Surrey's city staff will be working over the next couple of months to coordinate a plan for a "waterfront district" in South Westminster that would include entertainment attractions, shops and "really create a landmark in Surrey."
That's what Ron Gill, Surrey's general manager of planning and development, told council on March 10.
"We're quite excited as well for the opportunity to create a waterfront district entering into Surrey and South Westminster as you come over that Pattullo or SkyTrain bridge. It does require a lot of coordination so there's a lot of players down there, if you will. You've got the Port Authority, the railway, some industrial business owners and the City," he said.
Mayor Brenda Locke said just seeing that area start to "pick up and perk up is really something that all the people, especially in that end of Surrey, will like.
"And having a better-looking access from the Pattullo Bridge is fabulous," she added.
Council approved on March 10 a corporate report related to the South Westminster Neighbourhood Concept Plan and a transit village study there.
"I think this is really an exciting prospect for us because I know one of the things we're going to be looking at, even though it's downstream a bit – that's a bit of a pun – is designating the waterfront area as well," Locke said.
According to the report, a study "will aid in the creation of a unique waterfront marketplace destination that could include entertainment, restaurants, shops, park and plaza areas to create a memorable gateway into Surrey."
Further, it indicates a retail and residential area is currently identified as the “Yale Street Commercial” in the NCP and this designation is intended "to provide a continuous active pedestrian-oriented link along Old Yale Road from Scott Road to Brownsville Bar Park and the Fraser River waterfront."
Council heard the update to South Westminster's NCP involves three "distinct" geographic areas and the draft for the first stage of a land use concept should be brought before the politicians once the Waterfront District Study is concluded in the first quarter of 2026.
