Surrey City Centre, Whalley and Guildford: A Guide to North Surrey

This guide is for buyers looking at North Surrey: City Centre, the downtown growing around Surrey Central and King George stations; Whalley, the older community around it; and Guildford, to the east. It covers how the City describes each area, the station-area rules, SkyTrain, buses and bridges, schools and parks, and what to check near the stations and the river. For the city as a whole, start with my guide to moving to Surrey.

The short version

City Centre: Surrey's downtown

The City describes City Centre as the region's emerging second downtown, becoming a walkable, transit-oriented core for business, culture and entertainment. Its plan area sits where three major transit corridors meet, from about 92 Avenue to 112 Avenue and from 130 Street to 140 Street.

• Civic and campus buildings. City Hall, Civic Plaza, SFU's Surrey campus and Surrey Memorial Hospital are all in City Centre. The four-floor City Centre Library, on University Drive, shares a parkade with City Hall and is a short distance from Surrey Central station.
• Holland Park. The City calls it the Central Park of City Centre. On Old Yale Road, it has sports fields, basketball courts, a playground, picnic areas and the Holland Gardens, with an amphitheatre and fountain, and it hosts large community events.
• Plans. Council approved the City Centre Plan in 2017. An update underway sets up a Central Business District for office and employment growth.

Whalley: the community around City Centre

The City calls Whalley one of Surrey's oldest neighbourhoods. It takes its name from Arthur Whalley, and the area was once known as Whalley's Corner. It fills the northwest corner of the city, with the Fraser River along its northern and western edges.

• Recreation. On 126A Street, the North Surrey Sport and Ice Complex has three sheets of ice and a weight room, and Bridgeview Community Centre has a gym and preschool programs.
• South Westminster. Along the river near Scott Road station, this largely industrial area is getting a new plan, which aims to bring transit-oriented development principles to the area around the station.
• Homes near the river. The City's South Westminster Heights plan guides residential infill in northwest Whalley, and Bridgeview, near King George Boulevard and the South Fraser Perimeter Road, mixes homes with industrial land.

Guildford: the town centre to the east

Guildford fills Surrey's northeast corner, with the Fraser River to the north, Whalley to the west and Langley to the east. The City describes mature neighbourhoods that grew up around the shopping centre at its heart, plus the newer Fraser Heights subdivision. Early settlement was in the Township of Port Kells, and the opening of the Port Mann Bridge in 1964 brought more development and people.

• The Guildford Plan. Approved by Council in 2023, it guides growth over the next 30 to 50 years in the town centre and the neighbouring Hawthorne and Headwaters districts, roughly between 100 Avenue and 108 Avenue.
• Recreation. Guildford Recreation Centre, on 105 Avenue, has an eight-lane, 50-metre pool, a leisure pool with a lazy river, three gyms and the Guildford branch of Surrey Libraries attached.

Towers, house lots and station areas

City Centre has attracted high-density residential, commercial, mixed-use and institutional development, and the plan's update describes mid-rise towers of generally up to 20 storeys and high-rise towers above that. Across North Surrey, two sets of rules shape what can be built:

• Station areas. Provincial Transit-Oriented Areas (TOAs) cover land within 800 metres of Scott Road, Gateway, Surrey Central and King George stations, and of Surrey Langley SkyTrain stations under construction, such as Green Timbers. Surrey must allow buildings of up to 20 storeys within 200 metres of a station, 12 storeys from 200 to 400 metres and 8 storeys from 400 to 800 metres, through its rezoning process.
• The Guildford bus exchange. Bus exchanges get a smaller TOA: up to 12 storeys within 200 metres and 8 storeys from 200 to 400 metres. In any TOA, Surrey can't require off-street residential parking, so confirm what a unit includes.
• House lots. On most lots zoned for a single house or duplex outside TOAs, Surrey's small-scale multi-unit housing rules allow up to three or four units, depending on lot size, or six near frequent buses; see my guide to more homes per lot.

For a condo or townhouse, read the strata documents first, and my guide to presale condos if the building isn't finished.

