Progress Made: South Campbell Heights Area Plan Receives 3rd Reading

What happened:

• City Council voted to give third reading to a bylaw that amends the City’s Official Community Plan to align with the Stage 1 Land Use Plan (as seen above)
• Third Reading was given following a six-hour public hearing with more than 100 people contributing comments on the plan
• The plan redesignates much of the area as “Business Employment” which will permit industrial development
• The plan includes approximately 600 acres bordered approximately by 8 Avenue, 20 Avenue, 196 Street, and 186 Street
• The lands included in the South Campbell Heights plan are outside of the ALR, currently designated rural and a Special Study Area

This isn’t the first time an updated South Campbell Heights land use plan has been given third reading. In 2017, Council endorsed a similar report which also achieved third reading. An application for an amendment to the Metro Vancouver Regional Growth Strategy (RGS) was submitted to the Metro Vancouver Board but the Board referred the amendment application back to the City of Surrey to consider alternates. Since then, the City has worked with Metro Vancouver staff and stakeholders to create a revised Stage 1 plan to better respond to regional concerns, and this is what has been approved by City of Surrey on July 27th.

What’s next:

• The South Campbell Heights plan is now pending approval by the Metro Vancouver Board
• If approved by the board, city staff will be able to proceed with Stage 2 of the Local Area Plan process. Stage 2 includes a detailed servicing and transportation strategy, detailed design and development policies/ guidelines, Aquifer Protection Measures, and a financial strategy
• The planning process is anticipated to be completed in 2022

Why you should care:

• The adopted amendments redesignate the area as employment lands which will permit industrial development
• Current projections estimate the 600 acres could provide approximately 8.5 million square feet of building area and the creation of 17,000 to 20,000 jobs, as well as $20 million annually in tax revenue for the city
• The land use change will be welcomed by many businesses that are impacted by ongoing industrial real estate shortages

Learn more:

If you would like to learn more about how this new plan could impact your business, your property, or future industrial real estate opportunities in Campbell Heights, please contact us. More information on the South Campbell Heights plan and planning process can also be found on the City of Surrey website.