Surrey building-permit values top $2 billion
Mayor boasts about ‘economic confidence,’ while critics say city’s planning for future is lacking
Surrey building-permit values topped $2 billion for the first time in 2019, prompting Mayor Doug McCallum to boast Thursday that his city had entered “uncharted territory,” while critics questioned if any charting at all was being done to meet the demands of a growing population.
“The economic confidence in Surrey has reached new heights and breaking the $2-billion mark in building permits is uncharted territory for our city,” McCallum said in a news release.
While the mayor didn’t respond to a Postmedia News request for an interview, his statement highlighted the “livability, affordability and recreational amenities” that have helped fuel Surrey’s growth.
But McCallum’s critics pointed to the same issues to argue that the city isn’t adequately planning for the future.
“The police transition has cannibalized the budget for services and facilities,” said Coun. Jack Hundial. “There’s nothing leftover for families. I’m absolutely concerned about what this means for quality-of-life.”
Surrey is one of the fastest-growing municipalities in Canada, with the population expected to reach 770,000 by 2041, according to the city’s official community plan.
Passed in December, the city’s five-year budget puts a cap on fire protection, city services and support for arts-and-recreation, instead setting aside almost $130 million for the transition from the RCMP to a municipal police force.
“It’s very concerning that we aren’t putting anything into the 2020 budget that responds to the growth,” said Coun. Brenda Locke.
The former MLA said providing inadequate services for families and youth could eventually impact public safety.
Coun. Linda Annis said the city is neglecting “roads, rec centres, ice arenas — all the things young families need.”
Yet the building-permit statistics show families are still choosing to move to Surrey. Of the $2.29 billion in building-permit values in 2019, $1.57 billion was from residential permits. That translates into 6,632 new dwellings that will presumably be built, compared with 3,793 in 2018, 4,606 in 2017 and 4,280 in 2016.
Surrey deserves credit for giving families options beyond single-family homes, said Andy Yan, director of The City Program at Simon Fraser University. But he said “reactive development,” whether that applies to building schools or transportation options, could be an issue.