A plan to begin installation next week of a pedestrian walkway along Alexandra Street in Crescent Beach has prompted frustrated homeowners to explore legal action against the City of Surrey, claiming their community was not properly consulted and that the work violates the city's own land-use plan for the area.
City officials, however, say impacted residents were informed of the work – which is to include removal of "unauthorized obstructions" that encroach on the city's road allowance – last fall.
A March 4 statement from the city notes the walkways are aimed at helping improve access to transit as well as increase accessibility between bus stops and the beach. As well, "the pathway along Alexandra will also provide improved and safer access for the children at Alexandra House to access the beach without having to walk on the road."
Jolene Laing Funke – one of four property owners who will be directly impacted by the imminent work – said Thursday (March 6) that the issue spurred dozens of the community's residents to band together and retain a Vancouver lawyer with municipal expertise, in hopes of stopping the city from moving forward.
A letter advising that the planned work contravenes the existing land-use plan, and requesting the city pause until adequate consultation has occurred is expected to be delivered to mayor and council, as well as other city officials, this week.
Funke said while residents are taking a calm, logical approach, they are prepared to literally put their feet down, if necessary.
"We're asking that they cease work until there's adequate conversation or timeline for people to kind of deal with their issues," Funke said.
"Beyond that, there's a group of about 100 people who are planning to sort of sit themselves on the affected properties effective Monday and physically stop the work from being done."
According to information at surrey.ca, the Crescent Beach Land Use Plan was endorsed by council in April 1999, "provides direction on the area's development" and "is focused on preserving and enhancing the semi-rural seaside village character of Crescent Beach."
Encompassing an area approximately 91 hectares in size, it "very clearly indicates they want Crescent Beach to stay a seaside village," Funke said.
The walkway work is most recently noted in a Feb. 5, 2025 corporate report updating council on a "parking and walking enhancements" pilot that was undertaken last summer. At its Feb. 10 meeting, council voted against a staff recommendation to remove pilot measures that had been implemented along McBride Avenue, and instead supported a motion to have staff review related safety issues and look at additional parking solutions.
In a March 4 statement, Crescent Beach Property Owners Association officials say they had asked for a pause on any project work until a meeting could be held where city representatives share the overall plan with the community.
Instead, "those directly affected by the parking and walking construction received a letter stating that work would begin on March 10."
Funke, who bought on Alexandra Street in 2016, said the notice she received – dated Feb. 18 but received Feb. 27, and indicating "that a significant portion of my yard is going to be removed" – conflicts with information she was told by a city engineer in December.
At that time, she was assured that the city had "decided to go another direction" due to the extent that the work would impact properties, Funke said.
"The next I heard from him was a phone call approximately 10 days ago that work was going ahead."
The walkway, she noted, is to be some three metres (10 feet) wide.
While Funke had secured a March 3 meeting with the engineer and project director at her property, she said a crowd of residents who also turned out hoping to hear more deterred the pair from attending.
In Funke's letter from the city, director of project delivery Victor Jhingan explains the pathway planned for the south side of Alexandra was authorized by council in April 2024.
A recent survey confirmed Funke's property has "unauthorized obstructions" within the city's road allowance that will be removed, Jhingan continues, naming cedar hedging, fencing, signage and other landscaping features as among the offending encroachments.
The city's statement to Peace Arch News notes obstructions encroach into the city's road allowance by approximately three metres (8-9').
"This is not permitted and therefore the fence and hedges must be removed," said an updated statement from the city, emailed to PAN March 7. "There is also a row of mature trees located along this same side of Alexandra Street within the City’s road allowance. In order to protect these existing mature trees, the pathway will be located adjacent to the trees within the City’s road allowance."
"No trees will be removed nor damaged as part of the work, nor are any works being undertaken on private property," the statement says.
City stakes suggest the impact of the impending work on each lot will be dramatic. In one case, stakes are placed just a short distance from the foot of steps leading up to the home's front door.
Funke said virtually "all" of the residents' properties encroach on those of their neighbours. In her case, according to property lines shown on COSMOS, "I own half (of my neighbour's) shed and up to their foundation."
It's an issue complicated by the area's history around property lines, she continued; when they were established, and how they've largely gone both uncontested and unenforced for decades. She noted the hedge the city plans to remove from her lot was planted more than 40 years ago.
"A lot of the homes pre-date property lines," Funke said.
She noted residents are prepared to accept whatever might come from consultation and an updated land-use plan but don't understand how the city can proceed ahead of those steps.
City workers were reportedly seen Thursday morning taking stock in the impacted yards and beginning to erect blue construction fencing.
The city statement said staff informed the affected residents last fall and "will be working with the residents to have their unauthorized works removed as the pathway is scheduled for construction in the upcoming weeks."
It confirmed that city staff began "securing the site" on March 6, ahead of work set to begin early next week.
