Prominent Vancouver-based developer Wesgroup Properties has submitted a new rezoning application for Civic District, their multi-phased master-planned communication in Surrey.
Civic District is set for 10355 King George Boulevard, a 5.1-acre site bounded by King George Boulevard on the east, Central Avenue on the south, City Parkway on the west, and 104 Avenue on the north.
The site is steps away from the Expo Line SkyTrain’s Surrey Central Station, is immediately east of Surrey City Hall, and was formerly home to a Safeway — which closed in spring 2021 — as well as its sprawling surface parking lot.
Wesgroup acquired the site — now held under Civic District Investments Ltd. — in Q4 2022 for $108.5 million from Crombie REIT (TSX: CRR.UN), which acquired 68 Safeway locations in Western Canada in 2013 from Empire and Sobeys for $990 million. Last year, Crombie also established a joint venture with Wesgroup to redevelop four Safeways in Metro Vancouver.
10355 King Boulevard in Surrey. (Arcadis, Wesgroup Properties)
For the site, Wesgroup is now proposing four mixed-use towers between 40 and 50 storeys that would together deliver 1,900 new homes, over 91,000 sq. ft of retail space, over 107,000 sq. ft of hotel space, and just under 14,000 sq. ft of daycare space for a total proposed floor area of around 1.7 million sq. ft and a density of 7.5 FAR. Wesgroup is seeking to rezone the site from C-8 (Community Commercial) to CD (Comprehensive Development)
The project would be delivered across four phases that each correspond to a quadrant of the site. Along with the rezoning application and general development permit for the overall site, Wesgroup has also submitted a detailed development permit application for Phase One.
Phase One, the NE quadrant at the corner of 104 Avenue and King George Boulevard, would consist of a 42-storey tower with 439 strata units consisting of 10 studio units, 273 one-bedroom units, 150 two-bedroom units, and six three-bedroom units. The first phase will also include a large-format grocery store and the daycare facility.
Phase Two (SE) would consist of a 40-storey tower with 425 strata units consisting of zero studio units, 273 one-bedroom units, 144 two-bedroom units, and eight three-bedroom units.
Renderings from the NE and SE corners of Civic District. (Arcadis, Wesgroup Properties)
Phase Three (SW) would consist of a 49-storey tower with 396 strata units split between zero studio units, 252 one-bedroom units, 144 two-bedroom units, and zero three-bedroom units. The third phase would also include the hotel as well as a rectangular-shaped urban plaza to complement the hotel and activate the corner, which faces Surrey Central Station.
Finally, Phase Four (NW) would consist of a 50-storey tower with 271 rental units and 369 strata units, with an overall suite mix of 420 one-bedroom units, 187 two-bedroom units, and 33 three-bedroom units.
As the site is a Tier 1 transit-oriented area (TOA), there are no minimum parking requirements, but Wesgroup is nonetheless proposing 1,808 vehicle parking spaces and 835 bicycle spaces. Notably, some of the parking will be provided above ground.
“It is standard practice in City Centre for all parking to be provided underground,” said staff in a planning report. “The current proposal includes three levels of underground parking with two levels of above-grade parking proposed above the ground-floor commercial uses across all four phases of development. While staff are generally open to the inclusion of above-grade parking in high density development, these parking areas should be ‘wrapped’ by active uses.”
Renderings from the SW and NW corners of Civic District. (Arcadis, Wesgroup Properties)
Wesgroup first teased the project in late-2022, shortly after acquiring the site, with a plan for four towers between 53 and 66 storeys and a total of around 2,300 new homes. That plan also included approximately 388,000 sq. ft of office space, and the market demand for office space had tempered down significantly since then.
Wesgroup then submitted a rezoning application in 2024 for just three mixed-use towers between 55 and 65 storeys. The proposal included just over 2,000 new homes while removing the office space from the three towers, consolidating it into a smaller 13-storey office tower with around 250,000 sq. ft of space.
According to the staff planning report, the previous rezoning application, which had progressed to third reading, was “generally consistent” with requirements for non-residential space set for the City Centre area, but the new rezoning application is not.
Staff say Wesgroup has “expressed concerns regarding the overall viability of the project” as previously proposed. The new application was presented to Council in February, but Council referred it back to staff to work with Wesgroup. Staff say the proposal still does not provide the required non-residential floor area, but that Wesgroup did make some revisions and “has expressed a willingness to revisit the non‑residential program in later phases should market conditions be conducive.”
On Monday evening, GM of Planning & Development Ron Gill told Council that the zoning bylaw for the project leaves room for non-residential space to be added in the future without locking the applicant into it today. Surrey City Council subsequently granted first and second readings to the rezoning application and forwarded it to a public hearing set for Monday, May 25.
