Surrey/South Fraser Updates

[GMasterAres]

The build out for these buildings will probably come in the next 5-10 years as there's no way the development community can support these projects with falling prices.

Just an FYI that this notion that housing prices are "falling" is misleading at best and makes for great and easy news reporting but doesn't tell an accurate story. Prices in Metro Vancouver are falling just like Crime in Canada is falling.

Meaning, if I say "Crime in Canada is falling" which is statistically correct, you can't then use it to claim crime in every single city is falling. That would be false. Same with prices falling.

Parts of Metro Vancouver have prices falling, but many parts don't. Also different types of residential units have different directions. If you look strictly at Surrey Central, prices are actually going up. Not as sharply as in the past, but going up none the less. And demand is still high.

So everyone needs to be a bit more cautious when they just repeat what the media says in their over simplified "can't provide details only 30 word" blurbs they are guilty of far too often these days.

[Urbanmetro]

Just an FYI that this notion that housing prices are "falling" is misleading at best and makes for great and easy news reporting but doesn't tell an accurate story. Prices in Metro Vancouver are falling just like Crime in Canada is falling.

Meaning, if I say "Crime in Canada is falling" which is statistically correct, you can't then use it to claim crime in every single city is falling. That would be false. Same with prices falling.

Parts of Metro Vancouver have prices falling, but many parts don't. Also different types of residential units have different directions. If you look strictly at Surrey Central, prices are actually going up. Not as sharply as in the past, but going up none the less. And demand is still high.

So everyone needs to be a bit more cautious when they just repeat what the media says in their over simplified "can't provide details only 30 word" blurbs they are guilty of far too often these days.

I have been living in the area for 7 months and have seen a substantial change in price over that time. I wasn't making a generalization, I was stating a Surrey city centre fact. Presales have also died down in Surrey Central, just as they have elsewhere.

[Shift]

And why are there no plans for the recreation centre yet? Before we know it, it'll be 2030.

Master Planning and preliminary architectural design for the rec centre site is well underway - just no formal application submitted yet. It will be re-developed in phases along with the bus loop and parking lot.

[Changing City]

I have been living in the area for 7 months and have seen a substantial change in price over that time. I wasn't making a generalization, I was stating a Surrey city centre fact. Presales have also died down in Surrey Central, just as they have elsewhere.

It really depends on the timeframe you look at. According to the Real Estate Board, Central Surrey apartment prices were 12% higher in December 2018, compared to a year earlier. That sounds impressive, until you see the six month figure, which shows prices in December 2018 were 7.8% lower than in mid 2018. So prices rose nearly 20% in the early part of 2018, and peaked around June, and have been falling steadily ever since. This is for MLS resales, not new apartments. It's also for apartments, not townhouses or detached homes, and in other parts of Surrey and the Fraser Valley area the percentages are different - although they were all higher over a year, and lower over six months.

[e-clam9]

It really depends on the timeframe you look at. According to the Real Estate Board, Central Surrey apartment prices were 12% higher in December 2018, compared to a year earlier. That sounds impressive, until you see the six month figure, which shows prices in December 2018 were 7.8% lower than in mid 2018. So prices rose nearly 20% in the early part of 2018, and peaked around June, and have been falling steadily ever since. This is for MLS resales, not new apartments. It's also for apartments, not townhouses or detached homes, and in other parts of Surrey and the Fraser Valley area the percentages are different - although they were all higher over a year, and lower over six months.

Agree. Like the UD tower 1 and 2, the tower 2 presales now has low price per sq.ft than tower 1 one year ago. And for Park George I and II (CP is a higher quality builder than most builders here), tower 2 is selling at the same price as tower 1 one year ago. Pre-sales price is now around $700/sq.ft in this area.

As for most area, the very high end houses (multi millions) dropped a lot (some dropped 30+%), but the normal/common/not-too-big condo prices doe not move up or down that much now comparing to summer. Banks are also lowering the mortgage rate and allow less down payment (if you also buy mortgage insurance, HSBC is 2.89%). That helps to combat the negative effect of empty vacancy tax and speculator/satellite family tax. It is interesting to see 600+ big houses for rent in craigslist now because many owners try to avoid these taxes. If you have enough people (few friends or few families or even few strangers), you can rent a 7 bedrooms big house for about $600 to $700 per room in Vancouver :-) You don't need to be super rich to enjoy a nice big house with nice ocean view. So nice. Individual bankruptcy rate is increasing since last November. Take care.

[Urbanmetro]

Master Planning and preliminary architectural design for the rec centre site is well underway - just no formal application submitted yet. It will be re-developed in phases along with the bus loop and parking lot.

That's great to know! It is not a distant fantasy, instead, a near reality. Thanks for the info shift. I hope they are including the YMCA facility as part of the development 😁

I think the city needs to communicate much better on big capital projects. When they say they are taking down the rinks because of age, without a plan in place, it seems like a waste of city resources, even if they have built the other rinks in the Scott road area. My initial thought was, why not let all 5 coexist for a few years until there are plans on the books. My thoughts anyway.

[e-clam9]

...Before we know it, it'll be 2030.

You are very optimistic. 2030 is only 11 short years from now and City of Surrey (like the Vancouver) uses the Cosmic calendar (measures in billions of years). Developers also like to hold lands for years until the best time.

:cheers:

[dpapis4]

As for most area, the very high end houses (multi millions) dropped a lot (some dropped 30+%), but the normal/common/not-too-big condo prices doe not move up or down that much now comparing to summer. Banks are also lowering the mortgage rate and allow less down payment (if you also buy mortgage insurance, BMO is 2.89%)...

Where did you find that 2.89% mortgage rate??

[GMasterAres]

I have been living in the area for 7 months and have seen a substantial change in price over that time. I wasn't making a generalization, I was stating a Surrey city centre fact. Presales have also died down in Surrey Central, just as they have elsewhere.

Statistics 101. A statistic is not a fact. Let's draw the line there. So you're quoting a statistic, you are not quoting a fact. Statistics need to be interpreted and they are also at risk of bias based on how the statistic was gathered, by whom, within what time frame, etc. No good statistician would ever claim a statistic as being factual.

Let's get that straight. This is a mistake a LOT of people not only on these forums but in life make. Again I'll repeat, statistics are NOT facts.

With that said, I can't dispute what you've seen around where you live specifically. That could be what is happening. What I can dispute is I've lived in Surrey Central around King George Station for 9 years now and have seen the opposite, even in the short term.

So if we're both correct for our specific area, then by you saying "Surrey Central", you prove my point about over generalization. That's the point I'm making. People, especially when it comes to real estate statistics, over generalize and treat them as facts when they aren't.

No developer in their right mind would look at any of the stats coming out of the real estate board and use that exclusively as a deciding factor on when or if a project is going to move forward. If I'm building a residential tower around King George Station, I don't particularly care how things are going around Surrey Central station, or Gateway, or Fleetwood, or Brentwood.

Would they look at it? Sure. But there are so many other factors. I would actually be super surprised if the market analysis and cost benefit analysis between Park George and Park Boulevard projects (both of which are the same company) we not substantially different only because they are different towers, with different amenities, in slightly different locations, with different floor plans.

That stuff weighs more on a project that very very short term market burps aka 7 months.

