Terms of Reference for Surrey City Centre

Plan
Transportation Servicing Study

1.0 Introduction

The City of Surrey wishes to engage the services of a suitably qualified professional engineering
consultant to undertake the preparation of a transportation network required for the future
buildout of the study area associated with the City Centre Plan update.

Background

The City of Surrey is undertaking a planning process to update the Surrey City Centre Plan. The
study area (see Attachment 1) is generally bounded by:

North – 112 Avenue

South – 96 Avenue
East – 140 Street
West – 132 Street

In response to a planned SkyTrain extension, the City completed the Surrey City Centre Plan in
1991. Although not a formal General Land Use Plan (GLUP) or Neighbourhood Concept Plan
(NCP) document, this plan has formed the basis of much the planning that has gone on in the
City Centre since that time. Subsequently, more detailed planning work has identified road,
lighting and landscaping standards to be implemented in the City Centre. In cooperation with
TransLink and Transport Canada, a Transportation Showcase Program project in the City Centre
recently focused on creating a “Transit Village” at the Surrey Central SkyTrain Station to
encourage Transit Oriented Development, particularly commercial, residential and institutional
development. The Plan proposes an increased density of 6.0 FAR for mixed use development
over a 13.5 hectare (33.5 acre) area focused within a few blocks of the Surrey Central Skytrain
Station. Currently, the City is undertaking a major review of the City Centre Plan, which will
build on this Showcase project. This Transportation Servicing Study is a component of this City
Centre Review process. The City Centre is an area of interest for local and international
developers, although at this time the interest is primarily high density residential surrounding the
core commercial and institutional area. These interests include the construction of the 23 storey
Central City Tower accommodating over 94,000 square metres of office space and the Surrey
Simon Fraser University (SFU) Campus. SFU currently has a student population of about 2,000
and anticipates an expansion to 5,000 by 2010. The infinity project consisting of a 3 tower
(1,300 unit) residential development with over 7,500 square metres of at grade commercial use,
is currently under construction at a site adjacent to King George Station. There are many
development applications under review within the City Centre, which would yield about another
3000 residential units. Surrey City Centre is forecast to have a population of 56,185 and 46,145
jobs by 2021.
The significant high-density residential development is already starting to create a demand for
transportation infrastructure and, as applications continue, the City wishes to promote Transit
Oriented Development surrounding all three SkyTrain stations within the City Centre. There is
a concern, however, that the City roads in the area may become increasingly congested as
development occurs. There are some opportunities to address potential congestion through
completion of the road network, but encouraging modes that are alternatives to cars will be
crucial to the success of the redevelopment of the City Centre area. Although the Showcase
project is intended to be transit oriented, with the growth of local transit services and the
introduction of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), it is of such scale that significant additional demands
will be introduced on the network from auto and transit traffic as well as pedestrians and cyclists
ultimately impacting on the operation, efficiency and safety of many intersections. Although in
the earlier life of the planned development the road network may accommodate the additional
trips, with the planned final build out, continued development of the City’s road network is likely
to be required. The Showcase project is not taking place in isolation and as described already,
there is continued strong interest in development throughout the City Centre. As part of the
Showcase Project, a proposed road network has been developed which should be incorporated
within the development of the transportation model and testing of the sufficiency of the network.
The proposed road network is appended.

Current land uses vary from low-density single-family dwellings to medium and high-density
lots but with an increasing trend towards consolidation and high-density residential
developments. There is a continued expectation of increasing densities given the nature of
development applications plus the Transit Village Plan, which adds approximately 3.9 million
sq.ft. of mixed residential, commercial and possibly educational land uses at final build out. The
current plan shows rings of increasingly dense residential development surrounding a
commercial and institutional core.

The City Centre is an important transit interchange now and will remain so with the Showcase
(Transit Village) Project which accommodates the creation of a bus couplet, routing of Bus
Rapid Transit (BRT) on King George Highway, City Parkway and 104 Avenue and SkyTrain
capacity increases.

The road network for trips to, from and within the study area is incomplete and is expected to
change with the Transit Village Project which proposes additional east-west routes between 102
Avenue and 104 Avenue and intersecting with KGH and West Whalley Ring Road.
Construction of the West Whalley Ring Road to KGH in the north is planned to be opened later
this year.

The Transportation study will be a very important component of the updated City Centre Plan,
assisting the City in assessing the impact of future development plus requirements for and timing
of additions to the road network, pedestrian, bicycle and transit infrastructure.

2.0 Objectives

The objective of this study is to provide a conceptual transportation network required for the
future build out of the study area resulting from the land use plan update and provide a
framework for dealing with the network impacts of individual development applications. To
achieve this, there are three elements to the study.

1. Trip Generation and Modal Split Review

2. Transportation Model
3. Transportation Servicing Plan
1. Trip Generation and Modal Split

a. For recent Transit Oriented Developments in the region and in City Centre, including
Gateway and Surrey Central, determine appropriate local trip generation rates for
office, retail and residential uses and the modal split of these trips.

