Surrey council endorses small-scale multi-housing review framework
Published 1:15 pm Wednesday, July 29, 2026
Surrey council has endorsed a small-scale multi-unit housing review framework with the expectation city staff will report back on its findings with proposed bylaw, policy or process amendments arising from it.
“This is not a rejection of small-scale multi-unit housing, it’s a commitment to implement it properly with approximately 72,000 properties potentially eligible for this form of development,” Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke said. “The decision we make will shape Surrey’s neighbourhoods and infrastructure for decades.”
Legislation the provincial government introduced on Nov. 30, 2023 requires cities to permit
such housing in neighbourhoods that were traditionally zoned for single detached and duplex housing.
“I hope as part of it we really look at the height of some of these structures because they’re really towering and not really in keeping with many of the neighbourhoods,” Councillor Linda Annis said.
A city staff report in 2024 noted that 260 kilometres of small-diameter water mains and 100
kilometres of small diameter sanitary sewers might have to be upsized to support this legislation over
40 to 50 years, to the tune of $820 to $870 million in replacement costs.
Councillor Harry Bains said “one of the issues” people have with this kind of housing is having one water metre split between multiple units. “The cost allocation has been a foreseable problem with this legislation,” he said. “It’s good to see” a solution to install one water metre box with utility billing on a flat rate “split equally and allocated to each individual unit.
“I’m really happy to see that,” Bains said “I think a lot of cities are struggling to get over this issue.”
A corporate report that came before council on July 27 indicates that since the legislation was introduced Surrey has approved 465 building permits resulting in 943 net new dwelling units, 22 per cent of them garden suites and coach houses, 71 per cent duplexes and seven per cent houseplexes.
Councillor Mandeep Nagra asked if city hall is still processing building permits for properties not requiring any changes or amendments.
“What percentage is that number compared to the new ones that we issue or we see on the council table?” he inquired.
Ron Gill, Surrey’s general manager of planning and development, replied that applications not requiring variances or rezonings will continue through the building permit process “as normal” during the review.
“In terms of the number of small-scale multi-housing developments that require variances I would say are quite small, maybe 10 per cent of those building permit applications we get include a variance or require a rezoning,” Gill told Nagra.
Nagra said if it’s only affecting a “very small” number of applications the process should be fast-tracked “so the newer subdivisions, new projects can get going as well.”
Gill explained the review will evaluate issues concerning development activity and implementation trends, zoning regulations and urban design, neighbourhood compatibility, civic addressing and administrative processes, building and construction considerations, emergency access among other items.