Surrey 2050 draft approved by council, moves to Metro Vancouver

Surrey 2050 draft approved by council, moves to Metro Vancouver

Published 9:45 am Tuesday, March 17, 2026

Surrey council gave a thumbs-up – with Couns. Mandeep Nagra and Linda Annis opposed – to the updated draft of its Official Community Plan last week, following a public hearing at which many speakers, including a key member of Semiahmoo First Nation, claimed consultation on the document was lacking, at best.

“I come here tonight with zero information about OCP 2050, and that’s very unfortunate, as part of the leadership of your neighbouring government,” SFN band councillor Joanne Charles told council.

“We did not have any consultation with regard to 365 pages worth of documents, that affects our traditional territory shared with other coastal First Nations. I am imploring you, as part of UNDRIP (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples) and part of this relationship we’re supposed to have, that you do right… (and) defer this till at least we have one meeting.”

The city released its draft Official Community Plan: Surrey 2050 on Feb. 23, describing it as “a blueprint that will guide how the city grows and evolves over the next 30 years.”

A Feb. 26 news release noted that “significant growth, new provincial housing legislation, and evolving community need” made an update essential. The previous OCP, PlaySurrey 2013, was adopted in 2014.

The release also contended that more than two years of consultation totalling more than 300,000 interactions – “one of the city’s most comprehensive and diverse engagement processes” – was undertaken to bring the draft to fruition.

Ocean Park resident Jessica Luckhurst, however, told Peace Arch News “none of us received anything.”

“The draft came out Feb. 26 and the public hearing was on March 9th (it is a several hundred page document). People barely had time to read or understand it,” Luckhurst writes in a March 10 email.

“Key organizations such as the Crescent Beach Property Owner’s Association didn’t even know about this.”

In addition to expressing dismay at their lack of opportunity to weigh in, many who spoke at the March 9 meeting reiterated concerns expressed two weeks prior (at a public hearing concerning an to build 89 townhouses at 24 Avenue and 128 Street) about the potential impact of land-use terminology – including ‘Urban 1’ and ‘Suburban 1’ designations – on density in South Surrey’s Ocean Park and Crescent Beach neighbourhoods.

Under Urban 1, townhouse density is proposed to increase to 25 units per acre from 20.

Such changes “could gradually lead to higher densities being introduced into neighbourhoods that were never designed to support them,” said one speaker.

Ron Gill, the city’s manager of planning and development, clarified numerous times – at Mayor Brenda Locke’s behest – that the zoning of the lands is not changing; that the new OCP is largely responding to new provincial legislation that requires the document to meet the housing demands in Surrey.

“It’s not something we can reject,” said Locke.

“To be very clear: the zoning of Ocean Park and Crescent Beach is not changing,” said Gill. “The current zoning that exists on those properties today will be the same zoning that exists on those properties if this OCP is adopted by council.”

Redevelopment in Ocean Park “is not being proposed in this OCP.”

Responding to questions from Coun. Harry Bains, Gill said there “seems to be a bit of confusion regarding land-use designation and zoning.” Townhouses are permitted under both the previous and new OCP, subject to a rezoning application that includes public consultation and requires council approval, he said.

Prior to voting on third reading, Coun. Doug Elford asked Gill about “the sense of urgency” behind moving the OCP forward, and the consequences of not moving quickly.

Gill noted driving factors include a June deadline for compliance with Bills 44 and 47, as well as meeting criteria for federal funding of $100 million received by the city under the Housing Accelerator Fund, $25 million of which remains outstanding.

Exactly when the OCP bylaw may be finalized is unclear. City officials said Monday (March 16) that Surrey OCP’s Regional Context Statement was forwarded to Metro Vancouver for review and consideration following council’s vote, and must be approved by the Metro board before the bylaw can come forward for final reading and adoption.