2. Transportation Model

b. Develop a transportation model to be available as a working tool, to allow

measurement and assessment of the impact of development applications, detailed
enough to allow analysis of the local impact of discrete developments but also able to
demonstrate the changes on the network of broader, alternative City Centre
development scenarios including the Showcase Project. Therefore, the model would
employ industry standard software and be capable of being readily updated to test and
assess changes in the study area (including adjustments to the road network and the
scale and type of land use), reflecting future transit oriented development and being
capable of responding to future initiatives and policy changes including BRT on KGH
and 104 Avenue, parking management and parking supply changes, significant
changes in development scenarios and defining “trigger points” for implementation of
required elements of the road network and intersection modifications. The model
should allow for static and dynamic traffic assignment in order that alternative
intersection and roadway configurations may be tested with fixed traffic levels and
that future traffic volume distributions may be tested with alternative roads. The
model will also have a significant transit component that will enable the City to
advocate for local and regional transit improvements such as, but not limited to, rapid
bus on King George Highway and on 104 Avenue, bus exchange improvements and a
possible SkyTrain extension.

3. Transportation Servicing Plan (TSP)

Using the results of the model, a TSP for the land use plan will be developed and will consider
and provide recommendations on the following:

a. Review sufficiency of major arterial and collector street network, including any
required future dedications and traffic control and incorporating the proposed road
network associated with the Showcase Project.
b. Review of City Centre road standards, identifying opportunities for Road Diets and
Alternative Development Standards that would lead to a more comfortable pedestrian
environment while maintaining the identified roles of major arterial streets.
c. Connections with surrounding neighbourhoods outside of the City Centre for all
modes
d. Connectivity and accessibility within the City Centre Plan area for all modes
including the development of a pedestrian quality network within the study area
e. Integration with the Greenway system on City Parkway
f. Accommodating and facilitating transit provision now and in the future, including
expanded local services and BRT service
g. Pedestrian connectivity and access to, from and within the study area. Include an
assessment of severance associated with KGH and other major arterial roads and
provide recommendations on how this can be mitigated cognizant of the important
people and goods moving function of these routes.
 h. Opportunities for encouraging Transit Oriented Development surrounding the
SkyTrain stations
i. Provision of parking within the City Centre, both as a tool to encourage
redevelopment of the core and as an ultimate parking supply (see section 3.0 for more
information).

3.0 Parking

The future availability and management of both private and public parking is considered to be a
central and critical influence in the shaping of any future land use plan. A discrete parking
study will be undertaken as part of the TSP to assess the current provision and management of
parking in the city centre, and consider a future parking strategy in the context of increasing
density and transit oriented development. Recent, high level surveys appear to have identified an
over supply of parking based on current demand, but perceptions are different. For example, the
perception that there is a lack of parking may be a result of insufficient information on where
parking is located and how it is controlled. It is intended that this study be closely integrated
with other elements of the TSP. The parking study shall include:

a. Review and provide a commentary of current parking stock with details of

number of spaces, ownership (public vs. private/on-street vs. off-street),
management – (length of stay controls, designated or reserved parking for
particular activities or land uses, free and paid parking), etc.
b. Review and assessment of usage – (occupancy, length of stay, turnover) both
on street and off street, identifying high and low areas of demand to include a
map based representation of supply and demand.
c. Based on this review, recommended management strategies drawing on
examples and experience of other locations with good transit provision with
particular attention given to parking standards for different land uses and a
possible strategy of providing incremental and gradual adjustments to parking
provision in tandem with increasing densities and transit oriented
development.
d. Recommend other management strategies e.g., nature of on-street parking
controls, opportunities for pay parking, shared use parking off street, possible
role of a parking agency to manage public parking, and employment of
currently vacant land for “temporary” parking until higher density
development occurs. These management options should be accompanied with
a description of deliverability, financial and policy advantages and
disadvantages.
e. Review of City of Surrey Zoning By-law with recommendations for standards
for future development including the application of parking maximums and
minimums for different land uses at different stages of build out informed by
the outcomes of (c).
f. Assessment of impact of development and associated parking management
strategies on surrounding neighbourhoods.

The parking study shall deliver an interim report that provides a review of the current parking
stock with details of the number and distribution of spaces, plus level of management and control
and recommendations on possible shorter-term management options.

The consultant should maximize the use of figures, maps and tables when presenting the parking
study to assist with ease of interpretation.
4.0 Methodology

For the Transportation Model and Transportation Services Plan the consultant will:

1. Initially develop a technical working paper that describes the approach, modeling
considerations and analysis methodology and tools associated with the development of
the transportation demand model with expected level of effort required to develop the
model. The EMME/2 sub area network may provide relevant background information.
The City will provide traffic counts and any other relevant information that it has
collected. The consultant will be responsible for additional surveys identified as
necessary for the model.

