BURST
Since moving to Surrey’s Grandview Heights a few years ago, Tiffany Bullinger has watched as trees flourish in a lot across the street. But she fears it could all soon be gone.
“I look out my bedroom window daily and think to myself how unbelievably upsetting it is that all of these beautiful trees will be gone once they begin construction,” she said. “It truly breaks my heart.”
Bullinger lives across from the site of a new 165,000 sq. ft. Costco warehouse proposed for a South Surrey development on 164th Street that would also include a gas station and a 989-space parking lot. Surrey council has given the proposal its first and second readings, with a public hearing scheduled for Monday night.
Bullinger is among 800 people who signed an online petition opposing the land-use application submitted by Costco Wholesale Canada, citing traffic congestion and environmental concerns.
“With only one road in and out of the area and limited entry points to the proposed parking lot, there is a high risk of severe congestion and potential safety hazards, especially during peak hours,” the petition states.
The petition also states the proposed site is in an ecologically sensitive area and the development could be detrimental to local wildlife and the Fergus Creek Watershed, which is located a few blocks south near 14th Avenue.
The U.S. company’s application seeks to rezone the lots from residential to commercial to allow the development on a portion of the site. It also proposes subdividing two large lots into four, with one lot designated as a city-owned protected riparian area and another to remain as residential for potential future development.
Costco’s proposal would mean cutting down 1,107 trees, though 572 trees are planned to be kept or replaced with an estimated contribution of $517,000 to the green city program. Costco also seeks permission to build closer to a nearby waterway than typically permitted, but the company says it will add a green buffer along the east and south sides of the property.
For Bullinger, a mother of four, the proposed store threatens the quiet, family-friendly neighbourhood her children have grown up in.
“We have been so incredibly lucky to have our children be able to safely play along the sidewalk in front of our house … this will no longer be safe to do so, once the Costco is built.”
To handle the expected increase in traffic, plans call for widening 164 Street along the east side of the store and 18 Avenue along the south. A new roundabout is planned at 164 Street and 19th Avenue, with traffic signals added at 164 Street and 20 Avenue, and at 168 Street and 20 Avenue.
While Bullinger is not opposed to a Costco warehouse, she says the vacant lot is the wrong location.
“The area is designated for light industry, not large big-box stores and gas stations,” she said.
Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke has lauded the benefits.
“It’s encouraging to see major employers like Costco continuing to invest in Surrey,” Locke said in a news release.
“This proposal before council represents a potential second Costco location in one of our fastest-growing areas of South Surrey. While the application will go through the full land-use process, it’s exciting to see this level of confidence and interest in our community.”
– With files from Cheryl Chan