Major Tower Developments Poised to Reshape Surrey's Downtown Core
Two substantial tower development projects are currently under consideration for Surrey's rapidly evolving downtown area, promising to introduce thousands of new residential units and commercial spaces to the city center. While these ambitious proposals remain in preliminary stages and are several years from potential completion, they represent significant steps in Surrey's ongoing urban transformation.
Wesgroup Properties' Four-Tower Vision
The first major proposal comes from Wesgroup Properties, which envisions constructing four towers ranging from 40 to 51 storeys on a former Safeway site located near Surrey City Hall. This strategic location places the development within close proximity to the Surrey Central SkyTrain Station and bus loop, as well as within the city's planned entertainment district. The project would feature distinctive digital billboard screens wrapping around the tower bases, creating a modern visual identity for the development.
According to city documents, the Wesgroup proposal includes a comprehensive mix of residential and commercial space, along with hotel and child-care facilities. However, city staff have expressed concerns that the current plan includes only half the amount of non-residential space required by Surrey's development policies and completely lacks office space. In a recent report presented to city council, staff warned that approving the project in its current form could establish a "problematic precedent" for future developers in the area.
Onni Group's Whalley Neighborhood Expansion
The second development, proposed by Onni Group, would dramatically increase housing density in Whalley, a neighborhood located near the site of a planned 10,000-seat arena. This project would expand housing capacity in the area by approximately seven times, representing a substantial intensification of residential development in this part of Surrey's downtown core.
Phased Development Approach and City Response
Wesgroup has outlined a phased development strategy for their project:
- Phase One: A 42-storey mixed-use tower featuring a ground-floor grocery store, two parking levels, child-care facilities on Level 4, and residential units above.
- Phase Two: A 40-storey tower containing 417 market condominiums along with 32,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.
- Phase Three: A 50-storey tower with 407 market condos, an eight-storey hotel, and 10,000 square feet of ground-level retail and restaurant space.
- Phase Four: A 51-storey tower offering 408 market condos, 278 purpose-built market rental homes, and over 20,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space on the ground floor.
Despite the concerns raised about non-residential space requirements, city documents acknowledge that the Wesgroup plan "is intended to deliver vibrant commercial retail and office mixed-use development and support the vision of downtown Surrey as the primary metropolitan center for the 'South of the Fraser' region." The city council has directed the proposal back to staff for further work to address the identified issues.
Broader Context and Development Standards
City officials noted that while Surrey has previously approved developments that didn't fully meet non-residential space requirements, those projects came much closer to compliance than the current Wesgroup proposal. The former Safeway site, which has been vacant for years, represents prime development land in a key location that could significantly contribute to Surrey's goal of establishing a vibrant metropolitan center.
These two major development projects, if ultimately approved and constructed, would substantially alter the physical and demographic landscape of Surrey's downtown core, adding significant residential capacity while potentially establishing new commercial and entertainment destinations in the rapidly growing city.