Getting around

• Expo Line. Scott Road, Gateway, Surrey Central and King George stations are on the Expo Line, which connects Surrey with New Westminster, Burnaby and downtown Vancouver. King George, on King George Boulevard at 100 Avenue, is the end of the line until the extension opens.
• Surrey Langley SkyTrain. The Province's project extends the Expo Line 16 km from King George, mostly along Fraser Highway, and the first new stop is Green Timbers, at 140 Street. My guides to Newton and Fleetwood and Cloverdale and Clayton cover the stations further east.
• RapidBus. The R1 runs from the Guildford bus exchange along 104 Avenue to Surrey Central and King George stations, then along King George Boulevard to Newton. The R6 runs from Scott Road station along Scott Road to Newton.
• Bridges. The stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge, the four-lane, toll-free bridge that replaced the Pattullo Bridge, connects King George Boulevard directly with New Westminster. From Guildford, Highway 1 crosses the Fraser to Coquitlam on the Port Mann Bridge.

Schools and parks

North Surrey is in the Surrey School District (SD36). Your catchment school is set by your address, so enter it in the district's School Locator. Registration is open online all year and starts at the catchment school, but the district may close registration at busy schools and place students at a neighbouring school.

Secondary schools in North Surrey include Kwantlen Park on 132 Street, L.A. Matheson on 122 Street, Guildford Park on 146 Street, Johnston Heights on 99 Avenue and Fraser Heights on 108 Avenue.

• Green Timbers Urban Forest. Off 100 Avenue, east of City Centre, with over 10 km of nature trails, a lake kept for wildlife and fishing, and the Surrey Nature Centre. The City says the site was dubbed the birthplace of reforestation; it has been a park since 1974.
• Tynehead Regional Park. Owned and run by Metro Vancouver, on 96 Avenue at the headwaters of the Serpentine River. The perimeter trail is open to walkers and cyclists, dogs have a leash-optional area, and a volunteer-run hatchery raises coho, chum and chinook salmon.

What to check before you buy

• Plans near the home. Check the City Centre Plan or the Guildford Plan for the blocks around a property, along with any development applications nearby. The City is also preparing land use plans along Fraser Highway for SkyTrain and warns of construction delays on the corridor.
• Busy corridors. King George Boulevard and 104 Avenue carry the R1 RapidBus. If a home faces either, visit at rush hour and in the evening to judge traffic and noise.
• Near the river. The City describes South Westminster as a very low flood bench of the Fraser, protected by dikes, flood walls and pump stations, and it marks areas at risk on its Fraser River flood plain map. Ask the City about a property's floodplain status and read my guide to floodplains and flood insurance.

Questions buyers often ask me

Is City Centre the same as Whalley?

Not quite. The City treats Whalley as the larger community in Surrey's northwest corner and City Centre as the downtown within it, around Surrey Central and King George stations. Search both names when you set up listing alerts, and check an address against the City's maps.

Which SkyTrain stations serve North Surrey?

Scott Road, Gateway, Surrey Central and King George, all on the Expo Line. The Surrey Langley extension under construction adds Green Timbers, at 140 Street and Fraser Highway, as the next stop east of King George, and continues to Langley City.

Does the City Centre Plan rezone my property?

No. The City says the plan designates the future potential for land but doesn't rezone property or change what your current zoning allows. Building more still goes through the City's rezoning process, and near stations the Province sets the heights and densities the City must allow.

How do buses connect Guildford with SkyTrain?

The R1 RapidBus runs from the Guildford bus exchange along 104 Avenue to Surrey Central and King George stations. Other routes, such as the 320, also link Guildford with Surrey Central, so check TransLink's schedules for the stops closest to a home.

Is any of North Surrey in a floodplain?

Parts near the Fraser are. The City describes South Westminster as a very low flood bench of the river and maps the areas at risk. For a specific home, ask the City about floodplain status and elevation, and check flood coverage with your insurer before you remove subjects.

Comparing areas? See my Surrey area page and current Surrey listings, or check prices on my market trends page.

This article is general information, not professional advice. The details come from the City of Surrey, the Province of BC, TransLink, Metro Vancouver, the Surrey School District, Surrey Libraries and Simon Fraser University, and were current at the time of writing; plans, zoning, bus routes and catchments change. For the City's plan for its downtown, see the Surrey City Centre Plan.