An estimated 70 people turned out last week to learn more about where things stand with regard to the final plan for South Campbell Heights.
City of Surrey planning and development staff hosted the update on Nov. 30 at South Surrey Arts & Recreation Centre as “an opportunity for landowners and community partners to see what has been completed and what still needs to be done,” a statement from the city explains.
The Stage 2 plan covers approximately 249 hectares (600 acres) of land south of 20 Avenue, between 188 and 196 Streets, which – through a process that began nine years ago – has been OK’d for mixed industrial use.
According to information shared on display boards – available for perusal on the city’s website – 63 per cent (159 hectares) of the area is proposed for business employment use.
READ MORE: Metro Vancouver board endorses Surrey’s South Campbell Heights development plan
Other details highlighted included the outcomes of Metro Vancouver’s 2022 Regional Growth Strategy approvals; updates to the Stage 1 land-use concept plan, initial biodiversity/watershed protection considerations; initial findings of the Integrated Stormwater Management Plan; considerations for future protection of the Brookswood aquifer; the proposed road network; and initial utility servicing concepts.
City officials say feedback from attendees was “generally mixed,” with some expressing concern, and others asking for more information on “how the plan would meet environmental objectives.”
“This included the general protection of the Brookswood aquifer, the Little Campbell River Watershed, as well as the biodiversity and wildlife habitat in the area,” the city statement elaborates.
Some attendees also asked for more opportunities to discuss the ongoing Integrated Storm Water Management Plan and other background studies with city staff.
As a result, further meetings with additional environmental stakeholder groups are anticipated in 2024, “once strategies for protecting the aquifer and watershed have been further refined.”
The Stage 1 plan was endorsed by council in July 2017. Metro Vancouver supported it in February 2022, voting by a slim margin (69-65) to move South Campbell Heights outside of the ‘urban containment’ boundary and re-designate the land use to conservation and recreation, mixed employment and agriculture.
An opportunity for the public to provide further feedback on the Stage 2 plan is anticipated in spring 2024.
It is expected to be considered by council by mid-2024.
For updates or more information, visit surrey.ca/planning or email staff at SCHPlan@surrey.ca