[GMasterAres]

It really depends on the timeframe you look at. According to the Real Estate Board, Central Surrey apartment prices were 12% higher in December 2018, compared to a year earlier. That sounds impressive, until you see the six month figure, which shows prices in December 2018 were 7.8% lower than in mid 2018. So prices rose nearly 20% in the early part of 2018, and peaked around June, and have been falling steadily ever since. This is for MLS resales, not new apartments. It's also for apartments, not townhouses or detached homes, and in other parts of Surrey and the Fraser Valley area the percentages are different - although they were all higher over a year, and lower over six months.

Market burp which happened in the past. That's the point I'm making that we have to be careful on how statistics are interpreted because it is hard to know how the stats were generated, how general they are, and what they may be missing.

Also 6 months is a really short time frame when it comes to real estate. No different than trying to analyze and predict stock prices though people seem to treat each differently. Most people inherently understand that you could never predict future stock prices based on short or even (in many cases) long term historical stock price activities. It helps, but a well informed trader will look at far more variables such as industry of the company, company make up, financial statements, company plans, you name it.

Yet the general public doesn't seem to do that with Real Estate nor does the news media. We just go "Oh prices are going up in Metro Vancouver so I better buy a house now!" or "OMG Real estate board said prices down in metro-Vancouver 12% year over last, market is crashing!!!"

[GMasterAres]

Agree. Like the UD tower 1 and 2, the tower 2 presales now has low price per sq.ft than tower 1 one year ago. And for Park George I and II (CP is a higher quality builder than most builders here), tower 2 is selling at the same price as tower 1 one year ago. Pre-sales price is now around $700/sq.ft in this area.

As for most area, the very high end houses (multi millions) dropped a lot (some dropped 30+%), but the normal/common/not-too-big condo prices doe not move up or down that much now comparing to summer. Banks are also lowering the mortgage rate and allow less down payment (if you also buy mortgage insurance, BMO is 2.89%). That helps to combat the negative effect of empty vacancy tax and speculator/satellite family tax. It is interesting to see 600+ big houses for rent in craigslist now because many owners try to avoid these taxes. If you have enough people (few friends or few families or even few strangers), you can rent a 7 bedrooms big house for about $600 to $700 per room in Vancouver :-) You don't need to be super rich to enjoy a nice big house with nice ocean view. So nice. Individual bankruptcy rate is increasing since last November. Take care.

So I'd ask you on that statistic, does that tell you the market is down? Or does it tell you the market was inflated a year ago?

Could you make the determination. Because both conclusions to me could be correct.

One person might look at what you said above and conclude "Oh well look the market has dropped." But I don't think it would be unreasonable to argue the point that maybe the towers selling last year were over-inflated for the market.

Long term, prices are way up. WAY up. That's just the reality. As a real-estate investor, I am more interested in long term around my specific area. When I purchased my 1 bedroom 560ish sq.ft apartment in Park Place 2 back in 2007, I paid $168,000.

That is $300 per square foot. And now you're saying with prices the same or less than last year, units are selling for $700 per square foot. That's 2.3 times what I paid in 2007. So in 12 years the immediate area around my unit has increased 2.3 times, despite the last year the presale prices have "dropped" a little.

Again example of stats telling two different stories depending on perspective and interpretation. :cool:

I think by this stage I've hopefully made my point to everyone. With that said, I don't see any reason why tower construction in Surrey Central won't continue at a decent pace into the near and long term future.

Honestly the only real factor I think could hinder it is if we had another major world financial melt-down or crash like in 2009.

[GMasterAres]

I don't think anyone posted this but crane was erected on the 6-storey condo development on the corner of 140th and Fraser Highway. I'll take a picture if I can but that project is coming along and is now under construction. It isn't a high-rise but will help close out the block on Fraser Highway on the edge of Green Timbers.

It's also a very nice development from what I can see and I hope we see the Fraser Highway widening soon enough.

[Shift]

I don't think anyone posted this but crane was erected on the 6-storey condo development on the corner of 140th and Fraser Highway. I'll take a picture if I can but that project is coming along and is now under construction. It isn't a high-rise but will help close out the block on Fraser Highway on the edge of Green Timbers.

It's also a very nice development from what I can see and I hope we see the Fraser Highway widening soon enough.

That's for the 6-Storey 'Fraser Landmark':

https://urbansurrey.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/kodw6jz.jpg

https://urbansurrey.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/4npnpeq.jpg

There's also a crane up for Maverick now too (5 storeys) at Whalley Blvd & 108.

[e-clam9]

Where did you find that 2.89% mortgage rate??

Sorry, it is HSBC, not BMO...

From there web site today:

Mortgage your home, not your life™
Special offer rate of 2.89% APR** View footnote * on a 5-year fixed closed term high ratio mortgage

https://www.hsbc.ca/mortgages/

[SpongeG]

how does the shooting that occurred just a few days ago have an effect?

[EhJay]

how does the shooting that occurred just a few days ago have an effect?

None.

[kh177]

Looks like a site just to north of Gateway Station is up for sale - 10955 City Parkway. Up to ~900K square feet of density there.

[officedweller]

North Delta Centre for the Arts



North Delta will soon be home to a new arts centre.

On Monday night, Delta council awarded a construction contract to Maple Leaf Homes Ltd., which is building a multi-family housing complex on the site of the old Firehall Centre for the Arts on 84th Avenue.

The arts centre will have 11,000 square feet of space and is estimated to cost $7.7 million. Construction is expected to take just over a year.

The two-storey facility will include a theatre with a large foyer and concession space, multiple music and meeting rooms, storage space and more.

“It is very exciting that we are at this point to award this contract,” said Coun. Sylvia Bishop. “I think this is a fantastic addition to the social heart. When you look at the concept drawing of the building it echoes the form and character of the rec centre, it fits neatly into the space and provides enough flexibility for all sorts of uses.”

Bishop said the location is also on a public transit route, in a walkable area with lots of parking nearby.

“The old building served the community well, but it was a tired and aged facility that had seen better days as simply a fire hall,” added Coun. Robert Campbell. “This takes us from cobbling together a space to provide for our performing arts and culture people to providing a space that is on a quality that will be second to none in the Lower Mainland. It’s wonderful to be able to sit here and see this being approved knowing that Delta is going to have a facility that will be on the level of what you would see in Vancouver.”

http://www.delta-optimist.com/news/north-delta-arts-centre-approved-1.23082301



https://farm1.staticflickr.com/804/26498173327_eae90e022c_b.jpgDSC09032 (https://flic.kr/p/Gny4Kn) by Hung Lam (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147784253@N06/), on Flickr


By City of Rain March 24:


https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7910/33585505198_1bacebc082_b.jpgIMG_6789 (https://flic.kr/p/TaQuAs) by City Of Rain (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147784253@N06/), on Flickr
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7844/46546595305_a8f9d5ce5e_b.jpgIMG_6792 (https://flic.kr/p/2dVat8g) by City Of Rain (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147784253@N06/), on Flickr
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7838/47408894792_fcec5d486b_b.jpgIMG_6799 (https://flic.kr/p/2femYHN) by City Of Rain (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147784253@N06/), on Flickr

[e-clam9]

Seems small. I hope they have extra land and space there to triple its size in future. It is a good start. If you visited Surrey Arts Center, you know what I mean. It is small....

