Press Release: Surrey City Council has no response for Surrey families

Kwantlen Park Manor tenants speak at public hearing against redevelopment and displacement.

Surrey, BC – Kwantlen Park Manor tenants appealed to Surrey City Council urging them to halt the redevelopment proposal that could displace them. Council ignored concerns raised by Surrey families and granted third-reading approval of the project after last night’s public hearing.  The proposal for two 6-storey condo and market-rental towers would replace the 31-unit apartment building that is home to dozens of families. 

Seven of the affected tenants spoke on behalf of their families and their neighbors. They cited lack of affordable rental options to turn to and how displacement would affect their families, as well as residents with special needs and children attending nearby schools.  

“I have lived here for over two years. We haven’t been told anything about what is happening to us tenants. I have three young children and am the only one who works in my family. Two of my kids go to the nearby school. When I told my daughter we may need to move, she burst out crying. She doesn’t want to be the new kid in school again. Having to move will traumatize my kids and will affect all of us,” said Abdul Arabzad, a tenant at Kwantlen Park Manor.   

Council did not address concerns raised about the developer’s non-compliance with the city’s rental housing redevelopment policy. Nor did they answer questions about the city’s failure to properly inform tenants about the public hearing. 

“The owner hasn’t given us information about their plan or what that means for us. This proposal will create chaos for our family. We also have children in school who will be affected. How do we find a 2-bedroom to rent for what we pay now?  We don’t have the income to afford higher rent, so this creates misery for us. The building owner should give us options. Either offer us a place at the same rent or provide us with financial assistance to find a place to live. We need time to make decisions for our families,” said Suh Ngwa, another tenant at Kwantlen Park Manor. 

The building owner’s application raises serious red flags. The proposed plan for tenants does not comply with the city’s rental housing redevelopment policy. Neither the city nor the developer has properly informed tenants about development timelines or processes.     

Most of the current residents are families who stand to lose not only direly needed affordable rental housing for low-income residents, but many would have to uproot children attending nearby elementary and secondary schools. Some have children with special needs or are seniors who cannot afford to move. Many of them are immigrants; some are relative newcomers to Canada who experience language barriers. 

The disruption posed to families as currently proposed undermines the city’s mission to increase affordable housing for Surrey residents.  Among the top concerns are: 

The developer’s proposal for tenants ignores the tenant profile. 

  • The developer is proposing to replace Kwantlen Park Manor, a 31-unit apartment building, with two 6-storey towers with 138 strata condo and market-rate rental units.  However, the proposal includes only 10 below-market rental units to offer existing tenants. Under city policy, the developer should be providing tenants the right to return to 31 affordable rental units. 
  • Approximately 65% of apartments in Kwantlen Park Manor are 2-bedroom units that predominantly house families who have lived there for years.  Under the developer’s proposal, 9 out of the 10 below-market rental units would be 1-bedroom units.  The proposal does not accommodate the current family mix at Kwantlen Park Manor.
  • Tenants say they have low incomes and pay below market-rate rents at Kwantlen Park Manor.  The average market rent for a 2-bedroom in Surrey is $2,400, which tenants say they cannot afford. 
  • Tenants have not been provided with a copy of the developer’s occupancy summary, communications plan, or tenant relocation plan that the city requires developers to submit as part of their development application.  Without an opportunity to review these plans, tenants have no way of knowing whether the developer has provided accurate information to city staff. 

Failure of communication runs afoul of city policy.

  • Tenants are ill-informed about the building owner’s redevelopment plan.  They have not been informed about key dates in the development timeline or told what the tenant relocation plan is or how it may impact their families. Under the city’s rental housing and redevelopment policy, the developer is required to communicate clearly and regularly about their plans.
  • Tenants have not received notice from the City of Surrey about the public hearing as required by the Community Charter and city policy. Tenants were unaware of the upcoming public hearing at City Hall until UNITE HERE Local 40 informed them about the meeting.
  • Tenants report receiving only one letter from their property manager by email on November 29.  However, the letter failed to disclose any key dates, such as when the proposed application would be introduced to Council. Tenants were not alerted that the date of first and second reading was on December 2 or that the developer amended the plan by expanding the size of the project in a proposal submitted to Council on December 16. The city also failed to send notices about the amended proposal to stakeholders as typically required.

Kwantlen Park Manor is owned by an affiliate of Surrey-based RBI Group and their development arm, Jayen Properties. RBI Group is the applicant behind the rezoning and development permit proposal before Council.

 

Media Contact: Michelle Travis, [email protected], or 778-960-9785.

UNITE HERE Local 40 represents hospitality workers across the province, including many who live in Surrey. Local 40 also represents workers who are on strike at Radisson Blu Vancouver Airport, which is majority owned by an affiliate of RBI Group.