Cloverdale and Clayton: A Guide to Surrey's East Side

This guide is for buyers looking at Surrey's east side: Cloverdale, the historic town centre with the fairgrounds and the rodeo, and Clayton, the planned neighbourhoods north of Fraser Highway. It covers how the City describes each area, the housing mix, SkyTrain and the highways, schools and parks, and what to check near farmland, the lowlands and the fairgrounds. For the city as a whole, start with my guide to moving to Surrey.

The short version

Cloverdale: Surrey's historic town centre

The City describes Cloverdale Town Centre as the historic heart of Surrey, at the intersection of Highway 10 and Highway 15. Its list of Cloverdale heritage sites includes the 1881 Town Hall, the 1912 Municipal Hall, which houses the Surrey Archives, Christ Church, the route of the former BC Electric interurban line, and many farmhouses, barns and older houses. The Museum of Surrey, on 56A Avenue, is free to visit.

• Recreation. The Cloverdale Recreation Centre on 176 Street has three gyms, a two-level weight room, a preschool room and youth and seniors lounges. The Cloverdale Sport and Ice Complex, on 177B Street, has two NHL-sized rinks.
• Outdoor swimming. Greenaway Park, on 60 Avenue, has a seasonal outdoor pool, a playground and pickleball courts.
• Post-secondary. Kwantlen Polytechnic University's KPU Tech campus, focused on trades and technology, is on 180 Street.
• Growth. The City is updating its Cloverdale Town Centre Plan, with a focus on supporting a planned new hospital and BC Cancer Centre.

The fairgrounds and the rodeo

The Cloverdale Fairgrounds sit between 60 Avenue and 64 Avenue on the east side of 176 Street. The Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair, a five-day event, fills them over the May long weekend, and the grounds host other shows, concerts and sports events through the year.

The City treats the fairgrounds as a special study area with its own master planning, separate from the town centre plan, and Surrey 2050, the update to the City's Official Community Plan, supports conference, sports and entertainment venues there. If you are looking at a home on the nearby streets, visit during a large event to see the traffic, parking and noise for yourself.

Clayton: planned neighbourhoods north of Fraser Highway

Clayton Heights runs north from Fraser Highway to farmland in the Agricultural Land Reserve on its north and west sides, with the Township of Langley to the east. Council approved a general land use plan for it in 1999, aiming for a compact and sustainable community, then neighbourhood plans for East Clayton in 2003 and West Clayton in 2015. Surrey 2050 treats Cloverdale and Clayton as separate communities, though some City pages, including its Cloverdale land use plans, still group them.

East Clayton, the first neighbourhood built, was planned in partnership with UBC's James Taylor Chair. The plan called for compact, walkable neighbourhoods, narrow lots served by back lanes so garages don't take over the fronts of houses, narrow streets lined with trees, natural drainage, and room for a coach house or suite on many lots.

• Clayton Community Centre. At 7155 187A Street, it combines a branch library, arts studios including woodworking, a gym, a weight room and fitness studio, youth lounges and preschool programs in one building.
• Clayton Park. Nearby on 70 Avenue, with lawn bowling, tennis and pickleball courts, a playground, a ball diamond, a soccer field and nature trails through a grove of Douglas fir.

Heritage houses, coach houses and townhouses

Around Cloverdale's town centre you will find older and heritage houses, and the City describes its North Cloverdale and West Cloverdale neighbourhood plan areas as largely complete. In East Clayton, the plan mixed single-family houses on narrow lots, with or without a coach house or secondary suite, with row houses, townhouses, stacked townhouses and some apartments.

• Freehold or strata. The same plan allowed fee-simple row houses, so a row home here may be freehold rather than strata. The title search tells you which; see my guide to buying a townhouse for the differences.
• More homes per lot. Surrey's small-scale multi-unit housing rules allow up to three units on lots under 280 square metres, four on larger lots, and six on larger lots within 400 metres of a bus stop with 15-minute service. Suites and coach houses count toward the total, and lots without City water and sewer can be exempt.
• Heritage. Alterations to a designated heritage building need special approval from the City. Ask whether a house is on the City's heritage register before you plan changes, and read my guide to heritage homes.

