After a lengthy public hearing regarding proposed changes in a South Surrey neighbourhood near Redwood Park, Surrey city council decided to ultimately send the proposal back to staff for a revisit – and likely revisions.
With the applicant requesting to amend the city's Official Community Plan from suburban to urban for a portion of the lands, as well as rezoning to subdivide into 169 single-family lots, residents in the neighbouring Redwood Park Estates were among the many to speak against the proposal, which involves properties located at 2226 and 2246 180 Street, and 2225, 2277 and 2293 184 Street.
In addition, the proposal includes a development variance permit to reduce the minimum lot depth of some of the lots and to reduce the minimum setback distance for a stream, a city report noted.
The public hearing, held with several others on April 14, featured 22 people who spoke in opposition of the proposed changes, with three voicing in-person support. Council also received two petitions — one with 219 signatures expressing opposition, and another with 46 signatures expressing concern — as well as 52 written pieces expressing support, 25 pieces expressing opposition and 10 with concerns, the city clerk reported at the hearing.
Many who spoke in opposition made similar points, saying the density in the proposal is in contradiction to the city's Official Community Plan and Redwood Heights Neighbourhood Concept Plan, as well as a lack of infrastructure such as a pedestrian crosswalk to Redwood Park, sidewalks, and street lights, safety issues, traffic, environmental impact on wetlands in the area, tree removal, wildlife habitat, drainage and lack of green space buffer, and neighbourhood character, among other concerns.
Those who spoke in favour cited new infrastructure and an increase in services for the area, employment growth in nearby Campbell Heights, affordable housing for families in the area, and the need for housing choice in the current affordability crisis.
"The Neighbourhood Concept Plan — what is the value of these plans and policies if developers can just march in and change them to benefit themselves?" one speaker asked council. "The integrity of these documents must be protected from developers’ profit-driven changes."
One young speaker urged council to make a crosswalk a priority.
"I’m here today as a concerned resident of Redwood Estates ... (about) the urgent need for a designated crosswalk between our homes and Redwood Park," he said. "Redwood Park is a central part of our community life … however, accessing the park is becoming increasingly dangerous due to the high volume of cars that speed through (the neighbourhood)."
One proponent of the proposal noted the job growth in the area, with Campbell Heights industrial park nearby.
"This project will pave the way for other developers who are waiting for infrastructure to be brought in and accelerate growth of the community," she said at the hearing. "The NCP was competed many years ago and needs to evolve to reflect the current market. Quarter-acre lots have their place, but large homes on expansive lots are impractical for most residents," she continued.
"With incredible growth of jobs in this area, it makes sense to have more of a focus on affordable, multi-family and small lots near to places of employment."
Semiahmoo First Nation Coun. Joanne Charles also spoke, questioning what she felt has been a lack of consultation with SFN on the proposal.
"I think in this time of UNDRIP (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples) that there needs to be a change with regards to things that impact our nation," she told council, especially when it comes to "projects that will impact us and our lands."
"Sure maybe there’s some NCP and OCP, but I’ll just let everybody know that’s in this room, if they weren’t already aware — Surrey does not have to and has never consulted with Semiahmoo First Nation with regard to any OCPs or NCPs," Charles said.
"I want to talk about what other speakers talked about: the wetlands — from here, whatever drainage is going to go on is going to end up in the Little Campbell River," she noted, adding there are already issues the city is aware of issues regarding drainage as well as the Little Campbell River. "The mouth of the river is already getting choked off as a result of sediment coming down. We are seeing extreme flows of water during rain events, as some of the other speakers have mentioned."
Another speaker in support of the proposal noted the new provincial government legislation, Bill 44, announced in the fall of 2023.
"Instead of a single-family home meaning one family and maybe a basement suite, the province changed the meaning to small-scale, multi-unit housing. The municipality had no choice but to comply with this," she said. "Basically, single-family now means three units per lot ...(the) plan has evolved and changed."
Council eventually decided to send the proposal back to staff, with Coun. Mandeep Nagra opposed.
Coun. Pardeep Kooner made a motion to refer it back to staff, citing concerns "with the city taking an ownership responsibility on the linear buffer along the south side of the site, so I’d like to recommend that the application be referred back to staff to provide an alternative option for an appropriate buffer and screening that does not include the transfer of this land to the City,” Kooner said at the April meeting. “And on a side note, I think we do also need to look at the pedestrian and crosswalks in that area as well, for access to Redwood Park.”
Coun. Linda Annis concurred with sending it back.
"Clearly there’s a disconnect from what the neighbourhood would like and what the developer would like," she said. "I think there’s a fair bit of work to be done here. I also would like to also suggest that we do a bit of a traffic study there."
— with files from Tom Zytaruk
