Semiahmoo Mall Redevelopment: What the Three Towers Mean for South Surrey and White Rock Homeowners in 2026

The Semiahmoo Shopping Centre has anchored the corner of 16th Avenue and 152 Street since 1980. Generations of South Surrey and White Rock families have shopped at Save-On-Foods, grabbed coffee, and watched the surrounding community grow up around it. Now the mall is at the centre of one of the most significant redevelopment projects the Semiahmoo peninsula has ever seen.

Three towers are coming. Two at twenty storeys. One at twelve. Five hundred and fifty four new homes. Forty five thousand square feet of new commercial space. A new public park. And a long term master plan that will eventually transform the entire twenty acre site into the dense, mixed use core of a brand new urban town centre.

If you own a home in South Surrey or White Rock, this redevelopment will affect your community, your traffic patterns, your property values, and your daily life. Here is everything you need to know about what is being built, where the project currently stands, what the public has had to say, and what it all means for buyers and sellers in the area.

The Big Picture

The Semiahmoo Shopping Centre sits on roughly twenty acres at 1701 152 Street, on the corner of 16th Avenue and 152 Street. The mall itself is owned by First Capital Realty, a publicly traded Canadian real estate investment trust that operates retail centres across the country. They acquired the property in 2010 from Bosa Properties.

The mall currently contains about 250,000 square feet of retail space anchored by Save-On-Foods, Winners, Shoppers Drug Mart, Dollarama, and Fitness World. According to BC Assessment, the three legal parcels that make up the mall are collectively valued at approximately $135.5 million.

First Capital has now begun the long process of redeveloping the property in phases. Phase 1, which is what most local residents are hearing about, will replace the northern corner of the property where the Chevron gas station, Dollar Tree, and Subway currently stand. Future phases will eventually carve up the remaining mall site into seven separate parcels for additional high rise and mid rise mixed use buildings, all part of a multi decade vision to transform the site into the urban core of Semiahmoo Town Centre.

What Is Being Built in Phase 1

The first phase of the redevelopment is significant on its own. Three new buildings will rise on the 2.8 acre northern portion of the site.

Tower 1 (12 storeys)

Located on the current Chevron gas station site along Martin Drive. The building will contain 168 residential units and approximately 8,622 square feet of ground floor commercial space.

Tower 2 (20 storeys)

Located on the current Dollar Tree site. The building will contain 206 residential units along with approximately 24,359 square feet of commercial space and a 10,000 square foot community art studio space that will be owned by the City of Surrey.

Tower 3 (20 storeys)

Located on the current Subway site. The building will contain 180 residential units and approximately 12,099 square feet of commercial space.

Across all three buildings, there will be 554 new homes consisting of 94 studio units, 270 one bedroom units, 130 two bedroom units, and 59 three bedroom units. The underground parkade will include 1,001 vehicle parking stalls. The total floor area of Phase 1 alone will reach approximately 498,000 square feet.

The architectural design firm leading the project is Formosis Architecture, and the planning and engineering consultant is Aplin and Martin Consultants Ltd.

The Semiahmoo Town Centre Plan

To understand the three towers, you have to understand the broader plan they sit within.

On January 31, 2022, Surrey City Council approved the Semiahmoo Town Centre Plan after five years of consultation and study. The plan envisions the area around the mall as a future high density mixed use urban core for all of South Surrey. It sets building height limits of up to 28 storeys on the Semiahmoo Shopping Centre and Save-On-Foods properties, with a corridor of six storey mixed use buildings along 152 Street from 18 Avenue to 23 Avenue. Height limits gradually decrease moving east and west of that corridor.

The plan also calls for four new neighbourhood parks, an extension of the Semiahmoo Trail Greenway, new cultural amenities including dedicated performing arts and studio spaces, and housing policies aimed at supporting a range of family oriented housing forms.

The three towers currently moving forward are the first major development application advancing under the new plan.

Where the Application Stands

The redevelopment application has been working its way through the City of Surrey approval process for several years.

The original application was filed under reference number 19-0285 back in 2019. After community feedback and design refinement, a resubmission was made in June 2023. The Advisory Design Panel reviewed the proposal on January 11, 2024 and supported it.

