“So far, so good.”
That’s the word from Paul Orazietti on the number of responses to a survey about the future of the Cloverdale Fairgrounds.
The Cloverdale Business Improvement Association (BIA) has launched the survey, in conjunction with the Cloverdale Community Association (CCA), to find out what people want the Fairgrounds to look like in the future.
As of July 1, the survey had garnered more than 1,500 responses. Orazietti, the executive director of the BIA, said they’re hoping for another 500 respondents or more.
“This is about more than the Fairgrounds alone as it incorporates people’s wishes,” he said. “What do residents want? What do business owners want? This is the most important question because they are the ones who live and work here.”
Orazietti said the Surrey City Development Corporation (SCDC) will be in charge of creating a vision for the Fairgrounds. The SCDC is a real estate development company owned by but separate from the City of Surrey.
Orazietti added the SCDC will interview residents, business owners, and meet with local groups, such as the Cloverdale District Chamber of Commerce, the BIA, the CCA, and the Cloverdale Rodeo and Exhibition Association.
“We need to be transparent with what residents want and we need to be mindful of how development affects the Fairgrounds over the course of the whole year,” he said. “People here love their town and that passion is coming through in the survey results, but it can’t be for just one segment or one group.”
REPORT
Orazietti penned an interim report on his survey results and shared it with the Cloverdale Reporter. Several themes have popped up, he noted, including concerns about persevering Cloverdale’s heritage spaces, persevering green space, and building a local, indoor swimming pool.
“Redevelopment has drawn an overwhelming response from local stakeholders, painting a clear picture of what residents want—and don’t want—for the historic site,” Orazietti noted in the report. “The survey results reveal a passionate populace eager to see modern public amenities integrated with a strict preservation of Cloverdale’s traditional identity.”
He said an “ideal future” for the Fairgrounds balances nature, recreation, and heritage.
“Community preference strongly leaned toward establishing cohesive public spaces rather than heavy commercialization,” Orazietti revealed. “The highest-ranking categories selected by respondents included: enhanced walking trails, festival and event spaces, quiet green spaces, active sports and recreation, and historic and heritage-focused development.”
He said City of Surrey polling recently asked residents about a new entertainment district for the ‘Grounds, but that didn’t register with the interests of Cloverdalians in survey responses.
“Individual priority rankings showed that high-density entertainment infrastructure took a back seat to public utility,” Orazietti wrote. “Given a list of seven potential major projects to prioritize, residents overwhelmingly selected a new indoor swimming pool as their top desire. Conversely, large-scale commercial tourism projects, such as a new hotel and conference centre, or a large trade show facility, scored lowest on the public’s list of project priorities.”
He said the “overwhelming cry” for a new indoor pool drowned out every other recreational desire. He said pre-selected choices showed strong support for enhanced walking and cycling trails, covered outdoor courts for basketball and pickleball, and dog walking areas or off-leash dog parks.
“It was the ‘Other (please specify)’ write-in section that truly highlighted a unified community demand,” Orazietti explained. “Hundreds of unprompted, individual comments featured variations of the exact same message: ‘Cloverdale needs an indoor swimming pool.’ Residents repeatedly noted that while the neighborhood is well-served for ice rinks, families and seniors are being forced to travel to neighboring communities like Grandview Heights or Aldergrove to access public aquatic facilities.”
He said of the requested new rec. facilities (other than “pool”), both indoor and covered outdoor dedicated pickleball facilities were at the top of the list to “accommodate” the rapid growth of pickleball locally in Cloverdale.
Orazietti said residents are “fiercely protective” of Cloverdale’s cultural history. He added the Cloverdale Rodeo, the Flea Market, and an “aesthetic identity” topped residents’ priorities.
“A staggering majority of respondents indicated … new development (must) fully preserves the traditional Country Fair and Rodeo atmosphere,” he noted. “Similarly, the community heavily values the preservation of the Cloverdale Flea Market, with a dominant percentage listing its continuation as a top priority.”
As for “aesthetic identity,” respondents asked that development mirror the “Old Cloverdale” aesthetic, alongside public art, historical storyboards, and heritage design elements built into any new infrastructure.
“Numerous write-in comments expressed heartbreak over the historical loss of the site’s racetrack and former barns, warning planners not to over-urbanize the remaining land.”
PUSHBACK
Orazietti said the biggest pushback in the survey is against housing development on the ‘Grounds with respondents indicating “none” as their top priority.
“When asked what type of housing they would support as part of the Town Centre Plan integration, the most common response by a significant margin was ‘None (Keep it strictly for recreation/entertainment),’” he noted. “The public’s hesitation toward urbanization directly aligns with their recorded fears regarding the site’s redevelopment.”
He said two “overwhelming” concerns have arisen over the proposed redevelopment of a space that began holding the Cloverdale Fall Fair in 1938 and the Cloverdale Rodeo in 1946: increased traffic and parking issues and the loss of green space or the open “fair” feel of the ‘Grounds. Secondary concerns, he added, include: noise pollution from a newly designated entertainment district and the watering down of Cloverdale’s unique heritage character.
“The data leaves little room for ambiguity,” Orazietti explained. “Cloverdale residents view the Fairgrounds as a precious community anchor that should be kept open, green, and historically authentic. Rather than transforming the space into a dense commercial or residential hub, the public is calling on the planning team to deliver a multi-functional neighborhood park space. If the city intends to introduce new infrastructure, the mandate from the community is clear: build walking trails, protect the rodeo, expand pickleball, and finally give Cloverdale its long-awaited indoor swimming pool.”
For more info, or to fill out the survey, contact the BIA via cloverdalebia.com, or the Cloverdale Community Association at cloverdalecommunity.org.