FAQs

No. The plan will only designate the future potential for land. Individual property owners may choose to sell their properties to developers, redevelop themselves or maintain the existing building. The City will often require developers to consolidate a minimum number of properties and prove they are not impacting remaining lots’ ability to redevelop in the future. As such, you are free to move or stay in your home as long as you like.

Yes, you may rebuild your existing home if you choose to use the current zoning regulations.

Most new roads identified in the City Centre Plan are meant to be achieved through development. This means that when developers assemble property for a development, they are expected to include any adjacent properties where new roads are identified. They would then dedicate to the City the portion of the property required for the road and can use any leftover area for the development. In rare circumstances where the entire property is needed for road, it may be the City that purchases the property.

The Parks or School land use designation signifies that the City or the School District is interested in purchasing your property and developing it into a park or school in the future. It does not rezone your property or change what you are permitted to do with your property under the current zoning.

The City or the School District will look to purchase your property at fair market value after the City Centre Plan is finalized and only if you decide to sell to the City or School District. You can own and stay at your property until you wish to sell to the City or School District. You may also sell to another interested party at any time.

Fair market value will be determined by an independent appraiser. This process involves assessing the highest and best use of the land (which typically excludes the park or school use) based on site characteristics, neighbourhood context, land use designations, and development potential of surrounding properties.

Property values are reported by BC Assessment, based on the sale prices of comparable nearby properties and what buyers are willing to pay in the current market. If no buyers or developers are actively purchasing properties in an area at higher prices, the assessed value is likely to reflect the current use.

Several factors can influence a property’s value, including location, land use regulations, physical characteristics of the land and buildings, and income potential. For more details, please visit the BC Assessment website.

Whether property taxes increase for your property depends on how its assessed value changes compared to the average for all properties in Surrey. Please see the City’s Property Taxes web page for more information on how property taxes are calculated.

Many public facilities and services are essential to the day-to-day lives of residents, such as parks, community centres, cultural spaces, public art, childcare facilities, fire halls, and libraries.

The City is typically responsible for providing many of these community amenities. When new development occurs in an area that has a land use plan, financial contributions from new development help fund these amenities. These are called Community Amenity Contributions (CACs) and are collected from developers as part of rezoning applications.

The City creates land use plans for areas that are experiencing growth and development pressure. A plan determines what can be built and where. It guides the City when considering future development applications.

Typically a land use plan will aim to:

• Designate future land uses;
• Guide density and height of buildings;
• Increase employment space;
• Address housing affordability;
• Upgrade streets and add connections;
• Improve parks and public spaces; and,
• Renew and add public amenities.

Without a plan, development can occur haphazardly and can lead to speculation and a lack of community amenities and infrastructure. A land use plan provides more certainty for residents, developers, and the City about the community’s future.

The City Centre Plan has been updated in response to provincial legislation passed in November 2023 that supports housing near rapid transit. This legislation introduced requirements for Transit Oriented Areas (TOAs), which are areas within 800 metres of a SkyTrain station where higher-density development must be allowed.

To align with these requirements, the plan area has been expanded to include nearby neighbourhoods that were not previously in the plan. This allows the City to plan for the infrastructure and amenities needed to support additional growth. The expansion was approved by Council on March 11, 2024.

In the plan update, land uses have been updated to reflect the new expectations for housing density. The City is also updating its transportation, servicing, and financial strategies to support these changes.

Surrey City Centre will be the region’s second metropolitan centre and the downtown for south of the Fraser River. City Centre will be a major commercial, institutional, and employment centre set among thriving, vibrant, high-density neighbourhoods. As a hub for culture and entertainment, connected by rapid transit, and served by enhanced parks, opens spaces, and natural areas, City Centre will be both a regional destination and a welcoming home for a diverse population.

Bill 46 provides governments with a new tool to collect amenity cost charges (ACCs). These ACCs can be used to pay for facilities or features that provide social, culture, heritage, recreational or environmental benefits to a community.  The City is preparing a new ACC bylaw, anticipating bringing that to Council later this year. Please visit the City’s Provincial Housing & Financial Regulations webpage for more information.

Simply, a land use plan is a tool to provide certainty for residents, developers, and the City about the community’s future. However, development is in large part market driven, meaning that it will occur when and where there is a demand for new housing and commercial space.

The City Centre Plan provides a long-range vision for the community. The pace of development is dependent on individual property owners redeveloping or choosing to sell their property.  If there aren’t willing buyers, sellers, and developers, then not much will change. In some parts of City Centre it will takes decades for changes to occur. In other areas redevelopment will occur much more quickly as is occurring in some central locations.

Lot consolidation may be required to prevent the creation of remnant parcels that are not suitable for redevelopment due to size. It also ensures equitable distribution of road dedications and construction costs across properties, and in some cases ensure development does not adversely impact existing residents.

If land consolidation is determined to be unfeasible, the developer must:

• Demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the City, that the development potential of any excluded properties is not compromised; and
• Share any required road construction costs among properties shown in the land consolidation area. In all cases of infill development, the developer must provide a concept plan for adjacent properties to prove excluded properties remain developable.

