OPINION: Cloverdale and East Surrey area undergoing massive change
Published 11:00 pm Wednesday, April 29, 2026
How do you shape the future while at the same time honouring the past?
It’s a question residents and business owners in Cloverdale, Clayton Heights, and Campbell Heights find themselves confronting these days as massive change transforms the formerly bucolic areas of East Surrey.
Over the years, the area’s population has skyrocketed, but it’s retained its small-town charm.
Business leaders and community organisations are leading the drive to celebrate local history and incorporate that into future planning and development—affecting both residential and commercial. Groups like the Cloverdale Community Association, the Cloverdale District Chamber of Commerce, and the Cloverdale BIA are at the forefront of this.
What will Cloverdale look like in 10 years? Ten years ago, one could venture a guess and have a pretty good idea what that answer would be. Today, not so much.
Development is driving a rapidly changing town landscape as several big projects are underway—with more coming.
The new hospital and cancer centre, south of Highway #10, is going to transform the area as a “medical precinct” rises around it. City planners and developers recognize the growing need as the hospital will require medical support services, doctors offices, specialists, suppliers, and others that naturally gather around a hospital.
When the hospital and cancer centre opens, a myriad of services will also be needed that support the workers of the hospital, including better transit options—with buses likely coming down from SkyTrain stations—and better traffic management and parking, especially as Highway #10 gets more congested than it already is with the increase of vehicles. An increase of workers will also create demand for an increase in housing, both in terms of rentals and homeownership.
Also south of Highway #10, and south of Clover Square Village, a 400,000-plus square-foot warehouse is being built. The warehouse will be a massive transport hub linking rail and truck cargo.
Of course the SkyTrain—which will bisect Clayton and Cloverdale down the Fraser Highway—will transform East Surrey by bringing new residents and new businesses to the area.
Also of significant importance in the area is the continual transformation of Campbell Heights. Part of a massive city-wide manufacturing base, the area is part of more than 1,100 manufacturers, 100-plus Industry 4.0 firms, and a strong talent pipeline. Campbell Heights, as part of Surrey’s advanced manufacturing sector, is an increasingly important driver of B.C.’s economy.
Many businesses are choosing to make Cloverdale and East Surrey their home, building new offices and warehouse space, and settling in to a spot that is centralized south of the Fraser River as they are able to connect easily with other communities. Delta Intelligent Building Technologies (formerly Delta Controls), just one such company, will complete their new 150,000-plus square-foot headquarters in late 2027. The new building just off Highway #10 will house their head office, manufacturing space, and their research and development divisions, employing nearly 500 people.
And the wider area is growing too. Surrey is set to take over Vancouver as B.C.’s most populous city sooner than previously expected. Current estimates put Surrey’s population at 733,760 and Vancouver’s population at 739, 469—a less than 6,000 person difference. In 2027, the population is projected to hit 746,513 surpassing Vancouver’s projected 738,740.
Cloverdale represents roughly 13 per cent of Surrey’s population. So as the city’s numbers increase, Cloverdale’s will increase accordingly.
All these things, combined with a young diverse population and growing city, make East Surrey an attractive destination to live, work, and play. Add in Cloverdale’s geographic location within Surrey, its position near the U.S. border and major highways and airports, including the coming SkyTrain, and you have a neighbourhood within a city that’s poised to keep punching above its weight for a long time to come, striking that balance between progress and development and history and heritage—both shaping its future and honouring its past.