[Shift]

2 notable projects going to Council Monday:


Surrey Village Re-Cladding / Office to Rental Residential conversion (https://www.surrey.ca/bylawsandcouncillibrary/PLR_7918-0346-00(2).pdf)
King George Medical Heritage Revitalization / 31-Storey Apartment (Rize Aliance) (https://www.surrey.ca/bylawsandcouncillibrary/PLR_7918-0276-00.pdf)


Surrey Village

https://i.imgur.com/vb0kTRj.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/n6v9nVu.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/WRu0kOI.jpg?1

King George Medical

https://i.imgur.com/BefHfQr.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/68ykoby.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/tPmnZtC.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/Lql7r9K.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/17mquvA.jpg?1

[Shift]

Previous proposal that was rejected by Council in December / sent back to Staff for revision:

https://urbansurrey.files.wordpress.com/2018/12/uiovykc.jpg


New version looks basically the same just minus the random red balconies.

https://i.imgur.com/nd5xjiA.jpg?1

[retro_orange]

2 notable projects going to Council Monday:


Surrey Village Re-Cladding / Office to Rental Residential conversion (https://www.surrey.ca/bylawsandcouncillibrary/PLR_7918-0346-00(2).pdf)
King George Medical Heritage Revitalization / 31-Storey Apartment (Rize Aliance) (https://www.surrey.ca/bylawsandcouncillibrary/PLR_7918-0276-00.pdf)




The Surrey Village reclad and conversion looks good, that building always seemed strange to me when I lived in the area, not only the scale and location but it looks like it was taken straight outta Toronto or Mississauga; where I had just moved from. Massive, visually abrasive and hostile to the pedestrian street realm.

The refinement of the Rize project looks good too, the wood details on the ceilings warm it up nicely. Is that fritted glass in the matching new section of the podium? I'm so glad they decided to keep the 60's building and incorporate it, hopefully it will spur more revitalization of this era of architecture.

[Cypherus]

Thanks for sharing the update, Shift. The revision to Surrey Village does look better than the previous iteration and should gain more fervor from council this time around. Also nice to see the KGB Medical building site being redeveloped with infill development (31 storey tower). I see they are trying to match the 31 storey tower design with the medical buildings in the area which tends to make it uninspiring. It won't stand out architecturally but still adds some nice density to the south of KG station.

[Millennium2002]

Regarding the Surrey Village project. I'm on-board with the tower re-cladding, but not so much with the change to residential at the front. I feel like they should rebuild that half entirely... Split it in half so tower residents can easily access their building from the street... Move it away from the existing tower... And make space for some small / medium sized shops on the main floor and some townhouses or apartments on top. I know retail spaces aren't the most profitable venture and that there is competition from King George Hub nearby, but it just seems like a waste to put homes right in front of a busy road there.

[osirisboy]

The record looks good but I have no idea what they are thinking regarding the base. Is this on a quiet residential street? Oh no wait it's on king George. It should be retail/commercial

[scryer]

The record looks good but I have no idea what they are thinking regarding the base. Is this on a quiet residential street? Oh no wait it's on king George. It should be retail/commercial

There's still plenty of space on KGB for more retail/commercial though. I do agree with your sentiment.

However KGB won't be as pedestrian friendly as Georgia street until we get upgrades to make the 96-B line a proper rapid bus transit solution. <<That's just my speculation.

[Shift]

The new residential along King George will be rental - so I guess for that market it works. Also being directly across the street from the station and KG Hub will be appealing. I think in the future King George Blvd will be more calmed / appealing than it is today once the cross-section is overhauled with new sidewalks, bike lanes, and potentially LRT.

[EhJay]

Looks like locals in Whalley are upset (https://www.surreynowleader.com/news/surrey-resident-says-proposed-apartment-building-is-a-monstrosity-in-whalley-neighbourhood/) over this building going in. Pettigrew doesn't like it as it's across the street from his house the article implies.

[Sheba]

Looks like locals in Whalley are upset (https://www.surreynowleader.com/news/surrey-resident-says-proposed-apartment-building-is-a-monstrosity-in-whalley-neighbourhood/) over this building going in. Pettigrew doesn't like it as it's across the street from his house the article implies.

I'll give him some credit for not being against it in the general area - he just doesn't want it across the street from him (so he's still being a nimby). I had to laugh over "this monstrosity six-storey building" - suuuure... :rolleyes:

[Tfreder]

Looks like locals in Whalley are upset (https://www.surreynowleader.com/news/surrey-resident-says-proposed-apartment-building-is-a-monstrosity-in-whalley-neighbourhood/) over this building going in. Pettigrew doesn't like it as it's across the street from his house the article implies.

It's a bit rich that he thinks 80 units is too dense for his "single family neighbourhood", yet he lives in a townhouse complex. Did the residents living in that single family neighbourhood before his dense townhouse complex was built oppose his townhouse from being built? Nope, so why does he think he's entitled to dictate development that's basically on the same scale as his? Just the same old "I got mine, so screw you" mentality.

[Lexus]

Surrey Central Future Central Ave
My photos 2019-04-18
133 A st looking east
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47591141372_b8bb5ad19e_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fvt3hd)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2fvt3hd) by Dmytro Zhukovets (https://www.flickr.com/photos/143443467@N04/), on Flickr
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47643858851_28294c23ec_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fA8emg)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2fA8emg) by Dmytro Zhukovets (https://www.flickr.com/photos/143443467@N04/), on Flickr
133 A St looking west
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47591051442_97afd190b1_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fvszxG)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2fvszxG) by Dmytro Zhukovets (https://www.flickr.com/photos/143443467@N04/), on Flickr
Central Ave from the library at University Dr
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/46919779594_b3c773bef3_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2eu98P9)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2eu98P9) by Dmytro Zhukovets (https://www.flickr.com/photos/143443467@N04/), on Flickr
From University Dr
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/33766429988_0a84a0ad60_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/TrPMeo)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/TrPMeo) by Dmytro Zhukovets (https://www.flickr.com/photos/143443467@N04/), on Flickr

[Blease]

It's a bit rich that he thinks 80 units is too dense for his "single family neighbourhood", yet he lives in a townhouse complex. Did the residents living in that single family neighbourhood before his dense townhouse complex was built oppose his townhouse from being built? Nope, so why does he think he's entitled to dictate development that's basically on the same scale as his? Just the same old "I got mine, so screw you" mentality.

I fully agree. Density is awesome, the best built environments in the world are dense. Suburban sprawl sucks!!!

[rpvan]

Surrey Central Future Central Ave
My photos 2019-04-18
133 A st looking east

133 A St looking west

Central Ave from the library at University Dr

From University Dr

Nice pics. Hope they connect Central to 133A later this year. Also would like to see some progress on Central further east towards King George soon.

[Shift]

Nice pics. Hope they connect Central to 133A later this year. Also would like to see some progress on Central further east towards King George soon.

Unfortunately, Central Ave will not be connected through to 133A anytime soon. It will only happen once the owners of the 6 lots to the west re-develop and dedicate their portion of Central Ave (likely 5-6 years from now at best if an application were to be submitted this year)

Same can be said for the stub between Evolve and 133A. It will not connect through until One Central is completed in probably 4 years. The dedication is now there (because the plan is approved) but they aren't going to construct the road until the building is finished. It's the developers responsibility to build the road.


https://i.imgur.com/UCUR8bU.jpg

[Lexus]

On May 1st. What appears to be La Voda on 132St and King George Blvd. 6 stories
http://lavodaliving.com

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/46968771874_712b175c65_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2eytevC)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2eytevC) by Dmytro Zhukovets (https://www.flickr.com/photos/143443467@N04/), on Flickr

[Lexus]

May 1st
North Surrey Sports & Ice Complex
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/46968771994_9338c6892f_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2eytexG)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2eytexG) by Dmytro Zhukovets (https://www.flickr.com/photos/143443467@N04/), on Flickr

[SpongeG]

thx for updates. So that North Surrey complex was built to replace the one at central?

