The Surrey First council has confused the proliferation of town centres with smart growth.

The current council has learned the sustainability buzzword all right, but really, creating more and more town centres is no more sustainable than any other type of urban sprawl.

Some would argue that the high-density residential towers popping up in City Centre indicates this council is all about sustainable development, and is anti-sprawl.

It’s true that council is developing high-density residential in City Centre where it is highly profitable. But what is perhaps more telling is where else they are continuing to develop.

Most notably, the city is pushing forward with neighbourhood concept plans (also known as NCPs) in the Anniedale-Tynehead neighbourhood of South Port Kells, as well as an area of Grandview Heights better known as “Grandview #4”.

An NCP is essentially a master plan for a neighbourhood, dictating where roads, parks, and schools will go, how buildings will be designed, and which services will need to provided—and how they will be paid for.

In both Grandview and Tynehead, local residents and neighbourhood activists are concerned about what the pressure that adding many more residents to what are largely suburban and rural areas will do to the neighbourhood’s green space and farmland.

Tynehead is anticipated to grow to 14,000-22,000 residents at full build-out, whereas Grandview #4 may place up to 9,000 people on what has been identified as highly environmentally-sensitive land in the city’s Ecological Management Strategy.

Developing these areas do not make much financial sense for the city, either. In Tynehead, the existing water infrastructure is insufficient to support any new growth, and there are no existing sanitary sewers in the NCP area. Adding a system of trunk sewer mains and pump stations is estimated to cost around $33 million, $22 million more than what the city is likely to raise through development cost charges.

On top of that, three new elementary schools will be required in the Tynehead NCP area once it is built out. Anyone who follows Surrey politics knows we are already at least eight schools short city-wide and not getting money for new school construction from the provincial government anytime soon. Is it responsible to proceed with development that we are certain will exacerbate Surrey’s portables crisis?

The proposed NCPs in Grandview and Tynehead stand in stark contrast to two smart growth principles for sustainable development: encourage growth in existing communities, and preserve environmentally sensitive areas.

Any proponent of smart growth will tell you that new development should happen within existing town centres.

Surrey council’s strategy has simply been to re-designate every new subdivision a new “town centre”.

Surrey has historically had six town centres: Guildford, Fleetwood, Newton, Cloverdale, South Surrey, and Whalley (also referred to as City Centre).

Now there is talk of Tynehead becoming its own town centre. Of Grandview Heights becoming its own town centre. Even of Fraser Heights, a neighbourhood north of Highway 1, becoming a town centre distinct from Guildford (supposedly to justify further development in that area).

It doesn’t work that way.

Surrey council may be clever in that they have figured out how to use the language of smart growth to brand themselves as a sustainable administration.

But if council were serious about mitigating suburban sprawl, about reducing the pressure to develop our farmland and ALR land, about preserving our second-growth trees and wildlife habitat, and about saving on huge investments in infrastructure like sewer and water services for new greenfield neighbourhoods that are far-flung and distant from existing city services, they would not be proceeding with the NCPs in Tynehead and Grandview.

Instead, they would be focused on the plentiful development and redevelopment opportunities in Surrey’s six (existing) town centres.

Stephanie Ryan is a candidate for city council with the Surrey Civic Coalition.