 St has been removed from the current proposal to preserve more trees and parkland.
• A new salmon rearing habitat to be added north of 105 St within the park.
• Relocation of the existing Hawthorne Park parking lot and access roadway to a more efficient location, allowing for more green space within the park.
• New walking trails to be established through the park.

Proposed alignment of 105 St and Park Improvements

While the plan for the 105 St connector through the park has been in place since 1987, the 1979 bylaw has prohibited the road from actually being constructed. While well intended at the time, the bylaw has since become outdated, put in place nearly 4 decades ago when Surrey was much less developed. In the current context of a rapidly growing city, the 105 St connector is an important piece of infrastructure needed to meet current and future transportation needs, as well as servicing demands within Surrey. The connector will also provide an alternative route to 104 Street, which is designated to become a transit-prioritized and oriented corridor in the near-future with the addition of LRT. The minimal loss of 4 acres of parkland within the 57 acre park (which will then be recuperated through the addition of 5 new acres of parkland) is a negligible price to pay for the greater community good of improved connectivity, accessibility, and overall improvements to the park. 

For more on the proposed bylaw removal and 105 Ave connector project:
http://www.surrey.ca/bylawsandcouncillibrary/CR_2017-R161.pdf

A proposed Independent Seniors Living Facility & Child Care Centre received 1st & 2nd readings before Surrey Council Monday night for a new 5-storey building to be built at 132 St at 109 Ave. The building, which will provide homes exclusively for seniors 55+, will help establish a new urban streetscape along 132 St, that is in line with the new City Centre plan for that area. The western edge of City Centre along 132 St is envisioned to eventually be a continuous urban streetscape of 4-6 storey buildings, with this building being one of the first. Earlier this year, the 6-storey La Voda Condos project received preliminary approval just north of this project at 132 St and King George Blvd.

In total, the project will create a total of 117 new seniors living units in City Centre along with a 1,700 sq.ft. child care centre. In addition to the building itself, the project will also dedicate and build a new section of 109 Avenue to the south, and a new urban green lane to the east. These roads are required as part of the City Centre Plan.

Elevation drawings of proposed development
Plan view of proposed development
Proposed new 109 Ave & Urban Green lane
Subject Application (17-0103) in the north-west area of the City Centre Plan It is expected that the project could begin construction by 2018. For more:
http://www.surrey.ca/bylawsandcouncillibrary/PLR_7917-0103-00.pdf

Progress continues on the SFU Sustainable Energy & Environmental Engineering Building and Prime on the Plaza. As of July 5, work is progressing on the 17th floor of Prime on the Plaza and the 4th floor of SFU. Of notable interest is the large atrium taking shape within the new Bing Thom designed SFU building, which is already starting to have a dominating presence over University Dr. It is expected that both buildings will top out by the end of the year and be complete in 2018.

View looking west along 104 Avenue from King George Blvd

Surrey Council gave 1st & 2nd Readings on Monday night to Bosa BlueSky’s next project in Surrey City Centre – Brightside – which will now head to Public Hearing and 3rd Reading (Preliminary Approval) in 2 weeks. The project, which has been under application for the past 2 years, is set to transform the former Brick / Sears Outlet store site at City Parkway & 104 Avenue, which has been sitting vacant for numerous years now. Overall, the application is seeking:

• A General Development Permit (Form & Character) for the entire site to allow for a phased, mixed-used development consisting of 3 high-rise and 2 low-rise buildings, including:
  • 40-Storey residential tower with ground floor retail (Phase 1)
  • 50-Storey mixed-use residential tower with ground floor retail and 17 floors of office in a stepped podium (Future Phase)
  • 50-Storey residential tower with market and rental units (Future Phase)
  • 2.5-Storey market-hall commercial building
  • 2-Storey amenity building
• A Detailed Development Permit for phase 1 of the project.
• OCP Amendment and City Centre Plan amendments to allow for up to 7.5 FAR (9.2 FAR net) density.
• Rezoning
• Consolidation from 2 existing lots to 2 new lots.