[EhJay]

thx for updates. So that North Surrey complex was built to replace the one at central?

Yes, it is

[GMasterAres]

It's a bit rich that he thinks 80 units is too dense for his "single family neighbourhood", yet he lives in a townhouse complex. Did the residents living in that single family neighbourhood before his dense townhouse complex was built oppose his townhouse from being built? Nope, so why does he think he's entitled to dictate development that's basically on the same scale as his? Just the same old "I got mine, so screw you" mentality.

I don't actually disagree with him in principle. The 'bounds' of Surrey Central aka 'Downtown Surrey' to the east is 140th Street. This is proposed on 142nd which is outside the central core. While in the future that density may start migrating that direction, there is MORE than enough land in the defined Surrey Central area bounded by 140th to locate this type of building. And he is right, if there is to be any density extension outside the core, it would make sense to front 104th Avenue toward Guildford where the B-Line is.

It would make more sense at least west of 140th street along it at any point. For the central core to densify correctly, I do think there is some logic that developers should be somewhat restricted to the Surrey Central bounds for now instead of getting random 6 storey condo buildings outside the bounds while maintaining a grass lot inside the bounds.

[GMasterAres]

thx for updates. So that North Surrey complex was built to replace the one at central?

Just the ice surfaces. Not the pool/gym/etc. That is supposed to be replaced later on with a new YMCA joint venture in Surrey Central last I had read. So the Scott Road facility is just ice surfaces.

[CanSpice]

Not really sure where to put this, but structural engineer John Bryson has been banned from working in BC (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/john-bryson-engineer-surrey-high-rise-1.5125884) after EGBC found his structural designs for a "highrise residential tower" in Surrey did not meet certain requirements of the BC Building Code at the time, particularly with respect to wind and seismic design.

I wonder which building it is. His drawings were dated March 12, 2013, which limits things a bit, and it's tall enough that it needed attention for wind design...

[officedweller]

A lot of big projects at his firm's website:

https://bmzse.com/feature

[officedweller]

Clayton Community Hub

From Western Archrib twitter today:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D5-VqH7UUAE-_mL.jpg
https://twitter.com/WesternArchrib

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D5-VtVXUYAYexli.jpg
https://twitter.com/WesternArchrib

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D5-VvMSUUAA7SKB.jpg
https://twitter.com/WesternArchrib

[SFUVancouver]

Not really sure where to put this, but structural engineer John Bryson has been banned from working in BC (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/john-bryson-engineer-surrey-high-rise-1.5125884) after EGBC found his structural designs for a "highrise residential tower" in Surrey did not meet certain requirements of the BC Building Code at the time, particularly with respect to wind and seismic design.

I wonder which building it is. His drawings were dated March 12, 2013, which limits things a bit, and it's tall enough that it needed attention for wind design...

Interesting, and troubling, news. The firm's website seems to have scrubbed any Surrey projects from the featured list. Is there a database that one can search for structural engineers of record? Also interesting to see that they left the "Trump" name off of that tower.

[officedweller]

Stripped from the internet: Engineering firm pulls online portfolio after principal partner banned in B.C.
BY ASH KELLY AND HANA MAE NASSAR
Posted May 10, 2019 6:35 am PDT Last Updated May 10, 2019 at 6:36 am PDT
...
While the regulator told NEWS 1130 it wants to release the location and name of the tower — where seismic and wind design have been called into question — it says it’s waiting to confirm that all residents have first been informed by their strata.

In an email, Engineers and Geoscientists B.C. said it’s also notified all municipalities and regional districts about the disciplinary action taken against Bryson.

For its part, Bryson Markulin Zickmantle said it will release a statement in the coming days.
...

https://www.citynews1130.com/2019/05/10/engineering-firm-online-portfolio-partner-banned-bc/

[officedweller]

One North Delta high-rise proposal on hold, another active again
https://www.delta-optimist.com/real-estate/one-north-delta-high-rise-proposal-on-hold-another-active-again-1.23802727

This one is on hold:

https://images.glaciermedia.ca/polopoly_fs/1.23802731.1556221161!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_804/high-rise.jpg
The application for a third high-rise in North Delta has been put on hold.
Photograph By submitted
https://www.delta-optimist.com/real-estate/one-north-delta-high-rise-proposal-on-hold-another-active-again-1.23802727

***************

What's in store for North Delta Inn site?
https://www.delta-optimist.com/news/what-s-in-store-for-north-delta-inn-site-1.23806004?fbclid=IwAR3FnsiVhQWQ5knTqCEDd6MNb-t_KCiJu3MRpWpdBSGg-qtboIPbgvhthKg

*************

North Delta property owner passes on major redevelopment
https://www.delta-optimist.com/news/north-delta-property-owner-passes-on-major-redevelopment-1.23808337

[GMasterAres]

Not really sure where to put this, but structural engineer John Bryson has been banned from working in BC (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/john-bryson-engineer-surrey-high-rise-1.5125884) after EGBC found his structural designs for a "highrise residential tower" in Surrey did not meet certain requirements of the BC Building Code at the time, particularly with respect to wind and seismic design.

I wonder which building it is. His drawings were dated March 12, 2013, which limits things a bit, and it's tall enough that it needed attention for wind design...

Be interesting to find out which one. There aren't very many towers starting construction around that time that are occupied.

[officedweller]

Miramar Village Phase 2

By City of Rain April 22nd:


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/32889328017_83de452c60_b.jpg20190422_130241 (https://flic.kr/p/S7jpnB) by Hung Lam (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147784253@N06/), on Flickr
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47043700844_e79db477db_b.jpg20190422_130636 (https://flic.kr/p/2eF6ghq) by Hung Lam (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147784253@N06/), on Flickr
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/46916930925_cb9c5386d4_b.jpg20190422_130700 (https://flic.kr/p/2etTx1a) by Hung Lam (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147784253@N06/), on Flickr
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/46916928245_d937239efc_b.jpg20190422_130742 (https://flic.kr/p/2etTwcX) by Hung Lam (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147784253@N06/), on Flickr
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47781183722_a3eaacaa06_b.jpg20190422_130752 (https://flic.kr/p/2fNg4fs) by Hung Lam (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147784253@N06/), on Flickr
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/40866624663_db3f7e260f_b.jpg20190422_130753 (https://flic.kr/p/25gf8JX) by Hung Lam (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147784253@N06/), on Flickr

[GMasterAres]

Not really sure where to put this, but structural engineer John Bryson has been banned from working in BC (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/john-bryson-engineer-surrey-high-rise-1.5125884) after EGBC found his structural designs for a "highrise residential tower" in Surrey did not meet certain requirements of the BC Building Code at the time, particularly with respect to wind and seismic design.

I wonder which building it is. His drawings were dated March 12, 2013, which limits things a bit, and it's tall enough that it needed attention for wind design...

