City of Surrey's Annual Financial Report 2020

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 activities of the following five divisions:

BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION BusinessTransformation provides general administrative support services, records management, budgeting, information technology deployment and support. AREA PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT, NORTH & SOUTH Area Planning & Development implements Council-adopted bylaws approved secondary plans, and policies in relation to the use and development of land. This work involves receiving and reviewing applications and making appropriate recommendations for land development projects and preparing reports to Council. CIVIC FACILITIES Civic Facilities plans, designs and constructs new facilities and maintains and operates the City’s existing building inventory, which includes redeveloping and modifying buildings and administering an ongoing preventative maintenance program. The Division leads energy-saving initiatives throughout the City, including lighting and HVAC system upgrades.

COMMUNITY PLANNING Community Planning 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 (NCP), Local Area Plans, zoning bylaw amendments and monitors the City’s growth management strategies. The Division is also responsible for Social Planning, Agricultural Planning, Heritage Planning and demographic tracking and growth forecasting. 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 and the administration of the Tree Preservation Bylaw and sign bylaws. The Building Division is also responsible for providing professional advice on building construction-related matters to City Council, the Board of Variance, other City departments and the public.

2 0 2 0 A C C O M P L I S H M E N T S • In partnership with BC Housing, secured a modular supportive site in Newton, thus establishing three

• Received 576 development applications for rezoning, subdivision, development permits, development variance permits and Official Community Plan development. • Launched a Front Counter Call Centre to facilitate continued City Hall operations and client service during City Hall’s closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. • Launched a dedicated digital drop box to facilitate application reviews during City Hall’s closure. • Supported implementation of new ALC regulations with respect to residential building construction in the Agricultural Land Reserve. • Improved the Trade permit portal with digital access to issued permits and added the ability to submit documents digitally. • Implemented the electrical Contractor Performance Management Program to reduce the rate of inspections for high performing contractor and enhance community safety. • Completed Clayton Community Centre.

• Completed a detailed review of the Tree Protection By-law to help meet the City’s broader Ecosystem objectives. • Completed the design and planning for Strawberry Hill Hall with a projected completion date of December 2021.

of the five planned supportive housing sites to respond to needs of the homeless population.

• Initiated research and public consultation for the development of a Surrey Housing Needs Report. • Completed streamlined reviews and acceptance of specified BC Housing Building Projects to meet key homelessness reduction objectives. • Completed accelerated inspections for emergency winter shelters. • Completed Newton Town Centre Plan and Redwood Heights NCP. • Completed Stage 1 Plan for Darts Hill NCP, Guilford Town Centre Plan and Semiahmoo Town Centre Plan. • Initiated plans for Fleetwood Town Centre Update and King George Corridor South.

• Completed roof replacement for the Stewart Farmhouse Pole Barn.

• Prioritized clean-up of outstanding Surrey School District issued building permits to facilitate future building permit reviews at existing facilities. • Completed renovations and upgrades to Clayton Hall and Cloverdale Ball Park to accommodate childcare space and children’s programming. • Completed renovations to the Cloverdale Library to increase the inventory of books and provide access to the Museum plaza. • Prioritized Surrey School District Building Permits Applications to meet the increased enrolment demands within the City. • Completed upgrades to reception areas of RCMP District 3.

• Prepared and presented 242 planning reports to Council on development applications.

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