As the metropolitan centre of our province shifts from Vancouver to Surrey over the next several years, the hub of that transformation is Surrey City Centre. Home to a rapidly expanding number of post secondary institutions, the growth of new amenities and highly attractive business hubs, including the Health and Technology District hosting local and multinational
businesses City Centre answers the call for more best in-class community developments demanded by the young and diverse population migrating to the Fraser region. With the emergence of housing towers and a pre-existing large residential land base, combined with exciting sports venues, a vibrant arts and entertainment
community, and a culturally rich social scene, including world-class restaurants, it should come as no surprise Surrey is one of British Columbia’s fastest growing cities. The number of active cranes across the Surrey skyscape act as a remarkable visual of the growth and desire there is to live, work and play, south of the Fraser River. It’s no wonder Surrey is recognized as an “invest capital
city,” as well as the best place to start a business in Metro Vancouver, as named by Real Estate Investment Network.
With more than 1,000 new residents moving into the city monthly, with that current and projected growth, comes incredible opportunities for new development. The Health and Technology District, strategically located adjacent to Surrey Memorial Hospital and developed by the Lark Group and ICT Group, is a vibrant ecosystem
made up of collaborative spaces where clusters of professional, health, technology and academic-based organizations have been focussing on BC’s emerging health, education and technology economy.
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Slated for completion in 2025, the Lark Group and ICT Group have sold 80 percent of City Centre 4, the largest phase within the District to date, which includes 24 storeys and more than 350,000 square feet of retail, office and hotel space. Meanwhile, City Centre 5 is slated to break ground in spring of 2025. That project is also 24 storeys with 200,000 square feet of student residences and retail. These two towers are joined by new restaurants, a boutique grocer, outdoor water features and a social plaza elevating both the student and business amenities in the area. Jo Delesalle, CEO and Co-
founder of Vancouver-based ICT and partner to the Lark Group, which located offices to Surrey’s District in 2023, says Western Community College has already created a full campus at the district with classrooms in City Centre 3 and City Centre 4.“And is establishing nearly 600 student and faculty residences in City Centre 5, while City Centre Surgery has also purchased a large footprint for a surgical centre, estimated to be similar in capacity to Peace Arch Hospital,” says
Delesalle.Kirk Fisher, CEO of Lark Group and Board Chair, Health Tech Connex, adds the District has become an attractive location for medical, technology, business, investment, amenities and attractions. “Looking forward, we see Surrey truly becoming an economic driver for the entire province.”The District upon completion will represent a $2 billion investment in the city, with more than $1.1 billion contributed annually back into the region, while generating more than 20,000 skilled jobs.Downtown Surrey Business Improvement Association CEO Elizabeth Model, says Surrey City Centre is drawing regional and national attention for a number of the development projects, which already have, and are being, built in the District.
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“We are extremely excited that the fi rst new medical school in more than 50 years in Western Canada is being built here in City Centre,” she says. “The partnership between Simon Fraser University, Fraser Health and the First Nations Health Authority, represents a historic opportunity for innovation and we are very proud to be home to this incredible new facility.”Rowena Rizzotti, Strategic Advisor for Healthcare and Innovation for the Lark Group, says the District’s unique ecosystem and amenities are attractive to not only Surrey’s diverse population.“So many international professionals are accustomed to living in culturally rich cities around the world,” she says. “Surrey is really starting to develop its own uniquely attractive essence.”
With more than five university and college campuses, education is also a big draw for young people, which means a youthful demographic and future talent pool. More than 30 per cent of Surrey’s population of just over
600,000 is under the age of 19.In 2022, the University of British Columbia invested nearly $100 million into the District and purchased space within its Health Tech Innovation HUB, which has since become home to its
Master of Physical Therapy program in the Fraser region, with other programs to follow. Plans for Surrey’s Health and Technology District also include a new luxury nine-storey hotel with a total of 166 guest rooms. The
hotel will accommodate the continued demand for continued growth within and around the region.Rizzotti adds this increased academic and professional business presence, along with a new hotel and social amenities,
are bringing a culturally enriched lifestyle to Surrey’s downtown core, which is generating attention from across Canada and well beyond.