View looking north along City Parkway from Surrey Central Station View from public and amenity space within interior of site looking south View looking east along 104 Avenue Future ‘Market-hall’ commercial building in centre of site as part of future phases.

Designed by Perkins & Will, the first phase of the project, a 40-Storey residential tower with ground-floor retail, is to be located at the corner of City Parkway and 104 Avenue and will include:

• 418 Market Residential Units
• 2,831 sq.ft. of ground floor Retail

The remaining buildings, subject to future Detailed Development Permit applications, will be located further east along 104 Avenue and north along 105 Avenue. The tallest of the towers, the 50-Storey mixed-use building with 17-Storey office podium, would become the new tallest in Surrey once complete, assuming no other building surpasses it by then, at 554 ft. (169m). The two future low-rise amenity, and market-hall buildings located in the centre of the site are to be set within a publicly accessible plaza that will invite people into the site from 104 Avenue. The plaza will be activated by retail and restaurant spaces at grade, as well as landscaping, and public art, subject to future detailed design.

In total once all phases are complete, the project will include:

• 1,352 Residential Units (including 200 rental units)
• 202,146 sq.ft. of Office
• 37,049 sq.ft. of Retail

In addition to the buildings on site, the project will also bring into alignment the intersection of City Parkway and 104 Avenue. The north and south portions of City Parkway on either side of 104 Avenue currently do not connect. This alignment is expected to be completed as part of the first phase, with tower 1 to be aligned on an angle with the newly constructed City Parkway.

Phase 1 of the project is expected to be completed by 2025, with the remaining buildings to follow later in the decade. For more on the project:

https://www.surrey.ca/bylawsandcouncillibrary/PLR_7918-0350-00.pdf

Aoyuan Canada has launched a registration page for their upcoming 44-storey condo project at Central Ave & 133A St in West Village. Previously dubbed ‘West Village 5‘ – the tower is the 5th phase of the master planned ‘West Village’ neighbourhood being developed by Weststone Group. The tower was initially proposed as an all rental building  back in 2017, but later switched to market housing after being taken over by Aoyuan in 2018.

According to the One Central website, the tower will include 550 units, and is expected to be completed by 2022. The project will also feature ground level retail space.

View from rooftop amenity area of One Central

https://onecentral.ca

Aoyuan Canada has launched a registration page for their upcoming 44-storey condo project at Central Ave & 133A St in West Village. Previously dubbed ‘West Village 5‘ – the tower is the 5th phase of the master planned ‘West Village’ neighbourhood being developed by Weststone Group. The tower was initially proposed as an all rental building  back in 2017, but later switched to market housing after being taken over by Aoyuan in 2018.

According to the One Central website, the tower will include 550 units, and is expected to be completed by 2022. The project will also feature ground level retail space.

View from rooftop amenity area of One Central

https://onecentral.ca

The April Issue of the City Centre Update is now available at SurreyCityCentre.ca. This month’s newsletter includes a round-up of new Development Applications, Council Approvals, and Construction activity during the prior month of March 2021.

New Development Applications

There were no new major development applications submitted in City Centre during March 2021.

As of April 2021, there are 30 major development applications under initial review (pre-council), consisting of approximately 34 towers, and 21 low-rises.

Major development applications under initial review as of April 2021

Council Approvals

No major projects received 3rd Reading (Preliminary Approval) from Surrey City Council during the past month of March, in part due to Spring Break.

As of April 2021, there are 33 approved major projects in City Centre, consisting of 42 towers, and 22 low-rises.

Approved major development applications as of April 2021

Construction

One new project began construction during March – A 23-storey market residential tower known as Centra by Everest Group located on 101 Ave at 139 St.

As of April 2021, there are 17 projects under construction in City Centre, representing 16 high-rises (>6 Storeys) and 7 low-rises (4-6-storeys).

