Blog article from https://arocha.ca/

Land Use Changes: Opportunity & Threat

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Help Us Protect Vulnerable Habitat from Industrial Truck Parking

The City of Surrey is proposing the development of their largest-ever industrial truck parking complex directly beside the A Rocha’s Environmental Centre and Farm. Under the Temporary Use Permit, the proposal bypasses public hearings and key environmental safeguards, threatening the Tatalu Watershed and risks undoing over a decade of ecosystem restoration and stewardship.

Here’s how you can support A Rocha BC and voice your concern:

Sign our Petition and Write a Letter

DEADLINE: Monday, June 23 at 12pm PDT

Attend the City Council meeting on June 23

A Rocha Canada invites friends and partners to attend the Surrey City Council meeting on June 23, 2025, at 7 PM at Surrey City Hall (13450 — 104 Avenue). While there is no Public Hearing and no opportunity to speak, our goal is to show concern for the proposed truck parking development through a visible and respectful presence at the meeting.

We’ll be wearing blue “I Love My Watershed” t-shirts and invite you to wear similar colours. Signs supporting protection of the Tatalu (Little Campbell River) watershed are welcome. We ask all attendees to adopt a posture of peace—no antagonistic or disrespectful behaviour and messaging. Let’s make our shared concern visible with hope and care. Sign up here to let us know you’re coming and get updates.

Guidelines for Writing your Letters

The amount of letters and emails matters, so please share with colleagues, concerned partners and neighbours, students and your communities. Many thanks to all who have signed the petition and sent letters thus far.

Please reference the following in your subject line:

LOCATION: 19230 – 20 AVENUE – PROJECT NO: 7925-0126-00

And send your letter to the following email addresses:

To: clerks@surrey.ca

Cc: rob.stutt@surrey.ca

pardeep.kooner@surrey.ca

mike.bose@surrey.ca

mandeep.nagra@surrey.ca

linda.annis@surrey.ca

harry.bains@surrey.ca

ghepner@surrey.ca

doug.elford@surrey.ca

mayor@surrey.ca

JBrar@surrey.ca

rgill@surrey.ca

Harpreet.Sondh@surrey.ca

Bcc: british.columbia@arocha.ca

Here are some reflections to inform writing, but make the letters your own – cut and paste form letters are not as effective. Please share why you value A Rocha’s presence in Surrey and the Lower Mainland. A Rocha doesn’t have many neighbours, so we’re looking to the thousands of visitors, classrooms, conservation partners, churches, colleges, farms, seniors, and community groups we engage each year to let the City know how valued and unique A Rocha is in this region. Please also share this with friends and networks who care!

Incompatibility of Land Uses: Large scale industrial truck activity with associated air pollution, noise, oil and gas contamination will negatively impact A Rocha’s groundwater (well water), educational experiences for thousands of children, seniors and newcomers, public events, conservation restoration activities, and organic farming. TUP’s at this scale should not be considered until industrial infrastructure (roads, stormwater, etc.) can ensure human and environmental safety. The TUP is not compatible with the Local Area Plan environmental priorities. The plan proposed does not ensure safe water supply or acoustic barriers.
Request a Different Truck Parking Location: Please consider moving Truck Parking to City-owned Stokes Pit to the north, as a viable alternate site. This would place truck parking on lands already impacted by industrial use, with no residential neighbours nor negative impact to A Rocha’s charitable operations. Why jeopardize a valued community asset and charity, and ecological health when viable alternatives exist?
Reduce Pollution Impacts of Truck Parking: The proposed truck parking will lead to a contaminated aquifer and hence, polluted river. A ground barrier and water separation to contain contaminants and runoff plan are needed. Industry at this scale should conform to Integrated Stormwater Management Plan (ISMP) infrastructure recommendations for the South Campbell Heights area.
Long Term Visioning: A plan for employment, conservation, alignment with Surrey’s goals, and enhancement of A Rocha’s mission are all possible, if the City will work with A Rocha toward a shared development plan. The City of Surrey purchased lands surrounding A Rocha from the former landowner with a clear, mutual understanding to engage A Rocha in future development planning, recognizing the land’s heritage and conservation values. This proposal threatens to undermine years of advocacy and work by A Rocha Canada and partners on ecosystem stewardship and restoration for South Campbell Heights, the watershed, and Semiahmoo Bay.
Economic Impact to A Rocha: The proposed TUP’s noise impact and contamination potential will negatively impact the economic viability of A Rocha’s charitable operations, and the experience of thousands of visitors each year.

Further background

As some of you are aware, land use planning for the 600 acres surrounding A Rocha Canada’s Brooksdale Environmental Centre has been ongoing in the city of Surrey since 2012. In February of 2022 the Metro Vancouver Board voted (narrowly) to approve Surrey’s plan to change the designation of this ecologically significant area from Rural Agricultural to Mixed Employment, literally paving the way for industrial uses. After 13 years of planning and advocacy by A Rocha for the plan to strengthen habitat, aquifer, river and species at risk protection; two months ago, we became aware that the City of Surrey plans to install its largest ever industrial truck parking complex (225+ trucks) immediately adjacent to the A Rocha BC Centre, beginning in summer 2025 under a Temporary Use Permit (TUP or 3-6 years) process which bypasses most environmental controls and contamination mitigation. Dozens of trees (150 year old firs) have been felled already. This type of use (industrial scale on permeable gravel) and footprint (12 acres) is contrary to recommendations of the Integrated Stormwater Management Plan (ISMP) for the area. The report highlights the sensitive, shallow and complex groundwater aquifer, how influential the aquifer is to the health of Little Campbell River/Tatalu, and recommends technology to capture and treat all contamination from industrial uses.

A Rocha BC Directors, David and Shauna Anderson, are working hard to engage Surrey councillors, who have not been receptive to meetings to date. They are engaging senior city staff to advocate for a more suitable location with less environmental impact. City owned Stokes Pit to the north is one such site. This would also alleviate the following impacts to the A Rocha Centre: noise, air, light and groundwater pollution. Official letters of concern or advocacy can be submitted once the TUP application opens, which has not occurred yet. But if you’re a Surrey resident and/or represent an organization that has concerns, we invite you to respectfully advocate for a more positive outcome for all involved (A Rocha, Surrey and the truck parking lobby). The former landowner of the Brooksdale Estate sold 20 acres to the city of Surrey (to facilitate the gift of the remaining property to A Rocha in 2016) with clear, mutual understanding that the city would engage A Rocha in future development planning, and develop in ways that recognized the heritage and conservation values of the property. No one wants a contaminated aquifer, a polluted river, or a long standing community charity compromised in our work of organic farming, ecological restoration and education programs with children and vulnerable populations.

There is a way forward for land use planning around the A Rocha Centre that provides employment, stewards conservation values, enhances A Rocha’s mission, and contributes positively to the city’s goals and vision, but the current plan threatens most or all of these outcomes.

If you want to be added to a list of A Rocha partners and community supporters who will receive regular updates on this issue, please add your name to the link here.

And please pray for us as we engage the city – for wisdom to prevail, for good outcomes for all concerned, and for opportunities for growth and faithfulness even within the challenges before us.

Christy Lew de Albizurez2025-06-13T14:33:35-07:00June 12th, 2025|