Surrey council on December 1 voted in favour of zoning amendments to prepare for Surrey Memorial Hospital expansion and transportation work to support the new Surrey Hospital and BC Cancer Centre in Cloverdale.
But city has yet to be given a timeline from the provincial government when a second tower at SMH – which it announced in the spring of 2023 – will be built.
According to a corporate report from Ron Gill, Surrey’s general manager of planning and development, that came before council on December 1, the zoning amendments related to Surrey Memorial Hospital at 13750 – 96 Ave. are needed “in order to expedite potential future expansion of Surrey Memorial Hospital.”
Council approved related bylaws at second reading and set a public hearing for January 12.
Gill noted that while specific plans for expanding SMH “have not been fully determined at this time,” the proposed amendments if passed are intended to expedite the development application process when the time comes.
Councillor Harry Bains noted that on June 8, 2023 the provincial government announced the second tower would be built at SMH, “citing the historical under-investment in Surrey healthcare facilities.”
“Our residents are desperate to see healthcare in our city improve, and I think we’re tired of waiting. So the question I have for city staff is I’d like to know about the conversations with the Province, with their announcement two-and-a-half years ago, I’m hoping that we have a timeline as to when the second tower is going to be built – can you tell us a little bit about those conversations please?”
Gill replied that conversations between city staff and Fraser Health that led up to his corporate report were “fairly high level, so no specific details or timelines have been discussed.”
He said the zoning amendments provide “lots of flexibility” to accommodate future expansion without the need for a future rezoning application, “so we’re certainly doing what we can to expedite delivery of those hospital services once they come forward.”
“So just to be clear,” Bains rejoined, “two-and-a-half years after the announcement we don’t have a timeline on the second tower yet?”
“We’ve been given no timeline,” Gill confirmed.
These amendments council voted in favour of include allowing multiple unit residential buildings with no need for commercial uses inside them – as is currently required – removing the current floor areas ratio limit, increasing lot coverage to 90 per cent from 75 per cent, and increasing principal building height to 120 metres from 5 metres.
“The proposed changes allow for future flexibility and the ability to accommodate various projects that may be contemplated in the future,” Gill explained in his report.
Councillor Pardeep Kooner, following up on Bains’ comments, remarked that city hall should “pass it on over to the Province so they understand we’re ready to go and we’re just waiting on them.”
Mayor Brenda Locke called the amended zoning “really forward-thinking for the city, it’s proactive and really a demonstration of the urgency.”
Council also approved a second corporate report, this one from Scott Neuman, Surrey’s general manager of engineering, related to the Cloverdale hospital – the construction of which began in September 2023 and is expected to be completed in 2030.
Situated at 5500 – 180 St., immediately south of Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Cloverdale campus, the hospital will feature 168 inpatient beds, five operating rooms, a 55-space emergency department, 54 chemotherapy treatment spaces, six radiation therapy units and 50 examination rooms.
“Once operational, the hospital will serve both community and regional healthcare needs,” Neuman noted in his report. “As part of the development approval process, Fraser Health prepared a Transportation Impact Assessment and committed to a series of transportation upgrades to support safe and efficient access for all modes.
“The City, he added, “has developed a series of supportive transportation works that are proposed to be delivered by 2030 to support the Hospital on opening day.”
These include road, intersection and “active transportation” improvements that support access to the hospital.
“The second component describes the City-led complementary projects designed to strengthen network connectivity, safety, and mobility for the broader community, ensuring the hospital functions effectively within Cloverdale’s transportation system over the long term,” Neuman explained. “Together, these initiatives represent a coordinated approach to supporting safe and reliable access to the new hospital for patients, visitors, staff, and the surrounding community.”
Neuman explained Fraser Health will also provide transportation upgrades to support safe and efficient access to the hospital tied to “projected travel demand generated by the new hospital. These include a multi-use pathway fronting the hospital that’s meant to be a “health walk” that creates a “continuous, accessible route for people walking, cycling, and using mobility devices.”
His report notes the hospital’s development proposal includes 730 on-site parking stalls and 190 proposed on-street parking spaces on 55 Avenue, 180 Street, and James Hill Drive, “all within a five-minute walk of the hospital.”
Moreover, city hall will develop a parking management plan and also work with TransLink to improve public transit access to the hospital precinct. There are two bus routes – the 370 from Cloverdale to Willowbrook operating every half hour between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m., and the 342 from Langley to Newton operating every 20 minutes from 5 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
“One concept currently being investigated is a direct connection between the hospital, the 184 Street Surrey–Langley SkyTrain Station, and Campbell Heights routing and staging will be determined by TransLink,” Neuman added.
Locke said it’s “really great that we’re going to be integrating all the pathways and walkways, and making it really a place that is going to be walking friendly there, so I think it’s going to be appreciated.”