In all cases of infill development, the developer must provide a concept plan for adjacent properties to prove excluded properties remain developable.

The City has introduced a number of improvements to make the development and permitting process more efficient. Please refer to the Development & Permitting Improvement web page for more information.

An important feature of the City Centre Plan will be the integration of land use with sustainable transportation systems. This will help to manage traffic congestion as well as improve walkability.

• The Plan will create dense, mixed-use neighbourhoods where shops and services are within walking distance for residents. As the area builds out, this will provide opportunities to access daily needs without driving.
• Concentrating employment near SkyTrain and frequent bus routes, especially within the Central Business District, will allow more trips to work to be made using transit.
• Multi-modal street design will provide safe and accessible space for pedestrians and cyclists.
• Several bike network upgrades are currently underway in City Centre to create safer and more comfortable cycling routes. For details on bike network improvements and the city-wide bike map, visit the City’s Cycling web page.
• Smaller blocks with more connections will make walking more direct, reducing travel times to many destinations.
• Street trees, ground floor businesses, and public open spaces such as plazas will make walking more pleasant, comfortable, and interesting.
• Micromobility options, like the e-bike share in City Centre, provide alternatives to driving over shorter distances and expands the reach of transit.

TransLink is the regional authority responsible for planning and delivering public transit services across Metro Vancouver, including making decisions related to transit service levels and coverage.

As Surrey experiences rapid population growth and increasing demand for public transportation, there is a clear need for expanded transit service. In response, the City is developing a comprehensive Transit Vision aimed at enhancing connectivity and accessibility across the community. Surrey remains committed to advocating for a strong, inclusive, and forward-looking transit system that keeps pace with the city’s evolving needs.

Minimum requirements for residential parking will no longer apply in Transit Oriented Areas (TOAs). Developers will now determine the number of residential parking spaces needed for their site. Minimum commercial and accessible residential parking spaces will still be required. To support these changes, the City will be exploring opportunities to improve and expand transit, walking, and cycling facilities as part of new developments.

To support a growing population, City Centre will see expansions to schools and parks, along with the addition of new locations. The responsibility of providing funding for new schools ultimately lies with the Ministry of Education. However, understanding the pressures on existing facilities, Surrey continues to advocate to the Province for new schools. See the latest land use map for more details.

The updated City Centre Plan helps Surrey reach its climate goals by planning for a compact, energy-efficient downtown that is easy to get around by transit or walking. It encourages new development in areas that already have things like SkyTrain, sidewalks, and the City’s district energy system. This helps lower greenhouse gas emissions from cars and buildings, which are the biggest sources of emissions in Surrey.

The plan also helps protect the environment and prepare for climate change by keeping important natural areas. It protects the Quibble Creek and Bolivar Creek areas as parkland and supports the Green Infrastructure Network, which connects wildlife habitats and helps protect plants and animals.

For more information, please refer to Surrey’s Climate Change Action Strategy and Biodiversity Conservation Strategy.

Allowing higher densities is expected to create more rental housing options. To help address the shortage of non-market rental housing, the City is also exploring the use of "As-of-Right" zoning for non-market rental developments. This approach would remove the need for rezoning in certain areas, helping to speed up the delivery of affordable housing. For more information and project updates, please visit the project webpage.

To further support housing near rapid transit, the City has launched two incentive programs:

• The Rapid Transit Development Incentive Program provides a 50% rebate on select planning, engineering, and building application fees to encourage and accelerate housing projects close to existing rapid transit.
• The Non-Market Rental Housing Development Incentive Program supports the creation of affordable non-market rental units by offering a 50% rebate on select fees, as well as exemptions from Development Cost Charges and Community Amenity Contributions.

For full program details, please visit the program webpage.

When rental housing redevelops, the developer must replace the existing units at no more than 90% of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) average rent in Surrey. Developers are also required to assist affected tenants in relocation to new housing. Please refer to the City’s Rental Replacement Policy and Tenant Relocation Policy for more details.

City Centre is experiencing significant growth as it develops into the region's second metropolitan core. While the City Centre Plan was completed in 2017, there are several reasons to revisit the plan at this time.

Strong office growth is occurring in various locations throughout City Centre. Surrey is establishing a Central Business District to ensure there is sufficient space for office development and that it's focused in a central location that creates a critical mass of employment activity.

Since the plan was adopted by Council, a SkyTrain extension was approved along Fraser Highway with a station (Green Timbers Station) planned at 140 Street. A review of the surrounding area is needed to ensure safe and convenient access and suitable transit-supportive land uses.

The Bolivar Heights neighbourhood of City Centre has been experiencing growth and development pressures not anticipated by the plan. A review of the neighbourhood is needed to ensure that approved developments are part of a coherent land use pattern.

City Council is expected to review the draft land use plan this fall. A final version of the plan will be prepared and presented to Council for approval later in the year.