Getting around

• Highways. Highway 10 runs east along 56 Avenue into Cloverdale and on to the City of Langley. Highway 15, known as the Pacific Highway, mostly follows 176 Street through Cloverdale, from the Pacific Highway border crossing north to Highway 1.
• SkyTrain. The Province's Surrey Langley SkyTrain project will extend the Expo Line 16 km, mostly along Fraser Highway, from King George station to 203 Street in Langley City, with eight stations. Two sit on Fraser Highway where Clayton meets north Cloverdale: Hillcrest-184 Street, at the northwest corner of 184 Street and Fraser Highway, and Clayton, at the future intersection of 190 Street and Fraser Highway. Willowbrook, next door at 196 Street, is in the Township of Langley; see my guide to Willoughby and Walnut Grove.
• Station areas. Provincial Transit-Oriented Area rules apply within 800 metres of SkyTrain stations, including stations under construction. Surrey must allow buildings of up to 20 storeys within 200 metres, 12 storeys from 200 to 400 metres and 8 storeys from 400 to 800 metres, through its rezoning process, and can't require residential parking there.

Schools and parks

Cloverdale and Clayton are in the Surrey School District (SD36). Secondary schools in the area include Lord Tweedsmuir in Cloverdale, and Clayton Heights and École Salish in Clayton. Your catchment school is set by your address, so enter it in the district's School Locator. You can register online at any time of year, starting with your catchment school.

Hillcrest Park, on 185 Street next to Hillcrest Elementary in northeast Cloverdale, has a sports field that works as a soccer field or a softball diamond, a playground and several walking loops.

What to check before you buy

• Farmland at the edges. The ALR is BC's provincial zone for preserving farmland, and the Agricultural Land Commission decides applications in it. Check whether a property is in the ALR on the commission's maps, and if it is, read my guide to buying an acreage.
• Lowlands and floodplain. The City says much of the Serpentine and Nicomekl lowlands sits very close to sea level, on land reclaimed for farming, and it builds dikes, pump stations and drainage improvements there, while sea dam gates keep salt water out at high tide. Cloverdale Town Centre drains to the Nicomekl, and the City's coastal flood strategy lists residential areas in and around Cloverdale among those at growing risk of coastal flooding. Building in the floodplain can need a hazard lands development permit. Read my guide to floodplains and flood insurance and ask your insurer early.
• Growth plans. The City is preparing new land use plans along Fraser Highway for SkyTrain, including the Clayton Corridor and the Surrey side of Willowbrook station, so check what is planned near a home, and expect construction on Fraser Highway while the line is built.

Questions buyers often ask me

Is Clayton part of Cloverdale?

Surrey 2050, the update to the City's Official Community Plan, treats them as separate communities. Cloverdale is the older town centre, while Clayton Heights was planned from 1999 on land north of Fraser Highway. Some City pages still group them, so search both names when you set up listing alerts.

Which SkyTrain stations will serve Cloverdale and Clayton?

Hillcrest-184 Street, at 184 Street and Fraser Highway, and Clayton, at a future 190 Street intersection. Willowbrook, at 196 Street in the Township of Langley, is the next stop east. The Province's project site has current details and timing.

Can I add a coach house or more homes on a Clayton lot?

Many lots can. Surrey's small-scale housing rules allow three or four units, depending on lot size, or six near frequent buses, with suites and coach houses counted. Lot size, servicing, any hazard or heritage status and permits decide what is practical, so check with the City first.

Is Cloverdale in a floodplain?

Parts of the lowlands around it are. The City's flood rules use the province's 200-year floodplain, and new development there generally has to meet the provincial flood construction level. Ask about a property's elevation and drainage, and check insurance before you remove subjects.

Will my children get into the catchment school?

Usually you start there, but a place isn't certain. The Surrey School District says it may close registration at some schools because of high enrolment, and those students are registered at a neighbouring school. Ask the school about space before you buy.

Comparing areas? See my Surrey area page and current Surrey listings, check prices on my market trends page, or read about Newton and Fleetwood in central Surrey.

This article is general information, not professional advice. The details come from the City of Surrey, the Province of BC, the Surrey School District, the Agricultural Land Commission, Kwantlen Polytechnic University and the Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair, and were current at the time of writing; plans, zoning and catchments change. For the City's neighbourhood plans in the area, see Cloverdale land use plans.