Over 1,000 new homes eyed next to Surrey Memorial Hospital

Two sizeable new residential projects are pegged for a vacant site near the southwest corner of the intersection of King George Boulevard and 96 Avenue, just west of Surrey Memorial Hospital.

Weststone Group and Hayer Builders Group are planning to redevelop the land assembly of 13567 95 Avenue and 13531 95 Avenue into two residential buildings, including a 37-storey tower and a six-storey tower.

The development site is well served by public transit, including the R1 King George Boulevard RapidBus route and about a 15-minutes walk from SkyTrain’s King George Station.

Site of 13531-13567 95 Avenue, Surrey. (Google Maps)

Concept of 13531-13567 95 Avenue, Surrey. (Arcadis/Weststone Group/Hayer Builders Group)

“The proposed density and building form are appropriate for this part of Surrey City Centre, and forms part of an emerging high-density mixed-use hub that will be complementary to the evolving City Centre Medical District,” state City of Surrey staff in their report on the project’s application.

“The proposed development conforms to the goal of achieving high-rise, high density, and mixed-use development around the three SkyTrain Stations. The King George SkyTrain Station is within walking distance from the subject site.”

There will be a total of 567 residential units, with the precise housing tenure mix not defined in the application.

However, the unit size mix is established as 173 studio units, 221 one-bedroom units, 161 two-bedroom units, nine three-bedroom units, and three townhouse units. The high-rise tower will contain 511 homes, while the low-rise building will contain 56 homes. Underground levels will contain 545 vehicle parking stalls and 367 secure bike parking spaces.

The total building floor area will span about 365,000 sq ft, creating a floor area ratio (FAR) density of a floor area that is 9.42 times larger than the size of the “Block A” parcel of the development site and 2.07 FAR for “Block B.” The project’s architectural design firm is Arcadis.

Concept of 13531-13567 95 Avenue, Surrey. (Arcadis/Weststone Group/Hayer Builders Group)

According to City staff, this site was previously rezoned as part of Weststone Group’s phased mixed-use development of “Innovation Village,” which subdivided the site into the three lots of Block A, Block B, and Block C. Originally, Block B was envisioned as a 30-storey residential building, while Block C was contemplated as a 12-storey residential building.

Block A, which is the westernmost parcel, closest to King George Boulevard and the hospital, was sold to Centurion Appelt, which is turning the property into a 41-storey mixed-use tower with 463 secured purpose-built rental homes, 63,000 sq ft of medical office space within a five-storey base podium, and nearly 11,000 sq ft of ground-level retail/restaurant uses.

Designed by DF Architecture, Centurion Appelt’s separate project at 13585 95 Avenue will have a residential unit size mix of 128 studios, 194 one-bedroom units, 129 two-bedroom units, and 12 three-bedroom units.

The total building floor area will reach about 390,000 sq ft, establishing a FAR density of 12.1. Underground levels will contain 228 vehicle parking stalls and 558 secure bike parking spaces.

All three buildings combined on blocks A, B, and C by the two separate developer ownership groups will generate a combined total of over 1,000 homes.