Cloverdale Town Centre Plan Update

Hello Simon, thank you for your question. New projects in Cloverdale can be initiated for various reasons by different stakeholders, including individual property owners, developers, and government entities. For example, the Surrey Hospital & BC Cancer Centre, initiated by the Provincial government, aims to meet the growing demand for medical services in Surrey. Additionally, KPU's Tech Campus has planned an expansion through 2050 to support its future programming and student population. On a smaller scale, individual homeowners and developers may choose to build additional residential units, and where feasible, pursue commercial or mixed-use developments. These projects contribute to meeting the ongoing demand for housing, services, and business opportunities within the community.

Hello Kyle, thank you for your question. The Cloverdale Town Centre Plan, will align with the goals of the Surrey Transportation Plan, including one of its key targets to have, "50% of all trips made by walking, biking and rolling, and transit, resulting in a less congested and safer road network". Furthermore, the Town Centre Plan intends to include an integrated network of protected (separated) cycle tracks, multi-use pathways and neighbourhood bike routes. This will help support walking, cycling, and easy access to future transit.

Hello Ricky, thank you for your question. The City of Surrey recently published the Homelessness Prevention & Response Plan, which provides a framework for achieving a functional end to homelessness in Surrey. The plan guides the City’s actions over the next five years, focusing on creating pathways out of homelessness toward stable, permanent housing options. It emphasizes non-market housing solutions—such as emergency shelters, supportive housing, transitional housing, and independent living—to ensure diverse options are available for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The Cloverdale Town Centre Plan will align with this framework and Surrey’s Official Community Plan. Specifically, it can help support Goal 1: Increasing the supply of non-market housing, and Goal 6: Improving access to health and support services, contributing to solutions for underprivileged and homeless communities.

Thank you for your question. The Cloverdale Town Centre Plan update will undergo a review of its sensitive ecosystems and riparian areas. Through this process, new information may lead to additional areas being identified or existing areas reclassified. This review will affect how new land uses, parks, and transportation routes are designated, ensuring that our sensitive ecosystems and riparian areas are protected as the community develops. Furthermore, as part of the development process, sensitive ecosystems and riparian areas are more closely identified and protected to minimize negative impacts from development. For more information, please see the Sensitive Ecosystem Development Permit Guidelines in the Official Community Plan. 

Thank you for your question. Yes, the Cloverdale Fairgrounds, including the Fraser Downs Racetrack & Casino, are included within the Cloverdale Town Centre Plan boundary. Through community consultation and background studies, the project team is aware of the cultural and historic significance of the Racetrack and Fairgrounds as a whole. However, a separate revisioning exercise of the Cloverdale Fairgrounds, independent of the Cloverdale Town Centre Plan, is ongoing and will determine the future of the Racetrack & Casino. Unfortunately, it is unclear how the revisioning of the Cloverdale Fairgrounds will play out, as it is still in its early stages. When more information becomes public, it will be shared as part of the plan process.

Thank you for your question. The incorporation of the Cloverdale Fairgrounds and nearby areas into the plan boundary was done to support a separate revisioning and master planning exercise for the Cloverdale Fairgrounds. At this time, this revisioning exercise is in its very early stages, undergoing various studies and scoping work to assess the existing conditions and determine next steps for the project. As such, it is unclear what the future of Fraser Downs Racetrack & Casino will be. 

The revisioning of the Cloverdale Fairgrounds is a separate and independent exercise from the Cloverdale Town Centre Plan Update project. At this stage, the plan update will work to support the Fairgrounds by identifying existing and potential land uses, parks, and transportation corridors. In the event that the Fairgrounds Master Plan is released, the Cloverdale Town Centre Plan may adjust it's plan to accommodate proposed changes to the Fairgrounds. 

The Cloverdale Town Centre Plan Update will introduce some changes to land use, transportation, and parks designations. Further, it may introduce new policy to support the proposed changes. The impact that this plan will have on Surrey's greenhouse gas emissions is varied and may not be directly causal. According to Surrey's Climate Change Action Strategy (CCAS), the majority of Surrey's community carbon pollution comes from on-road transportation (mostly light-duty vehicles) and buildings (mostly residential). To this end, the Cloverdale Town Centre Plan, like many of the City's other land use plans, can work to update our land use, parks, and transportation designations and policy to support and promote resilient 15-minute neighbourhoods, resilient zero-carbon transportation, and resilient zero-carbon buildings. It's important to note that achieving the vision of a zero-carbon resilient Surrey requires leadership and support from all levels of government: federal, provincial, and municipal. So, the City can do it's part, but needs support to fully achieve it's vision (outlined in CCAS). The Cloverdale Town Centre Plan will work to incorporate principles from CCAS, and other relevant City documents to tackle the affects of climate change and support a resilient Surrey.

Thank you for your question. The Cloverdale Town Centre Plan Update will introduce some changes to land use, transportation, and parks designations. Further, it may introduce new policy to support the proposed changes. The plan update goes through a series of phases, each with their own component of community engagement. Effort is taken to collect community feedback and make the appropriate changes before a final plan is adopted by Council. This ensures that the plan is in the best interest of the majority of local residents and stakeholders. Furthermore, our land use planning process is a collaborative effort involving City staff from planning, urban design, engineering, and parks, recreation, and culture, to name a few. 

The issues of accessibility and housing affordability may be addressed in the plan, and specific policy may be written to ensure an accessible and affordable community for residents. But they may require additional support from higher level government or partner organizations to be fully realized. For example, providing affordable housing could be delivered through the City requirement of rental accommodation in multi-family units, but building new social housing might require additional funding from various partner organizations to be developed. Similarly, accessible designs can be required during redevelopment through City policy requirements, but developing large accessible infrastructure projects may require more funding and partnerships to be fully realized. In summary, the Cloverdale Town Centre Plan can work to promote a positive plan and future for the Cloverdale community, but more support may be needed from other levels of government and partner organizations to fully realize this vision. 

Thank you for your question. The amount that home owners pay each year varies. Your property tax is determined by the yearly tax rate and your property's assessed value. BC Assessment determines the value of properties as of July 1 of every year based on comparable sales in the area. While a new land use plan can increase development interest and may lead to speculative sales transaction, this is not always the case.  As you have probably noticed, land values generally trend in an upward direction with or without a land use planning process. In terms of the resources to create a land use plan, staff time is allocated based on the yearly operating budgeting. In some instances, there are additional consultant costs required. The city recovers these costs from developers who make applications in the plan area. Stay tuned to Engage Surrey this fall for opportunities to participate in the budgeting process and have your say. For more information, please see here.