Surrey\u2019s 10,000-seat arena plans \u2018announced soon,\u2019 with tenant news<\/p>\n
Published 3:30 pm Monday, June 22, 2026<\/p>\n
\u201cA major announcement\u201d about a new 10,000-seat arena in Surrey will be made in coming weeks.<\/p>\n
City manager Rob Costanzo wouldn\u2019t reveal details Monday (June 22) at a Surrey & White Rock Board of Trade luncheon, but shed light on the kind of project envisioned.<\/p>\n
An arena is proposed on city-owned land adjacent to Chuck Bailey Recreation Centre at Tom Binnie Park. A drawing on Surrey\u2019s website shows an arena complex on land occupied by the BC Lions training facility. Construction could begin in 2027.<\/p>\n
Monday at Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel, Costanzo was among four panelists at a business forum focused on \u201cShaping the Next Decade of Surrey.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked about a professional hockey team or other tenants for Surrey\u2019s arena, Costanzo said an announcement will be made soon.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, that 10,000-seat arena will have a team associated with it,\u201d Costanzo responded. \u201cWe wouldn\u2019t be moving forward without a team, without an anchor team, associated with this facility,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Last January, Surrey\u2019s plans to build an arena in City Centre moved forward with a call for \u201cexpressions of interest\u201d<\/a> to develop the facility and for sports team(s) to play there.<\/p>\n Monday, an audience member asked about a lack of convention space and hotels in Surrey.<\/p>\n \u201cTo give you a very high-level understanding of what this (arena) is going to be providing, it\u2019s a 10,000-seat arena and cultural event (space). It\u2019s not going to be a traditional hockey arena. It\u2019s going to be more of a conventional type of building with restaurants and nightclubs and shops around the perimeter of the site.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019ll have a plaza, outdoor plaza, five-star hotel, convention space and residential towers. That will be announced in the coming weeks. I think I\u2019ve given too much away but I\u2019m pretty confident that this room can hold the secret,\u201d Constanzo added.<\/p>\n The four-person panel included Costanzo, Bill Aujla (Surrey City Development Corporation), Dr. Ryan D\u2019Arcy (NeuroCatgch, Health and Technology District) and Nicole Robson (Surrey Hospitals Foundation), who answered questions pitched by Joslyn Young, board of trade CEO, and audience members.<\/p>\n On <\/a>surrey.ca<\/a>, the proposed arena is hyped as an anchor for Surrey\u2019s new world-class entertainment district, which Aujla says Surrey needs.<\/p>\n \u201cIn fact it probably needs more than one, given its size and population growth,\u201d Aujla told the crowd. \u201cSo I firmly believe we need to get people coming to Surrey, spending their money in Surrey, and that will generate other economic development of opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n Costanzo said \u201ca number of of significant, catalytic type of projects\u201d are happening in Surrey right now including SkyTrain, SFU School of Medicine south of City Hall, a new Newton Community Centre, a master plan to develop Newton Town Centre as \u201ca new Yaletown,\u201d Nicomekl Riverfront Park and planning for King George Bus Rapid Transit.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I had to pick one that\u2019s a very important project, it\u2019s going to be a much needed rapid transit project connecting North Surrey with White Rock,\u201d Costanzo said after reading a list of major Surrey projects on the drawing board including Westminster Waterfront District.<\/p>\n \u201cVery cool, Bridgeview is going to be transformed,\u201d he said of the latter. \u201cI think the only way I can really explain it is the Brentwood Mall area, that new development you\u2019re seeing around that area (of Burnaby). That\u2019s going to happen in Bridgeview around the Scott Road Station with connectivity down to the waterfront.\u201d<\/p>\n He also noted an Interactive Art Museum in North Surrey and \u201cpublic safety campus\u201d in east Guildford.<\/p>\n \u201cCouncil just approved a 15-acre site in Anniedale Tynehead,\u201d Costanzo said of the campus. \u201cWe have, as you all know, a new police department. They\u2019re getting close to concluding their transition. There are a number of facilities that they desperately need like a shooting facility, a gun range, training facility and emergency response centre.\u201d<\/p>\n Surrey & White Rock Board of Trade\u2019s AGM was also held Monday. Roger <\/a>Steers<\/a>, of RJC Engineers, is the new board chair, replacing Rory Morgan, now the immediate past chair. New directors are Gurdip Sahota, Li Gong and Nathan Van Kuyk. Visit swrbot.com<\/a> for details.<\/p>\n ^ Roger Steers, new board chair of @SWRBOT<\/a>, replacing Rory Morgan, now Immediate Past Chair. <\/p>\n In 2020 Steers was named Surrey Business Person of the Year: https:\/\/t.co\/lnJqnZ0Q9n<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/q7YPdU7noj<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Tom Zillich (@TomZillich) June 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n