This interesting story was in the Sun today, detailing the way Surrey’s efforts to develop an entrepreneurial arm is generating backlash from industrial people there, saying it forces them to compete against the city and gives city developments an advantage.
The city says not, that it’s just trying to do a little extra to turn Surrey into a hub for new tech businesses. Which could eventually benefit others.
But, as we’re seeing in Vancouver these days, it’s tough when the city plays developer. Vancouver did it for years, very successfully, thanks to a rising real-estate market. The Woodward’s project, a complicated affair that combined market condos with social housing, city offices, university space and more, was the shining example. But the recession has played havoc with many developers, Vancouver included.
For now, Surrey is focused on buying and preparing industrial land in order to foster business growth. But that development arm is also supposed to be playing developer in Surrey’s central city in order to remake it into an urban core. If things go well, it will be written up in the textbooks. If it doesn’t — well, look at the situation Vancouver is facing.