Major projects under construction as of April 2021 30-Storey Georgetown One rising amidst the backdrop of King George Hub Parker by Mosaic progressing on 105 Ave near 140 St 44-Storey One Central rising above its podium on 133A St at Central Ave King George Hub office tower nearing completion at new intersection of King George Blvd and George Junction New road, bike path, and sidewalk along George Junction King George Hub office tower entrance fronting King George Blvd Legion ‘Veterans Village’ / Parc Centrale rising above City Parkway at 105A Ave 41-Storey Park Boulevard nearing completion along Whalley Blvd
Maverick nearing occupancy at Whalley Blvd & Grosevnor Rd

A date has finally been set for the official closure of the North Surrey Recreation Centre to make way for the site’s long anticipated redevelopment. In a notice posted on the recreation centre website, the facility is planned to close in 2 phases beginning with a decommissioning of the ice rinks in early September, and finally a closure of the remaining portions of the building on December 22. Ice rink programming will move to the new North Surrey Sport & Ice Complex, set to open on September 3 near Scott Road Station. Following that in January, Aquatics programs will move to Guildford Recreation Centre, fitness and multi-purpose activities to North Surrey Sport & Ice Complex, and preschool programs to Chuck Bailey Recreation Centre.

New North Surrey Sport & Ice Complex

While no timeline has been given for the site’s redevelopment following decommissioning, behind-the-scenes planning work has been underway for years, dating back to 2012. Since then, the City has been working with Simon Fraser University, TransLink, and various architects, planners, and consultants, on a master plan for what is known as the ‘Centre Block’ bounded by Central Avenue to the north, 102 Avenue to the south, University Drive to the west, and City Parkway to the east. Well-positioned adjacent to Surrey Central SkyTrain Station, the site forms a key link between Surrey City Hall / Civic Plaza to the north, and the Central City Complex and beyond to the south.

Back in 2013, Via Architecture prepared a ‘vision’ for what redevelopment could look like in the future. The concept envisioned a numerous mixed-use buildings for the site integrated with a transit-oriented plaza linking City Hall to Central City. The buildings would contain office, university, and retail space. The plan also envisioned:

• A new bus layover facility to be located on 133A St behind the new SFU Engineering building.
• A removal and re-configuring of the Surrey Central Bus Exchange – replacing the loop with a new street-oriented exchange along a realigned 102A Avenue and Central Avenue. The 2 streets would be integrated with a new Transit Plaza, designed to accommodate high pedestrian and bus passenger volumes.

Centre Block location between Civic Plaza and Central City Early vision for the Centre Block prepared by Via Architecture in 2013

Since the early Via Architecture vision, a more recent planning process has been underway following a Surrey City Development Corp (SCDC) RFP was filled seeking a new firm to undertake detailed master planning work for the Centre Block site. While no plans have been publicly released yet, what is expected is a major overhaul of Surrey Central Station linked with a new transit-oriented plaza connecting Civic Plaza to Central City, and integrated with over 2 million square feet of new office, university, and retail space. With such a large scale, the plan is expected to be completed in phases, with various puzzle pieces and phasing needing to take place before other phases can begin. The first of those pieces is the decommissioning and demolition of the North Surrey Recreation Centre. The second will be the construction of the new bus layover facility on 133 Street, allowing for removal of the current Bus Loop, and re-alignment of 102A Avenue through it.

With the North Surrey Rec Centre decommissioning now in sight, the pieces are finally coming together to make the Centre Block redevelopment a reality. While the project is likely to take at least a decade to build-out, we could see the start of application activity related to it in the coming year.

For more on the North Surrey Recreation Centre closing:

https://www.surrey.ca/bylawsandcouncillibrary/CR_2019-R133.pdf

Two separate Development Applications have been submitted for a pair of projects between University Dr & City Parkway and 105 Ave & 105A Ave, just to the south of the BC Lions Training facility.