In case anyone was curious, it was, in fact, the Ultra tower.

Here is a link to the online disciplinary notice: https://www.egbc.ca/News/Articles/Disciplinary-Notice-John-Bryson-Vancouver-BC

[Sheba]

In case anyone was curious, it was, in fact, the Ultra tower.

Here is a link to the online disciplinary notice: https://www.egbc.ca/News/Articles/Disciplinary-Notice-John-Bryson-Vancouver-BC

Thankfully it says: "Mr. Bryson was charged with unprofessional conduct and resigned his engineering license. He must pay a fine of $25,000—the maximum allowable under the Engineers and Geoscientists Act—and must pay the association $215,000 towards costs."

[retro_orange]

Thankfully it says: "Mr. Bryson was charged with unprofessional conduct and resigned his engineering license. He must pay a fine of $25,000—the maximum allowable under the Engineers and Geoscientists Act—and must pay the association $215,000 towards costs."


http://www.pulsefm.ca/surrey-tower-doesnt-meet-code/


It's out in the news now and will likely proliferate through various media sources over the next few weeks. That's likely gonna make the value of the suites go down as word spreads when people google the building to research before they buy. Future slum in 20 years?

[retro_orange]

delete (http://www.pulsefm.ca/surrey-tower-doesnt-meet-code/)

[Cypherus]

Posted from Evolve thread:

I live in Ultra. Here are things to clarify about the report:

The whole building is not structurally compromised. With the wind storms we experienced since 2013 and the earthquake measuring almost 5.0 on Dec 31 2015 where the building stood strong, there is no issue or cause for concern. The city is not making this an issue, either. Admittedly the building is well constructed. There are only aspects on the 5th floor, parking garage entrance, and garbage room walls that did not meet the 2006 code as per the report. The engineer while negligent in those areas, even borrowed elements from the 2010 code, which was unusual at the time. I will wager that the building is more structurally sound than most buildings in the West End constructed in the 1970s, and the many condos built in the 1990s around the Expo lands. That's just my opinion. What is more disconcerting is if the city of Surrey breached confidentiality by releasing documents under an Access to Information without assessing the damages it can cause to us homeowners.

Our strata is seeking a independent 3rd party engineer to assess the situation and advised owners that the 5 year warranty review already includes a review of the structure of the building as a matter of course. Legal action is not considered at this time, but may be done at a future date pending further investigation into the manner and due to the negative publicity that may have impacted resale values. The city of Surrey can be a culpable in this case as well, for releasing documents without redaction while knowingly by virtue of such action would have impact to homeowners and their equity.

[e-clam9]

By 2023, Surrey downtown will look more like downtown with more buildings. I hope they build more commercial buildings than residential buildings. A downtown should have more business/office/finance.

https://urbansurrey.com/surrey-city-centre-active-projects/

[GMasterAres]

Posted from Evolve thread:

I live in Ultra. Here are things to clarify about the report:

The whole building is not structurally compromised. With the wind storms we experienced since 2013 and the earthquake measuring almost 5.0 on Dec 31 2015 where the building stood strong, there is no issue or cause for concern. The city is not making this an issue, either. Admittedly the building is well constructed. There are only aspects on the 5th floor, parking garage entrance, and garbage room walls that did not meet the 2006 code as per the report. The engineer while negligent in those areas, even borrowed elements from the 2010 code, which was unusual at the time. I will wager that the building is more structurally sound than most buildings in the West End constructed in the 1970s, and the many condos built in the 1990s around the Expo lands. That's just my opinion. What is more disconcerting is if the city of Surrey breached confidentiality by releasing documents under an Access to Information without assessing the damages it can cause to us homeowners.

Our strata is seeking a independent 3rd party engineer to assess the situation and advised owners that the 5 year warranty review already includes a review of the structure of the building as a matter of course. Legal action is not considered at this time, but may be done at a future date pending further investigation into the manner and due to the negative publicity that may have impacted resale values. The city of Surrey can be a culpable in this case as well, for releasing documents without redaction while knowingly by virtue of such action would have impact to homeowners and their equity.

FOI is FOI. If they released the details, the City is very very likely within the right to release those details under an FOI. The legislature for public bodies is very clear and very much restricts what a public body can say no to when asked to release certain details. Also given the fact if you look at my link, it is the actual board that performed the discipline that released those details and it looks like nearly a month before the city did via FOI. That page I linked has been published since the end of April.

That said, I'd agree that it is likely not a huge deal. It is a much larger deal from an engineer's conduct perspective but I'd agree that the building code if 2010 or if minor items are very likely still much better than anything in the West End build 20+ years ago.

Heck new bridges are safer than bridges built 20+ years ago as the code improves. Also, nearly every building that is completed has some code violations of this nature because developers quite frankly build to the lowest common denominator and cities are under no obligation to hold them to the building code.

[Cypherus]

FOI is FOI. If they released the details, the City is very very likely within the right to release those details under an FOI. The legislature for public bodies is very clear and very much restricts what a public body can say no to when asked to release certain details.

This is an issue, because I work in the federal public service, and we have restrictions on what we can release to the public under access to information requests, especially in areas of sensitivity where other parties can be hurt if we do not redact such information. It appears the city may have groundwork to indicate release of sensitive information under FOI as a matter of course in current policy, but if it damages others financially, then there is very little they can fall back on other than a clerk responded to the FOI request based on current policy without concern to third party implications. It's not a strong argument in a court of law. As the city also indicated they were not making this an issue about the building, then their subsequent behaviour to release sensitive information under that mindset without concern for others, shows them to be lackadaisical. City or provincial policy (Legislature of Public Bodies) does not overrule law in the modern framework to which it may apply, especially when it impacts the rights, privacy and financial matters of third parties.

[officedweller]

From Rize twitter May 28th

Anyone know where this is?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D7ru2Y0U8AAUm7g.jpg
Our 4th development project in Surrey, received unanimous approval from
ADP last week. The project proposes an open city block, with free-flowing
public space at its heart, lined by a mix of commercial space which aims to
serve its residents and the @CityofSurrey. #RizeinSurrey
https://twitter.com/RizeAlliance


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D7ru2cdUcAAN3fS.jpg
https://twitter.com/RizeAlliance

[Cypherus]

Very interesting information. It appears the development is called "Passages". The Rize webpage is not active, but I cached the page and found the following details:

https://i.imgur.com/A2QkwVA.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/llVMtaq.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/0IohIcY.jpg
Souce: https://rize.ca/project/commercial/passages/

[Blease]

Is this an extension of Wave and Linea or is it a brand new development? Where exactly are they proposing this, the area flagged on the map is the site of Surrey City Hall.

[Changing City]

Interesting, and very ambitious for Rize. A six building project with over 1,100 units. The architect has an extensive practice in the UK, but very little international work. She was born in Canada, and was the keynote speaker here at last year's Design Week. I wonder if that's how the commission came about.

[CoryHolmes]

If I'm guessing correctly, it'll be the undeveloped block between the old Sears store and the Mayflower Co-op.

I've been waiting for that block to be developed ever since I moved into the neighbourhood!

[Sheba]

If I'm guessing correctly, it'll be the undeveloped block between the old Sears store and the Mayflower Co-op.

I've been waiting for that block to be developed ever since I moved into the neighbourhood!

