SOUTH WESTMINSTER
The area of South Westminster, usually identified as the Whalley neighborhood, is an upcoming neighbourhood with many plans in progress by the City of Surrey. In this blog, we will highlight some planned features and discuss the requirement for segregating this neighbourhood on its own. The land use plan for this neighborhood breaks it down into five main districts:
Fraser River Waterfront
Yale Street Commercial
Transit-Oriented Urban Village
Scott Road Commercial
Light Industrial/Business Park Area
Regional Context
South Westminster is located at one of the main entryways into Surrey, and has direct links to Vancouver and New Westminster via Pattullo Bridge and SkyTrain. It also has access to Delta via Scott Road and River Road. South Westminster is becoming more and more accessible and is emerging as the premier gateway to the City of Surrey. There’s a strong desire to improve the image of South Westminster from the current industrial and salvage area, to an area with high quality development. It’s now timely to have renewed interest in the area and create a vision for the area.
The Plan Area
South Westminster is located in the northwest quadrant of Surrey, bordered by King George Highway to the north, Fraser River to the northwest and the toe of the Whalley hillside on the south and southeast. The area consists of approximately 514 hectares, or 1,270 acres of land designated as Industrial in the OCP, or Official Community Plan, and is situated in a basin that is overlain by the Fraser River alluvial and flood plain deposits. The area is generally flat, with surface elevations varying between 5 feet and 10 feet. The area of South Westminster encompasses the Fraser River Port Authority and associated lands, with the Fraser Port being the largest industry and the most active use in the area. In addition to Fraser Port, South Westminster has been home to many auto salvage and outdoor storage yards, with the salvage yard areas declining and several new commercial developments occurring in the area.
Why a Plan for South Westminster?
South Westminster remains undeveloped and under-utilized despite being zoned as industrial for many years in the OCP. While salvage and industrial use have been regarded as interim uses, they simply don’t provide enough employment opportunities and they aren’t a catalyst for growth in the area. They also have a very negative visual impact for areas of high employment potential. Revisiting the South Westminster Land Use Plan will allow for the redesign, and redevelopment, of the area into an aesthetically pleasing and prestigious gateway into the Surrey. A new vision will help establish new long and short term business and industrial land uses for the area. Servicing constraints will dictate the form and timing of development in the area, as the soft peat soils are up to 10 meters in depth, conventional infrastructure design and construction. Due to the soil, there will be higher capital costs when compared to conventional systems of maintenance of both water and sewer systems.
Urban Design Concept
The Urban Design Concept, when used with the Land Use Plan, is meant to re-capture and create a “sense of place” and belonging for the community of South Westminster. It emphasizes the history of the area and its connection to the Fraser River, by integrating it through new redevelopment at landmark sites.
Elements of the Urban Design Concept
Yale Road Core Area
The east-west core area is located along Old Yale Road between the CN Railway corridor and Scott Road and focuses on the Riverfront Realm. The Land Use Plan proposes a new mix of commercial, retail, and residential land uses along the Old Yale Road portion to create a more pedestrian oriented environment with street furniture, tree canopies and historic style lamps. River and water references will be seen in the overall aesthetic, while there is also a possibility for special pavement patterns.
Scott Road Core Area
This north-to-south area is located along Scott Road between Old Yale Road and 104 Avenue. The new focus is to create a transit hub, village-like public realm, that is centred at the Scott Road SkyTrain station. Highway commercial will be predominant as the land use along Scott Road surrounded by business parks. Double rows of trees and landscaped center medians are going to support a set of small-scale street-fronting buildings along Scott Road to promote a pedestrian-friendly atmosphere.
Major Urban Spaces and Landmarks
There are a series of 7 urban spaces that will provide visual reference points and act as anchors or destinations in the South Westminster area. The major urban spaces for South Westminster are as follows:
Scott Station Plaza - proposed for the north-west intersection of 110 Avenue and 126A Street to mark the pedestrian entrance promenade to the SkyTrain Station;
Brownsville Square – a public square located at the foot of Old Yale Road;
Brownsville Station Plaza – a pedestrian promenade marking Brownsville’s heritage and a future Interurban Rail Station;
Bridge View Plaza - located at the intersection of Scott Road and Tannery Road, this plaza will comprise an urban space on each side of Tannery Road to the west of Scott Road from which good view of the bridges exist;
Riverview Plaza – providing good river views, this is a look-out space north of 104 Avenue on the hillside just past and to the west of the BC Electric Rail tracks approximately at 124 Street;
Yale Gateway Plaza - located at the strategic intersection of Old Yale Road with Scott Road, this plaza will provide a “window” to, and mark the entrance to the pedestrian-oriented section of the historic Old Yale Road;
Yale Marker Plaza - located at the intersection of Old Yale Road with 128 Street near the heritage site of St. Helen’s Church, this plaza will mark the original alignment of Old Yale Road.
Having 6 locations where there are prominent markers and landmarks, means there is ample opportunity to highlight said landmarks with modern redevelopment.
Area Character Guidelines
The intent of character guidelines is to provide guidance for the development of private properties and the public realm to achieve urban design objectives. The guidelines for South Westminster are based on the following objectives:
To enhance and reinforce the historic connection to the Fraser Riverfront west of Scott Rod along Old Yale Road
To enhance the visual appeal and environment of the South Westminster area to improve its image as a gateway to Surrey and its overview from the residential area uphill
To encourage unique design in South Westminster’s many areas in context to the land use envisioned for each location
To enhance the interface of buildings to public streets and private developments to improve the street-level environment for pedestrians
To enhance the interface of the business/industrial and residential areas
To encourage sustainable development design
The guidelines for South Westminster NCP provide general direction for the character of developments and street character, and include guidelines on buildings and siting, noise abatement consideration, heritage site consideration, landscaping and landscape buffers, loading parking (regular vehicle and truck) as well as service areas and outdoor storage.
If you have any questions regarding the South Westminster NCP, guidelines or any development opportunities in the area, contact us at info@thenewsurrey.ca