According to Surrey’s COSMOS, the application on the westerly block is to allow for 873 residential units (approximately 2 towers above podiums), while the application on the easterly block is to also allow for 2 towers above podiums with no unit count given. The applications are also proposing OCP and City Centre Plan amendments to re-designate the sites from 3.5 FAR to 5.5 FAR to allow for increased density. Interestingly, the applicant on the easterly site is listed as Concord Pacific – indicating a new venture for them in Surrey City Centre, to follow their existing ‘Park’ development near King George. The applicant on the westerly site is listed as IBI Group, although the applications could be related.

The subject sites have been vacant grassed lots for decades, and are bisected by the SkyTrain guideway between Surrey Central Station and Gateway Station. While the area may feel vacant now, just to the south across 105 Avenue, Bosa’s 28 & 37-storey University District towers are expected to begin construction within the next year. Also just to the north at City Parkway and 106 Avenue, Lark Group’s 20-story Legion Veteran’s Village project is now under construction.

Site looking north-east from University Dr & 105 Ave Site looking south-east from University Dr & 105A Ave Site looking south from 105A Ave Site looking south-west from 105A Ave & City Parkway Site looking north from 105 Ave Site’s within City Centre Plan Birds-eye view of Sites

Aoyuan Canada has launched a registration page for their upcoming 44-storey condo project at Central Ave & 133A St in West Village. Previously dubbed ‘West Village 5‘ – the tower is the 5th phase of the master planned ‘West Village’ neighbourhood being developed by Weststone Group. The tower was initially proposed as an all rental building  back in 2017, but later switched to market housing after being taken over by Aoyuan in 2018.

According to the One Central website, the tower will include 550 units, and is expected to be completed by 2022. The project will also feature ground level retail space.

View from rooftop amenity area of One Central

https://onecentral.ca

Concord Pacific has launched marketing for its next and final phase of its ‘Park’ development near King George Station. Named ‘Park George’ following Park Place, Park Avenue, and Park Boulevard, the twin tower project is now open for registration on the Park George website.

The project which received 3rd reading on June 25, 2018 and Final Adoption just a month later on July 23, 2018, has moved swiftly through the approvals process, and is expected to begin construction within the coming year. As reported back in June, the project will feature a pair of 35 & 39-storey towers adjacent to, and integrated with, Quibble Creek Park at 13778 100 Ave.

Completion is targeted for Spring 2022.

Townline’s upcoming project ‘The Holland’ on Old Yale Rd at 133 St near Holland Park is heading to Council Monday for 1st & 2nd readings. The 25-storey condo tower has been under application since 2014, but is finally moving forward after years on hold.

According to the Planning Report to Council, the tower and its base of townhomes are to be Phase 1 of a two-phased development of the site, which includes 4 properties along Old Yale Rd between 133 St and University Dr. The 25-storey phase 1 will occupy the western portion of the site, with a future Phase 2 to replace the existing 6-storey Kinsman Place Lodge on the eastern portion of the site. The Kinsman Place Lodge is a care facility currently operated by Fraser Health, scheduled to close in March 2019.

Subject Site at Old Yale Rd & 133 St 3D View of Subject Site containing existing Kinsman Place Lodge

In total, the development is proposed to contain 250 units, consisting of 145 one-bedroom units and 96 two-bedroom units within the 25-storey tower, and 9 townhouse units in a 3-storey base along Old Yale Rd and 133 St. The development will also dedicate and construct the start of a new north-south road between Phase 1 and the existing Kinsman Place Lodge (future phase 2) – helping to achieve the goal of a finer-grained road network in the City Centre.

In exchange for density, the developer is proposing an enhanced public realm along Old Yale Rd reflecting its heritage as one of Surrey’s earliest roads. This is to include 2 new corner plazas at either end of the development, as well as an increased setback from the street, double sidewalks, enhanced tree planting and landscaping, high quality surface materials, and the use of heavy timber cedar benches reflecting the logging history of the area.

