Frequently asked questions

The Official Community Plan (OCP) describes the long-term vision of the City. They are a statement of objectives and policies that guide decisions on municipal and regional district planning and land use management. These decisions impact communities' sustainability and resilience.

For more information on what goes into the creation of an OCP visit: Official community plans for local governments - Province of British Columbia.

The new OCP will:

• Provide a long-term vision for the City.
• Establish clear objectives and actions to achieve the vision.
• Identify housing needs as the population grows.
• Support a range of housing choices for all.
• Foster a framework for complete, walkable neighbourhoods.
• Protect key natural areas and sensitive ecosystems.
• Support other City and regional plans for growth, climate change and transportation.

The existing OCP is more than 10 years old and needs to be updated. Over these 10 years, many changes in the City have taken place including changes to our population, economy, facilities, and infrastructure needs. New City policies, initiatives, and goals have also been developed during these 10 years, which will need to be integrated within the OCP update.

In addition, the province of BC in their recent release of the new local government housing initiatives, requires municipalities to review and update OCPs every five years, with public engagement, to plan for enough homes for forecasted growth over the next 20 years.   To read more about this “pro-active planning” endeavour by the Province, visit: Pro-active planning - Province of British Columbia (gov.bc.ca).

There are multiple opportunities to provide input and feedback during the development of the OCP, both online and in-person. This includes community surveys, open houses, and pop-up events. The goal of the engagement process is to hear from as many residents of Surrey as possible, and be representative of the diversity and complexity of voices in our communities.

Our online engagement page is accessible 24/7. It is a great resource for information on the OCP, updates on future surveys and engagement opportunities, as well as a look into what other residents are saying about their visions for Surrey’s future. If you would like to be notified of any updates on our engagement page, please see here.

The OCP will support City wide initiatives that address the impacts of climate change on Surrey and its residents. Climate change and its associated impacts can affect various dimensions of our lives, ecologically, socially, and economically. City strategies like the Sustainability Charter 2.0, the Climate Change Action Strategy, Climate Adaptation Strategy, and the Coastal Flood Adaptation Strategy provide actionable steps to address these dimensions. Further, other City wide initiatives incorporate these learnings into their work as well, such as the Surrey Transportation Plan. The OCP will incorporate key elements from these documents into its own policy. As the OCP develops, future engagement and research may indicate the addition of new policy areas.

The OCP will align with City wide initiatives pertaining to protecting Surrey’s wildlife and biodiversity. This includes the Biodiversity Conservation Strategy, Urban Forest Management Strategy, and the Green Infrastructure Network, The OCP will work to incorporate key elements from these documents into its own policy. As the OCP develops, future engagement and research may indicate the addition of new policy areas.

The OCP, along with other City wide initiatives, support  jobs and employment close to home. This includes the Climate Change Action Strategy (CCAS), the Surrey Transportation Plan (STP), and Economic Strategy 2024. Both CCAS and the STP support the creation of 15-minute neighbourhoods, where all daily needs are within a 15-minute walk of one’s home. The Economic Strategy 2024 supports the creation of strong economic clusters in Surrey and also advocates for more institutional and office space in Surrey’s City Centre. The City will also promote intensive industrial uses in Surrey’s industrial lands to support a higher number of jobs. The OCP will work to incorporate key elements from these documents into its own policy. As the OCP develops, future engagement and research may indicate the addition of new policy areas.

The OCP will support federal and provincial initiatives to provide affordable housing. This includes the Federal Housing Accelerator Fund and the Provincial Housing Legislation. The OCP will also support City initiatives, such as the Affordable Housing Strategy, to inform this policy. Furthermore, the federal Housing Accelerator Fund, provides support to the City to increase the supply of below market affordable housing. As the OCP develops, future engagement and research may indicate the addition of new policy areas.

The City’s ability to address and improve social conditions, such as poverty, is a shared responsibility and depends on the actions taken by all levels of government (Federal, Provincial and Local); our partners, such as Fraser Health, Surrey School District, post-secondary institutions; and by the rich network of non-profit organizations that serve the Surrey community.

The OCP will align with City wide initiatives, like the future Social Action Plan, to envision a City where all people have equitable opportunities to thrive. The plan will identify key social priorities impacting Surrey residents and the community, and actions to address these priorities. As the OCP develops, future engagement and research may indicate the addition of new policy areas.

The OCP will align with City wide initiatives pertaining to the health and wellbeing of residents. This includes Healthy Communities and a number of their programs including the Accessibility Action Plan and the Age Friendly Strategy. Other considerations for health and wellbeing can be found in the Parks, Recreation and Culture Strategic Plan, and the Surrey Transportation Plan. The OCP can promote active transportation options (rolling, walking, cycling, transit, etc.), support indoor and outdoor recreation opportunities, ensure food security for residents, and consider mental health and social wellbeing in City development. As the OCP develops, future engagement and research may indicate the addition of new policy areas.

The OCP will support City wide initiatives like the Surrey Transportation Plan and Surrey Walking Plan to facilitate a safe, low carbon, and multi-modal transportation network. The Surrey Transportation Plan lists three key targets for 2050:

1. Achieve the Vision Zero target of zero deaths and serious injuries on the road network.
2. Zero GHG emissions from personal transportation.
3. 50% of all trips made by walking, biking and rolling, transit.

Other relevant initiatives include Vision Zero Surrey, the Surrey Electric Vehicle Strategy, and the Climate Change Action Strategy. As the OCP develops, future engagement and research may bring light to new policy areas that may have not been previously identified.

Surrey is growing, and thus there are an increasing number of trips taken by residents and visitors every day. Today, that number is over one and half million trips daily. As the population grows, various City strategies, including the OCP, provide strategic steps to address these concerns. This includes the Surrey Transportation Plan, Surrey Walking Plan and the Climate Change Action Strategy. These strategies include policy that support multi-modal transportation options (walking, biking, rolling, and transit) and locating daily needs close to home (i.e. 15-minute neighbourhoods). Further, Council-led capital projects such as roadway improvements (adding more lanes, widening sidewalks, adding bike lanes) can also contribute to improving transportation options for residents. Finally, intergovernmental partnerships with the Provincial and Federal government are crucial to ensuring Surrey has sufficient capacity to support its population. Partnerships with TransLink and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) to add more transit routes and increase service as well as improve regional transportation infrastructure (e.g. Provincial highways) are necessary to ensure Surrey grows with its population. The OCP will work to incorporate key elements from these areas into its own policy. As the OCP develops, future engagement and research may indicate the addition of new policy areas.

Planning for present and proposed agricultural land uses is a requirement of the OCP. As such, the existing OCP (PlanSurrey 2013) provides policy considerations for agriculture uses and food security (e.g. Section E3: Agriculture and Section F5: Food Security). The OCP update may build on this work and refine these considerations to align with current and future conditions. This would involve research and consultation to ensure policy meets City priorities and community values.