That's the most logical spot - it almost looks like a tree farm on google street view. I wonder how much space they have to play with and where the Skytrain tracks will be vs the buildings.

[Westbased]

I'm fairly certain that new Rize project is at 10138 WHALLEY BLVD SURREY.

Rize submitted an application for 1000+ units for this site last year.

This is on the east side of King George, behind the Staples building and just south of Anthem's Georgetown and the Toys R' Us site.

[Shift]

Yeah the new Rize project 'Passages' is on Whalley Blvd at 101 Ave as mentioned.

It's been under application since last year.

From the renderings and site plans posted, it looks very interesting. Not your standard tower above podium project. Looking forward to more details once it goes to Council (which should be soon since it just passed ADP).

https://i.imgur.com/wSmlPWt.png

[Sheba]

Very interesting information. It appears the development is called "Passages". The Rize webpage is not active, but I cached the page and found the following details:


https://i.imgur.com/0IohIcY.jpg
Souce: https://rize.ca/project/commercial/passages/

That map isn't very accurate if it's over by 102nd and Whalley Blvd...

It looks like what's there is rental so I hope the new development includes some as replacement.

[Shift]

That map isn't very accurate if it's over by 102nd and Whalley Blvd...

It looks like what's there is rental so I hope the new development includes some as replacement.

Yes the new development will include an equal number of market rental units to what is there now.

https://i.imgur.com/GUg8bLL.jpg?1

[CoryHolmes]

That's pretty darn awesome! Will the existing renters get a crack at those units or no?

[Sheba]

2nd engineer suspended over Surrey condo that failed to meet building code (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/surrey-condo-tower-not-up-to-code-1.5154712)


Two engineers at the helm of a single engineering firm were suspended within months of each other for their work on a condo tower in Surrey, B.C. that later failed to meet building code, CBC News has learned.

John Bryson and John Zickmantel once ran their Vancouver-based firm together. They were both banned from working as engineers in B.C. — Bryson permanently, Zickmantel for a month — after a years-long investigation found a 40-storey tower they each worked on, called the Ultra, is not up to code

The suspension of two engineers over flawed designs for a highrise, now with hundreds of people living inside, has prompted the City of Surrey to review whether there are safety concerns with the building.

The news has also prompted some confusion and unease among residents, some who say they weren't aware of any suspensions or reviews to do with their building.

...

Bryson and Zickmantel both had their names on the door of their firm when Bryson was hired to create structural designs for the tower. Zickmantel was supposed to finish an independent review of Bryson's work before design documents were issued for construction.

On April 1, Bryson resigned and agreed to never again work as an engineer in B.C. after the investigation from the regulator overseeing engineers in the province found his designs for the Ultra weren't up to proper building code.

CBC News has learned Zickmantel was suspended eight months earlier, on July 30, 2018, for failing to complete his review of those flawed designs before paperwork was issued. Zickmantel was fined $15,000 and allowed back to work one month later.

Zickmantel declined an interview with CBC News when reached over email last week. Bryson has not returned requests for comment.

Officials haven't expressed any immediate safety concerns about the building in light of the suspensions, but the City of Surrey says officials are now working with the strata corporation to determine whether there are any safety issues with the tower.

...

[CoryHolmes]

I know it's not technically about a skyscraper, but does anyone have any updates about the widening on 100th Ave?

I don't go up there often since I lost my car, but from Whalley Blvd. it looks like it still narrows down to one lane at the top of the hill. I thought the idea was to double-lane each side?

[paradigm4]

I know it's not technically about a skyscraper, but does anyone have any updates about the widening on 100th Ave?

I don't go up there often since I lost my car, but from Whalley Blvd. it looks like it still narrows down to one lane at the top of the hill. I thought the idea was to double-lane each side?

It's still underway. Only the eastbound side needs to be finished. Still waiting on some utility relocation I believe.

[GMasterAres]

This is an issue, because I work in the federal public service, and we have restrictions on what we can release to the public under access to information requests, especially in areas of sensitivity where other parties can be hurt if we do not redact such information. It appears the city may have groundwork to indicate release of sensitive information under FOI as a matter of course in current policy, but if it damages others financially, then there is very little they can fall back on other than a clerk responded to the FOI request based on current policy without concern to third party implications. It's not a strong argument in a court of law. As the city also indicated they were not making this an issue about the building, then their subsequent behaviour to release sensitive information under that mindset without concern for others, shows them to be lackadaisical. City or provincial policy (Legislature of Public Bodies) does not overrule law in the modern framework to which it may apply, especially when it impacts the rights, privacy and financial matters of third parties.

I think you're kind of missing the point though. I also said in my post that the engineering oversight body itself released the name of the building well before the City ever said anything. So while I may agree in part about their responsibility in principle, the truth is the information was already released so they were simply stating something that was already publicly known albeit not well known. So if anything someone would have to sue the engineering oversight body who is the first that released that information.

[GMasterAres]

I know it's not technically about a skyscraper, but does anyone have any updates about the widening on 100th Ave?

I don't go up there often since I lost my car, but from Whalley Blvd. it looks like it still narrows down to one lane at the top of the hill. I thought the idea was to double-lane each side?

As paradigm said, utilities. Looks to be pretty much Telus Fibre optic cabling left that is all on the poles that need to come down. The Hydro cabling looks to have been all moved for the most part.

Site says they had anticipated end of spring 2019 so we still have a few weeks left until they are officially behind schedule. :cool:

[EhJay]

As paradigm said, utilities. Looks to be pretty much Telus Fibre optic cabling left that is all on the poles that need to come down. The Hydro cabling looks to have been all moved for the most part.

Site says they had anticipated end of spring 2019 so we still have a few weeks left until they are officially behind schedule. :cool:

I thought the signage for finishing up 100th ave was late 2018... must have misread it unless it got extended a while back?

[GMasterAres]

I thought the signage for finishing up 100th ave was late 2018... must have misread it unless it got extended a while back?

It's said Spring 2019 for the better part of at least 6 months now but I think you're right that it originally said that.

[EhJay]

It's said Spring 2019 for the better part of at least 6 months now but I think you're right that it originally said that.

Must not have noticed the updated signage. Well, at least spring is almost over...

[Sheba]

Surrey should have a ‘wandering canal,’ mayor says (https://globalnews.ca/news/5390455/surrey-mayor-doug-mccallum-canal/)


Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum says he’d like to see what he calls a “wandering canal” running through his city.

He floated the idea on Thursday at a Downtown Surrey Business Improvement Association event.

McCallum said he envisions the canal running from the Fraser River to the agricultural lands in south Surrey along “a street that’s not used that much.”

In fact, he says he has asked the city’s engineering department to start the search for such an underutilized road.

McCallum concedes it is an idea that is outside the box.

“The idea certainly came to me when I noticed that in Qatar, when I was there, that shopping centres had canals instead of walkways in a lot of their shopping centres. But if you look at other places, like Venice, they have canals that they use for transportation.”

Downtown Surrey BIA CEO Elizabeth Model says she’s open to the idea.

“I think it’s important, whatever we do in Surrey, to keep our minds open to new and different ideas,” she said.

McCallum says he’d also like to see the Fraser River waterfront in the Bridgeview neighbourhood developed into a walkway.

