SURREY – The City of Surrey set a record in 2024 by delivering 6,297 net new housing units and generating a record of over $2.8 billion in construction activity. This surpasses the City’s previous record of 5,932 housing units delivered in 2019.
“This is the first time the City of Surrey has surpassed 6,000 housing units,” said Mayor Brenda Locke. “Despite high interest rates, labour challenges and soft pre-sales, a record-breaking $2.8 billion in construction activity occurred in Surrey in 2024. I am proud of the work we have done in streamlining our land development and permitting approvals. Council’s commitment in providing more housing will carry into 2025, as we continue to look for improvements and efficiencies in our approval process.”
Notably, there were two development incentive programs launched in 2024 through the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) that contributed over 2,560 housing units. The Rapid Transit Incentive Program accelerated 2,380 units and the Non-Market Incentive Program advanced 180 below-market rental units. In addition to the incentive programs, key process improvements were introduced to facilitate the delivery of housing and streamline approvals, including:
- Simplified development permit process for houseplexes with reduced fees and faster approvals.
- Pilot program for excavation building permits will allow permits to be issued ahead of final adoption of rezoning and development permit issuance.
- Pilot program for early permit submissions to allow for building permits for new homes to be submitted after the preliminary layout approval process and before final subdivision to reduce the time for building permit issuance.
Source: City of Surrey
