CAMPAIGN UPDATE
Surrey-Langley SkyTrain attracts first major transit-oriented development in Fleetwood
February 26, 2019 – Surrey, BC
Although only a few months have passed since the Mayors’ Council approved project development for a Surrey-Langley SkyTrain, the extension is already attracting economic development in the surrounding vicinity in the form of dense transit-oriented developments (TODs).
Last night at a public hearing, Surrey City Council approved the rezoning for a new multi-apartment residential complex in Fleetwood, proposed by Surrey-based developer Dawson+Sawyer. Five 6-storey buildings with 426 apartment units will occupy the northern portion of a lot facing Fraser Highway.
The new TOD complex, which replaces a manufactured home park, is in close proximity to local business complexes and community centres, and is within a 5-minute walk of the future SkyTrain station at Fraser Highway and 160th Street. The development is also expected to house several school students, who will eventually enjoy high quality access to the region’s wide array of post-secondary institutions by SkyTrain.
Above: Gallery – 15820 Fraser Highway
At the City Council meeting last night, the applicants (from Dawson+Sayer) highlighted the development’s proximity to future SkyTrain and noted that it received strong endorsements from both the Fleetwood Business Improvement Association as well as the Fleetwood Community Association. In addition, agreements were reached to relocate and compensate each of the tenants of the existing manufactured homes.
Up until recently, Dawson+Sawyer had only finalized plans to develop the southern portion of the site (away from Fraser Highway) as a 3-storey townhome complex. We are pleased to see the materialization of the northern portion as a higher-density residential TOD, which demonstrates the significant potential for TOD along the entire 17-kilometre Surrey-Langley SkyTrain corridor.
Transit-oriented developments (TODs) help create compact, walkable, pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use communities centred around high quality publlic transit. SkyTrain for Surrey is a strong supporter of transit-oriented developments, which will maximize the population living and working near high-quality rapid transit – with seamless access to both Surrey’s downtown core and the region’s downtown core in Vancouver – and support future ridership on the extended SkyTrain.
About SkyTrain for Surrey
SkyTrain for Surrey is the community organization that advocated for the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension, and continues to push for high-quality rapid transit projects in Surrey and Langley. We began as a petition calling for the scrapping of a street-level LRT proposal, which eventually amassed more than 6,000 signatures, and later contributed to making SkyTrain an election issue as a registered third-party advertiser. SkyTrain for Surrey continues to call for high-quality projects that offer a positive return-on-investment and recognize the rapidly increasing demand for transit.
Media Contact:
Daryl Dela Cruz – Founder, SkyTrain for Surrey
Phone: +1 604 329 3529, [email protected]