[SFUVancouver]

^ "I also noticed that they have a lot of sand in Qatar and people go off-roading in 4x4s on the sand dunes. I have asked Engineering to see if we have any leftover land where we could deposit a few million cubic meters of sand and do so in an expeditious but cost-effective manner."

[Shift]

"McCallum said he envisions the canal running from the Fraser River to the agricultural lands in south Surrey along “a street that’s not used that much.”


Apparently the mayor's never heard of the Sepentine River - which is essentially a wandering canal from almost the Fraser River (Tynehead Park), through low-land ALR to Boundary Bay in the south.

If he's envisioning a winding canal through the City Centre or any other urban area of the City (which is what it sounds like) - apparently he's not aware that all urban areas of Surrey are at quite higher elevations than the Fraser River, and the engineers will also need to figure out how to make water flow uphill..

[e-clam9]

If he's envisioning a winding canal through the City Centre or any other urban area of the City (which is what it sounds like) - apparently he's not aware that all urban areas of Surrey are at quite higher elevations than the Fraser River, and the engineers will also need to figure out how to make water flow uphill..

You really are funny :D:D:D:D

Some projects in Surrey really don't have enough planning, or they lost the reality of the real world. How can they make 100th Ave narrower and removed all parking/loading space near the Park Ave buildings ? They spent millions of tax payer's money to make our area worse. :hell: The bicycle lanes and green space on both side of it are wasting too much space just for few bicyclists. My strata is requesting Surrey to set aside a loading space for us, but I already know it is too late. It makes moving in/out and any delivery to our building more difficult and more time consuming.

[Tfreder]

You really are funny :D:D:D:D

Some projects in Surrey really don't have enough planning, or they lost the reality of the real world. How can they make 100th Ave narrower and removed all parking/loading space near the Park Ave buildings ? They spent millions of tax payer's money to make our area worse. :hell: The bicycle lanes and green space on both side of it are wasting too much space just for few bicyclists. My strata is requesting Surrey to set aside a loading space for us, but I already know it is too late. It makes moving in/out and any delivery to our building more difficult and more time consuming.

The city can pretty much do whatever they feel is the best use of city land, like roads and sidewalks. I'm guessing they decided the city as a whole would benefit from a widened road for cars and improved safety for cyclists and pedestrians.

If you're upset that you can't use the public road as a loading space, then I think you should be blaming Concord Pacific for not spending the time and money to plan dedicated loading space on the building's property.

I don't agree with everything the city decides to do, because some decisions don't make my life better/easier, but they usually don't do things without a reason.

[EhJay]

You really are funny :D:D:D:D

Some projects in Surrey really don't have enough planning, or they lost the reality of the real world. How can they make 100th Ave narrower and removed all parking/loading space near the Park Ave buildings ? They spent millions of tax payer's money to make our area worse. :hell: The bicycle lanes and green space on both side of it are wasting too much space just for few bicyclists. My strata is requesting Surrey to set aside a loading space for us, but I already know it is too late. It makes moving in/out and any delivery to our building more difficult and more time consuming.

And here's where I disagree on that. The city doesn't have to provide street space for people to move in and out from. There's an underground, there's to the side just off of 100 or whalley boulevard. It may be less convenient, but the roadways should be for cars to travel, not obstruct travel.

And as they build out more bike lanes and more people move into the towers and bike it'll be even better as it becomes more connected and usable.

[cairnstone]

You really are funny :D:D:D:D

Some projects in Surrey really don't have enough planning, or they lost the reality of the real world. How can they make 100th Ave narrower and removed all parking/loading space near the Park Ave buildings ? They spent millions of tax payer's money to make our area worse. :hell: The bicycle lanes and green space on both side of it are wasting too much space just for few bicyclists. My strata is requesting Surrey to set aside a loading space for us, but I already know it is too late. It makes moving in/out and any delivery to our building more difficult and more time consuming.

This is something that the builder should have included in there design. Better properties have this included

[montyhallgoat]

You really are funny :D:D:D:D

Some projects in Surrey really don't have enough planning, or they lost the reality of the real world. How can they make 100th Ave narrower and removed all parking/loading space near the Park Ave buildings ? They spent millions of tax payer's money to make our area worse. :hell: The bicycle lanes and green space on both side of it are wasting too much space just for few bicyclists. My strata is requesting Surrey to set aside a loading space for us, but I already know it is too late. It makes moving in/out and any delivery to our building more difficult and more time consuming.

Surrey is pretty smart by not allowing street parking on most arterial roads. Street parking or loading spaces will effectively block two lanes of traffic - one for parked cars and another when a vehicle is trying to parallel park. The whole point of an arterial road is to move people from one neighbourhood to another, not so an empty vehicle can sit on the road and do absolutely nothing.

I don't see why should a city build and maintain a subsidized parking space using tax dollars for private development. Developer should've planned a proper loading area on its own privately owned driveway using its own private money like any other high rises facing arterial roads.

[e-clam9]

I don't see why should a city build and maintain a subsidized parking space using tax dollars for private development. Developer should've planned a proper loading area on its own privately owned driveway using its own private money like any other high rises facing arterial roads.

For Fedex, UPS or USPS truck and for many other delivery trucks/cars and taxi, they still stop anywhere they want. This leaves only one lane on that section of 100th Ave. The two new lanes are also more narrow than the old ones. The 3rd lane there used to be paid parking and generated income for Surrey. But now it is free for only a few bicyclists. I hardly see anyone using it since it was built. In America, they put many electrical scooters on street for short rental. I guess Surrey should buy some of these rental scooters to increase the usage of these idle bicycle lanes. Then I can use it to go to places like Guildford mall. It saves me time to move my bike in/out of my condo locker room (if I have one) and in/out of the small elevators. Surrey should install many bike racks along these bike lanes for people to store and park their bikes if they really want to promote more bike usage. Many new condos don't come with locker/bike storage without additional cost. New condo size is getting smaller and smaller. Many condo residents don't have room to store their bikes. I believe this may be why I don't see many bicyclists using these dedicated bike lanes.

[rpvan]

Yeah the new Rize project 'Passages' is on Whalley Blvd at 101 Ave as mentioned.

It's been under application since last year.

From the renderings and site plans posted, it looks very interesting. Not your standard tower above podium project. Looking forward to more details once it goes to Council (which should be soon since it just passed ADP).


Daily Hive recently wrote up an article detailing this development. Looks promising.

"Unique redevelopment with 1,100 homes proposed for Surrey City Centre"
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/10138-whalley-boulevard-surrey-passages-rize-alliance-june-2019

[rpvan]

Some conversation being generated on the potential of the Bridgeview neighbourhood. Out of all areas in Surrey (or even across Metro Van), this neighbourhood should probably be number one on the revitalization list. Has been neglected for decades.

"Surrey event will focus on untapped potential of Fraser River"
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/surrey-event-will-focus-on-untapped-potential-of-fraser-river

[Flynn86]

Daily Hive recently wrote up an article detailing this development. Looks promising.

"Unique redevelopment with 1,100 homes proposed for Surrey City Centre"
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/10138-whalley-boulevard-surrey-passages-rize-alliance-june-2019

That looks like a nice project

[GMasterAres]

You really are funny :D:D:D:D

Some projects in Surrey really don't have enough planning, or they lost the reality of the real world. How can they make 100th Ave narrower and removed all parking/loading space near the Park Ave buildings ? They spent millions of tax payer's money to make our area worse. :hell: The bicycle lanes and green space on both side of it are wasting too much space just for few bicyclists. My strata is requesting Surrey to set aside a loading space for us, but I already know it is too late. It makes moving in/out and any delivery to our building more difficult and more time consuming.

