Surrey’s City Centre Plan Update Signals Real Estate Opportunity - Fifth Avenue REM mediaiqdigital tracking pixel
Bringing People Home, Peerage Partners, Social Purpose | November 6, 2025
The downtown of Surrey is being transformed. With the city’s updated downtown master plan and the creation of an entertainment district including a proposed 10,000-seat arena, major change is on the horizon for real estate in the area. For homeowners, investors, developers and everyday market participants alike, this matters. This article reviews the key elements of the update, interprets what they mean for the real estate market in Surrey, and lays out what you should keep an eye on.

What’s Changing in the City Centre

  • The city has published a draft land use update for the Surrey City Centre Plan that builds on the original 2017 plan. Storeys+2 Engage Surrey+2
  • The update designates a core area as a Central Business District (CBD) and emphasises transit-oriented development (TOA) around key transit nodes. Storeys+1
  • The plan also identifies a new Entertainment District: a mixed-use zone including an arena, hotel, retail/office, conference facilities. Delta Optimist+1
  • Streamlined processes: The city is moving to simplify permitting and land-use approvals, speeding up development timelines. City of Surrey+1

What This Means for Real Estate in Surrey

A) Residential & Land Value Impacts

  • As City Centre evolves into a more defined downtown node with employment, amenities and transit, residential and land parcels in or near the zone gain strategic value.
  • For homeowners, the FAQ from the City acknowledges that property value is influenced by comparable sales, land-use potential and development demand. Engage Surrey
  • For land-owners and investors: parcels near transit, in the CBD or within the Entertainment District zone are likely to see future demand, and thus upside potential.
  • That said: Timing matters. Many of the anchor-amenities (arena, hotel) are still conceptual; therefore the value uplift may be gradual rather than immediate.

B) Development & Investment Opportunity

  • Developers can leverage the plan update as justification for higher density, mixed-use projects, because the city is signalling support for downtown intensification. Storeys+1
  • The establishment of an entertainment anchor creates an “amenity magnet” effect: retail, hotel, office uses around it increase attractiveness of nearby residential.
  • Investors looking for longer-term plays may favour City Centre over more mature markets because of the growth runway. For example, analysts consider Surrey City Centre “one of the most exciting urban centres under development in Metro Vancouver”. mdre.ca
  • Permit streamlining and process improvements reduce some risk for development. City of Surrey

C) Market Behaviour & Buyer Considerations

  • For buyers: The story is shifting. It’s no longer just about “good value in Surrey” but “part of a transforming downtown”. That narrative can help in decision-making.
  • However: Buyers should remain cautious. With any major plan/regeneration project, there’s execution risk – delivery timelines, cost overruns, amenities coming later than expected.
  • For resale or secondary market: As density and amenities increase, the nature of competition may evolve (more mid/high-rise rental/residential, more mixed-use towers). That may affect pricing dynamics and resale liquidity

Key Trends to Monitor

  • Tracking the number of high-rise towers approved and under construction in City Centre helps gauge development momentum. Invest Surrey+1
  • Monitor major anchor announcements (arena operator, hotel brand, retail tenants) in the Entertainment District – these will be inflection points. Delta Optimist
  • Keep an eye on land-use and density bonus policy changes, especially in the CBD/City Centre zone. UDI
  • Watch affordability and buyer demand in City Centre versus other nodes – how much premium is being placed on “future downtown living”.
  • Infrastructure and transit rollout (e.g., new SkyTrain stations, bus exchanges) will impact how strong the “transit-oriented” premium becomes. Engage Surrey

What This Means for You

  • If you are a homeowner: You may want to evaluate how your property fits the changing profile of City Centre – near transit, major amenities, mixed-use growth. It could mean upside, but also means you’ll face changes (traffic, density, construction).
  • If you are a buyer/investor: Look for projects or land that align with the plan’s high-growth zones (CBD, Entertainment District, transit-oriented nodes). Consider timeline, value-risks, resale/liquidity.
  • If you are a developer: Use the new plan as a driver for site acquisition, project narrative, marketing positioning. The message of “in Surrey’s next-gen downtown core” matters.
  • If you are a real-estate professional: The plan gives you a powerful narrative to engage clients, explain what the changes mean, show how demand drivers are shifting, advise accordingly.

Conclusion

The updated Surrey City Centre Plan signals real, tangible change for the downtown of Surrey, and accordingly for real-estate. From land value uplift, to new development narratives, to altered buyer behaviours, the implications are broad. For those aligned with the shifts, whether as homeowners, buyers, investors or developers—the opportunity is significant. But as always in real-estate: opportunity comes with timing, execution, and risk.

Ready to explore how this affects you or your asset? Reach out to our team for a deeper breakdown of how to align with the changing landscape of Surrey’s real-estate market.

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