At their meeting on January 12th, Council received the report “Update on Planning & Development Process Improvements and Permitting Timelines” for information. The report outlines how the implementation of SSMUH increased residential rezoning and building permit application volumes and complexity in 2025, resulting in longer application review and permitting times for these types of applications. With a coordinated and focused approach, staff have been successful in reducing timelines to generally align with established targets and in some cases, particularly in residential plan review, are currently outperforming the established targets. Further enhancements as outlined in the City’s HAF Action Plan and/or under the guidance of the DAPI committee that are already underway, or planned initiatives for 2026, position Planning & Development well to continue to deliver greater efficiency and quicker processing times for all applicants.

Additional information can be found in the full report by City staff. 

March 17, 2025

The City of Surrey is leading the way in municipal initiatives aimed at improving processing efficiency and offering development incentives. UDI is supportive of these initiatives, which are designed to encourage development amid the financial challenges currently faced by development industry. 

At their meeting on March 10th, the City of Surrey approved the following: 

2025 Development Cost Charge Bylaw 

Council gave three readings to the 2025 Development Cost Charge (DCC) Bylaw, which includes the introduction of a Fire Services DCC and a rollback of residential DCCs to 2023 rates. This represents a "freeze" in residential DCCs to allow the City to apply for Canadian Housing Infrastructure Funding (CHIF). 

Tenant Improvement and Building Permit Improvements 

Council endorsed the implementation of a modernized tenant improvement building permit process, including the Minor Tenant Improvement Program, at their meeting on March 10th. 

Launch of the Digital Development Applications Portal 

Council received a report titled "Launch of the Digital Development Applications Portal" for information. This report informs Council of the March 11, 2025, launch of the Development Application Portal, an online tool that will allow applicants to submit, track, and manage their development applications. 

Acceptance of Surety Bonds as Security for Development Cost Charge Instalments 

Council approved a Pilot Program endorsing the use of surety bonds from approved surety companies as an alternative form of security to Letters of Credit for Development Cost Charges paid by instalments.