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The Surrey City Development Corporation and Simon Fraser University have submitted a development application for Phase One of Centre Block, which will house SFU's new medical school.
The Surrey City Development Corporation and Simon Fraser University (SFU) have submitted a development permit application for Phase One of Centre Block, a mixed-use commercial project at 10270 University Drive in Surrey, British Columbia. The 3.5-acre site is directly adjacent to the Expo Line SkyTrain's Surrey Central Station, immediately south of Surrey City Hall and Surrey Civic Plaza. The application was submitted recently, and the project aims to be home to SFU's new Stephens Family School of Medicine.
Background and Location of Centre Block
The site was formerly home to the North Surrey Recreation Centre, which was demolished last year. Redevelopment plans have been in the works for over half a decade. The project was originally planned to have four towers with heights of 43, 16, 20, and 11 storeys, to be delivered in four phases. The project has been revised several times, and the first two towers were previously set to reach 45 and 17 storeys. The taller tower was set for the eastern half of the site, next to the station, and the shorter tower for the western half. The taller tower was previously planned to be delivered first. However, the shorter tower is now moving forward first, and is the focus of the development application.
Details of Phase One Development
According to the development application, Phase One will be a 12-storey building with 113,227 sq. ft of office space, 22,389 sq. ft of childcare space, 245,439 sq. ft of educational space, 48,621 sq. ft of outpatient clinic space, and 19,127 sq. ft of retail space. The building has a maximum height of 217 ft and a density of 2.9 FAR. The ground level will be shared and will include the retail space and a community space. SFU will occupy Levels 2 through 7, the childcare space will occupy all of Level 8, and Levels 9 through 12 will be the office component.
The proposal includes 277 vehicle parking spaces and 138 bicycle parking spaces in a three-level underground parkade that will be connected to the existing City Hall parkade via P1. SFU is requesting a 25% reduction from the minimum parking requirement, citing shared parking available at the nearby SFU Surrey Campus and Central City. The application also mentions acoustics and building envelope design, with Stantec-Revery contracted to lead the fit-out of the interior space for SFU and the City of Surrey.
Design and Community Impact
City staff described the building's design in a report, stating that the massing is articulated as a series of vertically layered volumes that step and shift across the tower, reducing its perceived scale while creating opportunities for terraces, landscaped gardens, daylight access, and enhanced views. They added that this approach establishes a more human-scaled profile and strengthens the project's connection to the surrounding landscape by extending outdoor amenity spaces vertically throughout the building. The facade is articulated through a rhythmic, staggered pattern of vertical openings that create depth, shadow, and texture across the building envelope. Warm, natural materials reinforce the building's architectural identity, while curved terracotta panels in a sandstone finish wrap the volumes in a tactile and inviting expression.
According to the planning report, SFU's space will include classrooms, clinical space, laboratory space, and other auxiliary space. City staff say the total capacity for the undergraduate medical school program is 360 students. SFU will partner with other organizations to open an outpatient clinic, with physicians potentially coming from faculty members or from Surrey Memorial Hospital.
Medical School and Future Phases
The medical school program commenced in August with the first cohort of 48 students beginning classes in an interim space within SFU's Surrey Campus. The school has a total anticipated cost of $520 million, and construction is scheduled to begin before the end of 2026. The new permanent space within Centre Block is expected to be ready by Fall 2030. A construction manager has been selected, and the City of Surrey sold a 72% ownership interest in 10270 University Drive to SFU earlier this year for $34,638,808.
In related news, experts at RESCON's Housing Summit 6.0 noted that despite small steps forward, the Canadian housing crisis is far from being solved. Verve Senior Living has bought Ashcroft's Ottawa Ravine seniors complex under receivership. The property at 95 Clegg Road in Markham, Ontario, is home to 110,236 sq. ft that is 100% leased to Tesla. Additionally, a 7,500-unit master plan on a former military air field has broken ground in Prince Edward County. The 750-acre development just south of Picton, Ontario, is set to be one of the province's largest and is poised to deliver affordable housing as a notable part of its unit mix.
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