Proposed Landscape Plan containing enhanced public realm along Old Yale Rd Elevation of proposed 25-storey tower along Old Yale Rd East and West elevations of proposed tower

A sales centre for the tower is expected to open across the street from the site to the south of Old Yale Rd in the fall, with construction expected to begin in 2019, and completion / occupancy targeted for Spring 2021.

For more on the application:

https://www.surrey.ca/bylawsandcouncillibrary/PLR_7914-0208-00.pdf

Lark Group held a ground breaking ceremony yesterday for their next phase in the Health & Technology District – City Centre 3. The new 10-storey office building will be the latest in a series of 8 planned buildings for the district, home to a network of academics, entrepreneurs, multinational companies, start-ups, and some of the most advanced digital health, wellness, technology, and clinical service organizations in the world.

Situated directly across the street from Surrey Memorial Hospital at 96 Avenue and 137A Street, the tower will contain offices, retail and restaurant services, state-of-the-art fitness facilities, secure underground parking, and a common area rooftop terrace. Completion is expected by 2021.

The ground breaking ceremony was attended by the newly elected Mayor Doug McCallum, as well as a number of Councillors, representatives from Lark Group, and business leaders involved in the Health & Technology District. While McCallum praised the District as playing “a major contributing role to the economic growth of Surrey” he of course failed to recognize that due to his government’s action, the district will no longer be receiving a rapid transit station as was planned for 96 Avenue with LRT. It’s unfortunate that this significant and growing employment, research, and medical hub will now continue to be serviced by a small bus stop at 96 Avenue and King George Blvd so that SkyTrain can be built along Fraser Hwy serving low density suburban neighbourhoods instead.

Formerly planned rapid transit station at 96 Avenue in the Health & Technology District that will no longer be built Health & Technology District bus stop that will remain as a result of switch to SkyTrain on Fraser Hwy instead

The Health and Technology District is being developed by Lark Group in anticipation of the rapidly growing health and technology sector in B.C. The District has already attracted a large number of innovative health, education and technology organizations to its first 2 buildings – City Centre 1 & 2 – and is becoming a new epicentre for BC’s emerging technology economy.

View of Health & Technology District along 96 Avenue City Centre 3 at 96 Avenue & 137A Street Looking north along 137A Street

Lark Group’s City Centre 2 held its grand opening today following the completion of the 185,000 square-foot, 12-storey LEED Gold certified office building. City Centre 2 is the second of 8 phases in Lark Group’s vision for an emerging Health & Technology District also referred to as ‘Innovation Boulevard’ just to the north of Surrey Memorial Hospital.

Anchoring City Centre 2 will be Surrey-based Safe Software, who will occupy the top five floors of the tower. Their brand new office space includes a state-of-the-art 4,000 square-foot cafeteria, a 6,000 square-foot roof-top garden terrace and green space with a multi-level deck and walking path, a well as a fully equipped fitness centre and amenities for their employees. Illuminated signage for Safe Software was installed on the top of the tower earlier this year.

In a speech at today’s opening ceremony, Lark Group president Larry Fisher indicated that construction could be underway on City Centre 3 as early as this summer.

View looking south-east at corner of City Parkway and new 106A Ave

New renderings were released this week of Lark Group’s upcoming ‘Veteran’s Village’ project – set to replace the existing Whalley Legion at 106 Ave & City Parkway. This latest design is the 4th redesign to be released publicly since the project was first announced back in 2015.

Design Progression

Initially, in 2015, the project was to feature twin towers resembling the Vimy Ridge Memorial in France. The design, by Michael Green Architecture, was noted to be conceptual at the time, and later proved to be a bit ambitious of an undertaking for the project.

2015 design for Veterans Village

In late 2016, a new design was revealed for the project, scaling it back to a single building of lesser height, and less iconic of architecture, yet still featuring reference to the Vimy Ridge Memorial, and situated on a site surrounded by expansive plaza space.