Council granted Third Reading for the rezoning bylaw on July 8, 2024. In British Columbia municipal planning, a zoning bylaw must pass through First Reading, Second Reading, a Public Hearing, Third Reading, and Final Adoption before construction can begin. Third Reading is a major milestone that signals the application is largely approved subject to outstanding conditions being met.

The application for Tower 1 is moving under file 7919-0285-00. Towers 2 and 3 are advancing under a related application, file 7925-0373-00. Final adoption is the next major milestone for the project.

What the Public Has Said

Public response to the redevelopment has been mixed and at times openly critical.

The City of Surrey sent pre-notification letters to residents in January 2021, March 2022, and September 2023. According to the City's planning report, staff received a significant amount of feedback from residents, with the majority expressing concern rather than support. The main issues raised by the public have included the proposed building heights, potential shadowing effects on neighbouring properties, traffic impacts, and the strain on local amenities.

The Semiahmoo Residents Association has been vocal throughout the process. Vice president Rosemary Zelinka publicly expressed disappointment when the Town Centre Plan was originally approved, noting that the association had hoped for a formal public hearing before the larger plan was adopted. The association indicated it would continue to have a presence at public hearings for individual development applications as they come forward.

Surrey Councillor Brenda Locke acknowledged the public concern at the time of the Town Centre Plan approval, noting she had not heard a lot of positive feedback from the neighbourhood and that the primary concerns raised to her were about traffic and amenities in the area.

That said, the application has continued to move forward through proper municipal channels. The Advisory Design Panel supported it. Council granted Third Reading. The project remains on track for final adoption and eventual construction.

What This Means for South Surrey and White Rock Homeowners

Whether you see the three towers as an exciting opportunity or as a significant change to your neighbourhood character, there are real implications for property owners across the Semiahmoo peninsula.

Impact on Property Values

Major mixed use developments in established neighbourhoods typically create upward pressure on surrounding property values over time. New residents bring new spending, new businesses, and increased demand for housing nearby. Areas that gain new transit, walkable amenities, and high quality density tend to see meaningful price appreciation in the surrounding single family and townhouse stock.

That said, the timing matters. During construction, properties closest to the site often experience short term value disruption from noise, traffic, and construction activity. Properties further from the site tend to benefit sooner.

Impact on Traffic and Daily Life

Adding 554 new homes to a single site will generate meaningful new traffic volume on 152 Street, 18 Avenue, Martin Drive, and 16th Avenue. The City has planned for transit improvements and a TransLink bus layover facility on the site, but daily commute patterns for existing residents will absolutely change.

Buyers considering homes in the immediate area need to think about this carefully. Sellers near the site should be prepared to answer questions about it from informed buyers.

Impact on Rentals and Investment Properties

The introduction of 554 new rental ready units in close proximity to existing rental stock will affect rental dynamics in White Rock and South Surrey. Older rental buildings in the area may face increased competition. Investment property owners should consider how the additional supply will impact their rent levels and vacancy rates once the buildings come online.

Impact on Sellers Listing Right Now

If you are selling a home within walking distance of Semiahmoo Mall, buyers will absolutely ask about the redevelopment. Some will see it as a positive. Others will see it as a concern. Either way, your real estate advisor needs to be able to speak intelligently and accurately about the project, the timeline, the planned amenities, and what is realistic to expect over the next five, ten, and twenty years.

A vague or uninformed answer at a showing can cost you a sale. An informed, confident answer can turn a hesitant buyer into a serious one.

The Northstar Take

This redevelopment represents one of the biggest single shifts the Semiahmoo peninsula has seen in decades. It will change daily life in South Surrey and White Rock. It will create new opportunities for buyers, new considerations for sellers, and new investment potential for those who can read the long game.

At Northstar Realty Group, we are watching this project closely. We track every reading, every public hearing, every design change, and every planning report so our clients can make informed decisions in real time. Whether you are buying near the site, selling nearby, or considering an investment property that will benefit from the long term town centre vision, we will help you understand exactly what you are looking at and what the realistic outcomes are.

Real estate decisions in 2026 in the Semiahmoo area cannot be made without understanding this project. We make sure our clients never have to make those decisions blind.