Newton community centre’s site and size fuel election-campaign debate

A ceremonial groundbreaking in Newton on Tuesday, Sept. 15, brought renewed election-campaign debate over the location of Surrey’s proposed $311-million community centre. The facility could be built by 2030 south of Newton Arena, off 136B Street, and is among the largest capital investments in Surrey’s history.

Mayor Brenda Locke, who is seeking re-election, said the planned 175,000-square-foot centre would include two pools, two gyms, a fitness area, library, child care and other amenities. She said it would complement nearby recreation facilities, including the arena and wave pool. Locke said the building footprint is a little more than twice that of the facility planned by the previous administration and its cost is about three times higher.

The original site was west of the current location, at the former Rona store on King George Boulevard at 70A Avenue. The previous city council, led by then-mayor Doug McCallum, held a groundbreaking there in September 2022 during a civic election campaign. Surrey City Development Corporation, the city’s for-profit real estate development company, directed the site change in 2024.

The current site had long housed the PLOT community garden and several homes, which have now been demolished. The garden will move to land outside the seniors centre. Locke attended the event with councillors Rob Stutt, Harry Bains, Pardeep Kooner and Doug Elford.

McCallum, the Safe Surrey Coalition’s mayoral candidate, said Locke cancelled a shovel-ready project, delayed Newton’s centre by five years and discarded money already spent by taxpayers, including $4.4 million paid to architects for its design. He said the King George Boulevard facility had been set to open in early 2025 and promised to build Newton the city’s largest community centre and swimming pool at whichever site could deliver the largest facilities fastest.

Elford, seeking re-election to council with the Safe Surrey Coalition, said residents he knows want the project to proceed without another year’s delay. He suggested the former Rona site could be used for what he called deeply affordable housing. Elford said SCDC is reviewing possibilities throughout the Newton core, but potential changes to council and priorities after the election make firm decisions challenging.