2016 design for a single tower project

A year later, in November 2017, an application was finally submitted for the project, but based on yet again, another redesign. This time, the project appeared to be scaled back even more. Much of the plaza space depicted in early designs had been eliminated, and the building’s architecture further simplified.

2017 Rendering looking east from City Parkway

Now, as of April 2018, a radical redesign has been released, showing a return to a 2-tower project, with a much more iconic, urban, and architecturally forward design. The tower has retained its reference to the Vimy Ridge Memorial through a creatively designed facade, and now fills out the block that it occupies in a much more urban form. Wide sidewalks are depicted on both City Parkway and 106 Avenue with double rows of boulevard trees – in what looks to be intended as a quasi plaza space at the base of the tower, integrated with the sidewalk. The tower heights have also changed – with the main tower depicted at 21 storeys and the tower behind at 27 storeys.

2018 design for Veteran’s Village looking north-east at corner of City Parkway and 106 Ave Project location with City Centre Plan

With this return to a 2 tower design, it is unclear whether the 2nd tower is an envisioned 2nd phase – or if both will be built at the same time and also serve the same use purposes. From Lark Group’s website, the project is described as the first of its kind in Canada, and will be:

A multi-purpose facility designed as a centre of excellence in clinical and rehabilitation services for Veterans and first responders, with a mix of social and affordable housing.  It will include space for research and delivery of health care programs, services and trauma counselling to address issues like PTSD. It will also provide clinical spaces to advance evidence-based services and programming in health, science and engineering, including innovations in robotics, assistive devices and exoskeletons for injured Veterans and first responders.

With the latest rendering release, it appears the project is getting closer to its final design, and it’s likely that it could appear before Council for preliminary approval in the coming months. Based on this, the project is likely to begin construction sometime in 2019.

New renderings have been released by Stambol Studios of Lark Group’s upcoming City Centre 3 project in the emerging Health & Technology District. The 10-storey project, which received preliminary approval in October 2017, is the 3rd building in a series being developed by Lark Group to the north of Surrey Memorial Hospital near 96th Avenue and 137A Street.

As shown by the photo-realistic renderings, City Centre 3 will create a strong street wall along 96th Avenue, different from that of its predecessor, City Centre 1, which can be seen further to the west, stepped back from its podium. The ground floor will feature retail units fronting 96th Avenue, while the remainder of the building is expected to be leased / sold for a variety of office uses, particularly in the medical and technology industries.

A 360 VR rendering has been released by Vancouver-based VR/AR company Stambol Studios, which specializes in creating “hyperrealistic immersive experiences”. According to their website, Stambol also has an office in the very Health & Technology District featured in the 360 VR rendering.

In the 360 VR rendering which can be found here, a glimpse is given into the future of the emerging Health & Technology District at the south end of City Centre near 96th Avenue and 137 St. The hyperrealistic rendering shows the existing City Centre 1, and currently under construction City Centre 2 buildings, along with the recently approved City Centre 3 – all by the developer Lark Group.

The rendering also provides a first glimpse at a future phase of the district, presumably City Centre 4 & 5, shown north of City Centre 2 along 137 St. These towers appear to be taller than their predecessors, and also have a shared podium, suggesting they would be built as a single phase. Lark Group was quoted in a Business in Vancouver article back in March, to have plans for up to 8 towers in the district, which spans from Surrey Memorial Hospital north to Fraser Hwy.

Looking north on 137 St from City Centre 3 towards City Centre 1, 2 and future phase. Future Health & Technology District phase to north of City Centre 2 Future Health & Technology District phase to north of City Centre 2 View looking north from 96th Ave & 137th St towards City Centre 3

Health and Technology District 360

Lark Group‘s 10-storey ‘City Centre 3’ development across from Surrey Memorial Hospital is set to appear before Council on Monday, September 11 for 1st & 2nd readings. The project is the 3rd in a series of towers being developed by Lark Group as part of the emerging medical, technology district dubbed Innovation Boulevard. The tower follows the 12-storey ‘City Centre 1’ completed in 2014, and the currently under construction 12-storey ‘City Centre 2’. A Business in Vancouver article published earlier this year indicated that Lark Group has plans for up to 8 towers in total for the area, envisioned to become a “Stanford University type” medical / research hub.

