The University of British Columbia (UBC) is expanding its presence south of the Fraser River with the $70-million purchase of a property in Surrey.
UBC Properties Trust has acquired a 135,000-square-foot property (currently home to the Grace Hanin Community Church) at the intersection of King George Boulevard and Fraser Highway. The site, which is located close to SkyTrain, Surrey Memorial Hospital and other community amenities, is anticipated to be a combination of residential and commercial space which will generate revenue to enable the construction of dedicated academic facilities.
The acquisition of the Surrey site supports the achievement of a key commitment in UBC’s strategic plan to work with partners on the development of the university’s regional presence, as well as providing an exciting opportunity to improve access to post-secondary education in the Fraser region.
UBC already has a significant presence south of the Fraser, with nearly 3,500 students, 750 faculty and staff, and thousands of alumni who call Surrey home. The university has numerous partnerships within the City of Surrey and other regional partners around urban design, sustainability, health technology and innovation, data science, traffic safety, K-12 education, immigrant settlement and more.
“UBC is committed to creating welcoming spaces that advance innovation and collaboration and respond to community and regional needs—and this new site demonstrates this,” said Santa J. Ono, UBC president. “We look forward to working with the City of Surrey, Fraser Health, First Nations Health Authority and regional partners to uncover the many exciting possibilities that this new project holds for the Surrey community and Fraser Valley, as well as UBC students, faculty and staff.”
Next year, the university will begin consultation with Surrey and Fraser Valley communities, along with engaging in important dialogue with Indigenous leaders and communities. UBC students, faculty, clinical faculty and staff engagement will also get underway on regional and academic programming needs in order to determine the future vision for the site.
