City of Surrey's 2025 Annual Financial Report

CITY OF SURREY OVERVIEWS PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT

The primary functions of the Planning & Development Department are to prepare land use plans, bylaws, and policies for consideration by City Council, and undertake application reviews and approval processes consistent with Council-approved plans, bylaws, and policies in support of planned, orderly, and sustainable development of the City. The Department’s mandate is accomplished through the activities of the following five divisions:

BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION Business Transformation provides front line customer service, administrative support services, records management, information technology enablement, communications, and functional support to the department. This work involves answering customer inquiries, initial processing of permit applications, answering record searches, providing copies of house plans, planning of system enhancements, creating business intelligence reports and supporting community engagement initiatives. DEVELOPMENT PLANNING Development Planning implements Council-adopted bylaws, approved secondary plans, and policies in relation to the use and development of land. This work involves receiving and reviewing land development applications, making appropriate recommendations for land development projects, and preparing reports to Council. COMMUNITY PLANNING & SUSTAINABILITY Community Planning & Sustainability develops land use plans and policies in support of the planned and orderly development of the City. The division administers the Official Community Plan (“OCP”), General Land Use Plans, Neighbourhood Concept Plans, Local Area Plans, Zoning By-law amendments, and monitors the City’s growth management and Community Engagement strategies.

BUILDING Building administers Council adopted bylaws and policies related to building construction. This work involves servicing residential and commercial building plan reviews, performing building, plumbing and electrical field review services, inspecting for and coordinating a response to unpermitted construction, and the administration of the Tree Protection Bylaw and sign bylaws. The Building Division is also responsible for providing professional advice on building construction related matters to Council, the Board of Variance, other City departments and the public. HOUSING & SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Housing & Social Development supports the development of non market affordable and supportive housing, responds to homelessness, and develops plans, policies and programs that address priority social issues in Surrey. The Division convenes and partners with other government and nonprofit agencies to respond and identify solutions to a range of complex issues.

2025 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Prepared and presented 287 planning reports for Council’s consideration through the review and processing of associated development applications • Enhanced policies and processes to reduce development application and building permit times by 30%, including developing a Modernized Approval Process (MAP) framework for Tenant Improvements that simplifies the application intake, includes digital reviews, and enhances communication of deficiencies • Continued to deliver files for Section 57 hearings to Council, adding a notice to title for twelve non-compliant properties in 2025 and still targeting approximately six months from initial posting of Stop Work Order to hearing

• Successfully completed all deliverables for Year 2 of the Housing Accelerator Fund grant program • Established the Development Approval Process Improvement Committee, designed to undertake a fulsome review of development permitting processes with the intent of reducing or eliminating roadblocks to speedy approvals • Reviewed and revised the City’s Development Cost Charges (“DCCs”) and implemented waivers for DCCs for non market rental housing operated by non profit providers • Provided an update on the Climate Change Action Strategy and identified Quick Start Actions

• Initiated several actions to implement the short-term actions identified in A Pathway to Home: Surrey Homelessness Prevention and Response Plan, including supporting the winter season response shelter programs, convening a homelessness sector leaders table, and expediting non-market housing projects • Introduced new OCP amendments to introduce a “DP Light” for some townhouse and light industrial developments • Expanded the Early Excavation for Multi Family Housing pilot program as part of the strategy to promote project completion, reducing idle, undeveloped land

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