Like its predecessors, City Centre 3 will provide office space for a mix of medical offices, research, and tech firms, along with ground-floor retail. It will also provide space for a new private surgical centre. The development is seeking both OCP and City Centre Plan amendments from 3.5 FAR to 5.5 FAR, as well as Rezoning and Development Permit. Designed by Wensley Architecture Ltd., the building offers a striking design and will be a welcome addition to the growing cluster of mid-rise towers in the quickly urbanizing area at the south end of Surrey City Centre.

With yesterday’s Mayors Council vote in favour of finalizing the business case for the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain project, it is now certain that SkyTrain will be extended along Fraser Highway, but only as far as Fleetwood within the foreseeable future. As expected, the 1.65 billion in funding currently secured for rapid transit in Surrey will only allow for a 7km / 4 station extension of the Expo Line from King George Station to 166 Street, not to be in service until the end of 2025. With no funding secured, and no timeline in place for a phase 2 extension to Langley, it’s unlikely that SkyTrain will reach Langley before the 2030’s.

Given the decision to go ahead with SkyTrain on Fraser Highway, Surrey’s most urban corridors of 104 Ave and King George Blvd serving the 2 largest Town Centres of Guildford and Newton will likely now see no rapid transit for the next decade, due to the limited 3.55 billion funding envelope (with 1.9 billion yet to be secured) for rapid transit South of the Fraser. This funding envelope would have provided Surrey 27km of LRT across the city, including both the Guildford-City Centre-Newton ‘L’ line, and Fraser Hwy line to Langley. With SkyTrain, Surrey will just receive a single 16.5km line down Fraser Highway instead, along a corridor much more suburban in form, and with much less opportunity for land assembly to higher densities to support a SkyTrain line.

While rapid transit to Langley is definitely a good thing, the reality of the line not likely reaching Langley until the 2030’s, while rapid transit elsewhere in Surrey is stalled, is very unfortunate when Surrey could have had a full 19-Stop (27km) LRT system across the City inclusive of Langley within the same timeframe as an 8-Stop (16.5km) SkyTrain line. LRT additionally would have transformed, urbanized, and distinguished Surrey in ways that SkyTrain will not. LRT and trams are common fixtures and symbols of inner urban cores in major cities around the world, of which Metro Vancouver currently lacks. Cities such as Berlin, with robust multi-tiered rail transit networks, are embarking on major expansions of their LRT networks, on top of their existing metro rail networks. LRT would have urbanized and distinguished Surrey as a city on its own, as an inner core of the region. With SkyTrain, Surrey remains similar to Burnaby, a by-pass suburb along the line to Vancouver. This is not to mention, the negative effects of SkyTrain on the streetscape – obtrusive overhead guideways that cast shadows, are noisy, unsightly, and ultimately very suburban in nature, compared to urbanized street-integrated LRT which can transform a city and its streetscapes.

Eventual 8-Stop (16.5km) SkyTrain to Langley by 2030’s Cancelled 19-Stop (27km) LRT network that would have been completed within same time frame as SkyTrain

It’s hard to imagine rationalizing a 4-station SkyTrain extension to suburban Fleetwood over an 11-station LRT line servicing Surrey’s most urban corridors and largest Town Centres, but here we are. Ultimately once the line does reach Langley in the 2030’s it will help to move people through the region, benefit Surrey’s City Centre (although with less new stations), and those living near the line, but at the expense of what could have been a much more extensive rapid transit system, more urbanizing, distinguishing, and transformative for Surrey.