FAQs

When a particular area or corridor within the city limits is identified as a location for additional study, City Council directs Planning staff to initiate a Corridor Study to clarify, provide further detail, or provide a more in-depth analysis of the implications of proposed policy changes to an area.

An Official Community Plan (OCP) includes goals, objectives and policies that guide planning and land use management. The City is undertaking an update to the OCP to evaluate existing housing and associated policies to ensure there is sufficient housing capacity to accommodate the long-term housing needs identified in the Interim Housing Needs Report (2024) to fulfill new provincial requirements introduced in 2023. In comparison, the scope of the North Bluff Road Corridor Study (the Corridor Study) is much more focused and will explore land uses within the North Bluff Road Corridor Study Area. 

There will be multiple opportunities to get involved throughout the planning process to learn more and share your thoughts. A Community Survey will be launched on February 18, 2025, and a Community Open House will be held on April 3, 2025. Anyone with an interest in the North Bluff Road Corridor is encouraged to participate in both opportunities. We want to hear what you value most about this area, what your priorities are and what opportunities you think could emerge through more intensive land uses (i.e., greater building heights and densities). The feedback provided through this first round of engagement will be used to inform two-to-three land use scenarios that will be presented to the community for input at a second Community Open House on May 27, 2025.

Community engagement will be an important and valued part of this planning process. Input received from all audiences will better enable Mayor and Council to make informed land use decisions across the Study Area. Input received through community engagement introduces ideas and perspectives that may not be explored through technical planning work alone. Input provided by the community will be considered alongside provincial legislation, regional planning policy, municipal strategic goals and objectives, land economic analyses and technical planning work. The results of the Corridor Study will ensure that the recommended land uses are economically viable and community priorities are respected, within the scope of the provincial legislative requirements. 

All community feedback on building heights and densities within the Study Area was reviewed when the project was launched in January 2025. More community feedback is required because a lot has changed since 2021. These changes include new provincial housing legislation to get more homes built faster, TransLink prioritizing the King George Boulevard Corridor from South Surrey to White Rock for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), and Surrey City Council approving the Semiahmoo Town Centre Plan. Current community feedback will inform the Corridor Study but it will be important to reflect on feedback provided over the years to confirm how community values and priorities have evolved and/or remained the same in some cases.

It is too early to say what building heights and densities will be recommended through the Corridor Study. There are many factors that will be considered throughout the planning process. It is a Strategic Priority of Council to assess the long-term land use and density along North Bluff Road in consultation with Surrey’s Semiahmoo Plan. The community will have an opportunity to comment on the Semiahmoo Town Centre Plan at the Community Open Houses. The Semiahmoo Town Centre Plan is relevant and will generate good discussion throughout the engagement process.

While housing is an important focus of the Corridor Study residential land uses are not the only land uses that will be reassessed. The Corridor Study will reassess all land uses and explore what mix and intensity of land uses will best ensure White Rock remains regionally competitive and attractive to employers and investors while respecting community values and priorities.

This study will not redesignate any land but is anticipated to be used to inform the future potential for lands within the Study Area. Based on the study result findings, Council may consider formal adoption of proposed recommendations within the Corridor Study into the Official Community Plan, which will include a public hearing process.

Additionally, the Corridor Study does not rezone a property, and development applications would still be required before anything beyond what is currently permitted could be built. Any planning application for redevelopment would require public consultation (as legislated) and Council approval.

You can find more information about the Corridor Study by attending one of the two (2) Community Houses we have planned for this winter/spring. 

The first Community Open House will be on April 3, 2025, from 4 – 8 p.m. at the White Rock Community Centre (15154 Russell Avenue, White Rock, BC V4B 0A6). 

We also encourage you to post any questions you may have to the project webpage using the question tool or email us at NBRCorridorStudy@whiterockcity.ca. All questions will be answered and added to this FAQ.