The City of Delta has formulated a plan for its side of Scott Road and the City of Surrey has also begun the process of coming up with one for its side of the corridor.
In Spring 2022, Surrey initiated a visioning study to better understand the area and how to plan for growth over the next 30 years. With the introduction of RapidBus and development plans on the west side of Scott Road in Delta, change is going to happen along the corridor, according to the city.
The visioning study was to help identify key objectives, starting for the Scott Road and 72nd Avenue area including the surrounding neighbourhoods, and explore where significant redevelopment may occur.
On the Delta side of the road, in 2021, the Mayor’s Housing Task Force for Scott Road came up with a series of recommendations for the entire corridor, including creating several districts with various land use policies. High-density housing developments have also either been approved or are currently in the application process.
Surrey acknowledges that on the Delta side, higher density, transit-oriented, mixed-use development is already envisioned and, in some places, new development is already under construction.
An engagement campaign for Surrey’s Imagine Scott Road Visioning Study was conducted in the fall of 2022.
According to the results from that engagement, detailed in the Step 1 - What We Heard Engagement Summary report, 29,767 residents were informed but just 817 residents engaged by contributing to the project website, attending a pop-up event, connected through phone or email, completed a survey or attended a stakeholder meeting.
The report notes that phase “likely underrepresented the views of renters, South Asians, Punjabi speakers, and immigrants. Future engagement will prioritize outreach and engagement with these groups.”
The survey posed a series of questions including which of the proposed areas for growth was most appropriate to accommodate higher density. Most respondents said Strawberry Hill was the most appropriate, followed by the Townline and then Kennedy areas.
Surrey planning staff are to begin more detailed planning later this year.