1. Concord (and other developers) should be building at least 1 loading bay for any major residential building construction, especially ones the size of Park Avenue (or Park Place where I own a condo and suffers similar limitations).

That said

2. Park Avenue has a side entrance off of 100th Avenue that is more than large enough to accomodate a moving truck + allow vehicles in and out. It is less convenient for those living in the east building, but that is the space where moving trucks should be located, not on major arterial roads.

I know for Park Place, trucks will sometimes park in one of the lanes on Whalley Boulevard when accessing Park Place 2 for convenience, but that is frowned upon by the City and people risk being ticketed or towed.

It is the price people pay for living in a "downtown." One of the biggest challenges with traffic in Downtown Vancouver is the fact they allow parking on many major arterial roads. When you combine that with a lack of left turn lanes, it often results in traffic chaos. Surrey is trying to prevent that by ensuring certain designated major roads are parking free and dedicated to the free flow of all traffic be it motor vehicles, bicyles, or pedestrians.

[GMasterAres]

Some conversation being generated on the potential of the Bridgeview neighbourhood. Out of all areas in Surrey (or even across Metro Van), this neighbourhood should probably be number one on the revitalization list. Has been neglected for decades.

"Surrey event will focus on untapped potential of Fraser River"
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/surrey-event-will-focus-on-untapped-potential-of-fraser-river

Heck yes I so hope so. I've said it for years it could be amazing if they redeveloped Surrey's side of the River with a vibrant community that matched what is being done on the New West and Coquitlam sides. Eventually a business case could be made for water taxis like you see around False Creek and you could see a similar dynamic between the three cities along the Fraser River.

Currently though the Surrey side is nearly all industrial + low income.

[Shift]

Contrary to what the Vancouver Sun article says:

“Surrey has never had a plan on the river, on our side of the river, that’s always been the challenge,”

The South Westminster NCP has been in place since 2003. The thing is, the City can put all the plans in place they want. It's up to the private sector to come and build within them.

While the plan does call for some mixed-use commercial and residential leading from Scott Rd Station to the river, there has been little incentive for developers to come in and build that given the existing context of junk yards... making projects a tough sell.

We are only now starting to finally see the first bit of mixed-use built in this plan area with the new 6-storey project going up next to Scott Rd Station and Arena. Hopefully this will be be a catalyst for the gradual expansion towards the river.

From a waterfront park perspective, all the land to the west of the Sky Bridge along the river shaded green is not actually City-owned. It's private land that would need to be acquired and made into a park. I'm not sure if there is incentive at this point, given the surrounding context, for the City to go in and buy up land along the river to create a nice park (like Westminster Pier Park) only to be adjacent to junk yards. I think mixed-use development needs to extend up that way first.

https://i.imgur.com/7cwFxIX.jpg?1

[rpvan]

Heck yes I so hope so. I've said it for years it could be amazing if they redeveloped Surrey's side of the River with a vibrant community that matched what is being done on the New West and Coquitlam sides. Eventually a business case could be made for water taxis like you see around False Creek and you could see a similar dynamic between the three cities along the Fraser River.

Currently though the Surrey side is nearly all industrial + low income.

The Bridgeview and South Westminster neighbourhoods do have a lot of potential. Surrey would do well to exploit that potential while also engaging in a revitalization of the area as a whole.

[rpvan]

Contrary to what the Vancouver Sun article says:

“Surrey has never had a plan on the river, on our side of the river, that’s always been the challenge,”

The South Westminster NCP has been in place since 2003. The thing is, the City can put all the plans in place they want. It's up to the private sector to come and build within them.

While the plan does call for some mixed-use commercial and residential leading from Scott Rd Station to the river, there has been little incentive for developers to come in and build that given the existing context of junk yards... making projects a tough sell.

We are only now starting to finally see the first bit of mixed-use built in this plan area with the new 6-storey project going up next to Scott Rd Station and Arena. Hopefully this will be be a catalyst for the gradual expansion towards the river.

From a waterfront park perspective, all the land to the west of the Sky Bridge along the river shaded green is not actually City-owned. It's private land that would need to be acquired and made into a park. I'm not sure if there is incentive at this point, given the surrounding context, for the City to go in and buy up land along the river to create a nice park (like Westminster Pier Park) only to be adjacent to junk yards. I think mixed-use development needs to extend up that way first.


Is there also a plan for the Bridgeview area (north of KGB)? It's over quite a large area of single family homes.

[Shift]

Is there also a plan for the Bridgeview area (north of KGB)? It's over quite a large area of single family homes.

No there is no Bridgeview Plan in place at this time. Given how old the South Westminster Plan is - the whole area could use an updated plan. Maybe feature some canals as the mayor suggests. Could actually be quite an effective revitalization tool in that area.

[CoryHolmes]

Is that section of the Fraser River used for anything? Is it an active shipping area for boats?

[jlove390]

West Village Park and District Energy Centre Open

https://urbansurrey.com/2019/06/24/west-village-park-district-energy-centre-open/

I have a few questions about this article.

It mentions this is the first of ten new parks planned for the Central City area. Does anyone know where the other nine are?

It says there is another district energy centre planned for near King George station. Is that to replace whatever that structure is at Fraser and Whalley Blvd next to the end of the skytrain tracks? Is that where the new one will go?

It mentions new dedicated bike lanes. Can we assume busier roads like Fraser, King George, and Whalley Blvd will get them?

[Greetingsfromcanada]

There was a proposal for a 35 story building in North Delta on Scott road that's been revised. Total number of units is up, but that's from a shift to more single bedroom/single bedroom+den units. Also 20% of units(70) are now considered affordable. I'm not sure to how make the images not take up the whole page, So'll just leave links to the infographics

https://i.imgur.com/X7CtP7i.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/9fv9tbi.jpg

[Cypherus]

There was a proposal for a 35 story building in North Delta on Scott road that's been revised. Total number of units is up, but that's from a shift to more single bedroom/single bedroom+den units. Also 20% of units(70) are now considered affordable. I'm not sure to how make the images not take up the whole page, So'll just leave links to the infographics

https://i.imgur.com/X7CtP7i.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/9fv9tbi.jpg

Interesting find. Thank you for sharing. Looks like they want to appeal to first time homebuyers who are looking more at one bedrooms once the Federal program kicks in.

https://www.placetocallhome.ca/fthbi/first-time-homebuyer-incentive.cfm

[rpvan]

Six storey, 100 unit affordable rental building proposed in Newton. Intersection of KGB and 81st Ave.

https://www.cloverdalereporter.com/news/first-look-100-unit-affordable-rental-building-proposed-in-surrey/

[officedweller]

Miramar Village - Phase 2

June 18th from NSDA twitter:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D9XBTc1U4AABpVj.jpg
Construction Update: This photo taken from tower 1 - the transfer slab is ready for the residential level @BosaProperties Miramar Village ph2.
https://twitter.com/NSDA_Architects

[GMasterAres]

I always find it funny how there is a group of residents always up in arms about any dense redevelopment in South Surrey around Semiahmoo mall given the fact that right across the street in White Rock they are putting up major condos and high rises like there's no tomorrow.