A pair of apartment developments eyed for South Surrey will be up for public comment on June 14.
One project – at 2302 and 2306 King George Blvd. – proposes a four-storey mixed-use building with commercial units on the ground floor and 69 rental residential apartments above; the other (at 2575 and 2563 152 St. and 15168 and 15158 26 Ave.) proposes a four-storey building with 50 units. Both applications also propose a partial fifth floor for amenity space.
According to a planning report, the 69-unit project is proposed for a triangle-shaped site just south of Sources White Rock/South Surrey Food Bank and across from the Gratitude Garden, with a housing agreement to ensure its residential component will be 100 per cent market rental for 20 years.
It is the first-ever development proposal for the site, the report notes, adding that the 100-per-cent rental component qualifies the project for increased density “given the community benefit of the provision of long-term rental housing options.”
If approved, residential occupancy is anticipated by summer 2024. The units are proposed to range in size from 48-65 sq.m (516-700 sq.ft) for one-bedroom, and 79-116 sq. m (850-1,248 sq. ft.) for two-bedrooms, according to the report.
Underground parking totalling 111 spaces is planned for residents and visitors; commercial-parking access is proposed from 156 Street.
Changes sought to facilitate the project include rezoning to Comprehensive Development and re-designation to Mixed-Use Commercial-Residential.
Concerns already fielded by city staff include the impact to traffic. The report notes that the development is forecast to add 1.7 vehicles per minute during the afternoon peak, “which is not considered to be significant,” the report states. As well, the city has plans to improve the intersection of 156 Street and 24 Avenue with a right-turn lane off of 156 Street, to alleviate the current northbound backups along the road.
According to a planning report for the 50-unit project – five townhouses and 45 apartments located just east of the Seniors Come Share Society and anticipated to be ready for occupancy by September 2023 – the site was developed 27 years ago as part of the King George Plan. Over the years since, “the development trend and market affordability has moved… toward smaller sized unit types of multi-family development.”
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Projects underway nearby include the four-storey Odyssey building to the immediate east, at 2620 152 St. Additionally, 31 townhouses are proposed at 26 Avenue and 156 Street, and a six-storey apartment building is eyed for 23 Avenue and 152 Street, the report states.
The report notes that council in June 2020 approved an official community plan amendment to reinforce policies that support higher densities for sites abutting Surrey’s Frequent Transit Network, “to better connect residents to jobs and services, and reduce commute times, traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.”
Amendments sought to facilitate this project – which also proposes a two-level underground parkade and 20 electric-vehicle charging stations – include rezoning to Comprehensive Development, and re-designation of the site to Multiple Residential from Urban.
The report notes that originally, the project was proposed as a six-storey development that included commercial uses, however, public opposition led to a redesign. Its current design includes a “publicly accessible open space plaza” at the corner of 26 Avenue and 152 Street.
Thirty-seven of 53 mature trees on the site would be removed if the application proceeds.
The public hearings for both of these applications is to be held virtually. Anyone interested in weighing in may submit written comments until noon on June 14; speaker registration will take place from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, visit surrey.ca
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