2 With consideration to existing development and transportation infrastructure, and

through liaison with both the City’s Planning and Development Department and the
Transportation Planning Section, generate three transportation system alternatives (e.g.,
pedestrian/bicycle/transit oriented, highway oriented, balanced) for three land use
scenarios (e.g., high density nodes, medium density nodes and corridors, dispersed).
For the land use scenarios, the TSP alternatives will provide:

o Assessment of the impacts on the existing system for all modes (based on
professional judgment and the demand model).
o Conceptual line drawings of the road network.
o Options for neighbourhood circulation and connectivity.
o Transit/bicycle/pedestrian networks for each alternative.
o Identification of problem areas which may be addressed through a combination
of transportation network enhancement or land use adjustments

3 Assess the transportation alternatives:

o Establish evaluation criteria and methodology.

o Establish transportation network hierarchies and dedication requirements for all
alternatives.
o Assign trips generated by the preferred land use scenario to the road network.
o Recommend a prioritized program of improvements over 10 years for the
preferred land use scenario. Develop conceptual cost estimates for each
alternative.
o Recommend a preferred transportation plan and any changes necessary to the
Surrey City Centre Plan.
This step will involve the greatest amount of consultation with the steering
committee and input into public open house. Allow for providing presentation
materials for up to two open houses and between 4 and 5 meetings with City staff
and up to three meetings with the public at various Citizens’ Advisory Committee
(CAC) meetings.

4 Refine the preferred plan: Once the preferred transportation plan and land use plan have
been verified by the steering committee:

o Conceptual drawings for road network which reflect assigned trips generated by
the modified preferred land use plan to arterial and collector road network
o Enhancements to the transit network
 o Typical cross sections for different road standards including boulevard and
sidewalk treatments to be developed in conjunction with the Planning and
Urban Design Consultants
o Identify pedestrian generators and linkages
o Provide conceptual sidewalk/path plan
o Identify potential intersection, parking and traffic calming opportunities

Consultation and Liaison:

In addition to meeting with the Staff Steering Committee, the Consultants should be prepared
to be involved in to some degree:

o Two to three meetings with a staff Technical Advisory Committee

o Meetings with senior management
o Meetings with Community Advisory Committee

It is expected that two public open houses will be required to obtain public input on the Plan
development. The first Open House will be to present conceptual options and obtain early
input. The second Open House would be to present the preferred land use plan for comment.
The consultant will be required to attend these open houses and prepare appropriate graphical
presentations for display.

There will be a team approach in the preparation of the transportation plan with the engineering
consultants coordinating their work with the planning and urban design consultants and working
together with a Staff Steering Committee made of Planning and Engineering Department
representatives. There will be at least two City contacts, (one from Engineering and one from
Planning), available to the consultants throughout the process. Any dialogue/correspondence
directly with one contact must be relayed by the Consultant to the other.

The process will also include the involvement of a larger Staff Advisory Committee, Community
Advisory Committee and input from the City of Surrey senior management team.

It is anticipated that there will be a number of meetings required during the study development to
include a Project start up meeting, progress and review meetings and a meeting prior to final
report submission.

5.0 Deliverables

The study will provide the following deliverables:

o A working paper that describes the transportation requirements, opportunities

and constraints for the Surrey City Centre area.
o A transportation model that has been tested with a preferred land use plan.
o The Planning and Urban Design consultants will be required to provide
recommendations regarding the implementation of capital works and amenities,
with input from the Transportation Consultants, and produce a high level
financial plan for these.
o A working paper reviewing current parking and future strategies for parking as
described in Section 3.
 o Ten (10) copies of a draft report will be provided to the steering committee for
review and comment. 5 copies of the final report plus one pdf version must be
provided. The report shall document all aspects of the work, including any
operational analyses and forecasts. Any computer models developed by the
consultant for this project or refinements to an existing model will become the
property of the City upon completion of the project; electronic copies of the
model will be provided with the submission of the final report.
o The working paper should contain throughout summary tables, figures and plans
of key issues and considerations
o With respect to the parking element of the report, the parking study shall deliver
an interim report that provides a review of the current parking conditions
detailing the number and distribution of spaces, management and control and
initial recommendations on possible shorter term management and strategy
options.

6.0 Timing

Submission of Proposal – February 26th 2007

Appointment of Consultant – March 5th 2007
Development of Transportation Model – End of March 2007
Parking Interim Report – April 13th 2007
Preliminary transportation network for proposed land uses – May 2007
Submission of Draft Final Report – End of June 2007
Submission of Completed Final Report – End of July 2007

7.0 Project Management

The City will manage and co-ordinate the development of the Surrey City Centre Plan, and
accompanying Transportation Services Plan and transportation model with a technical steering
group consisting of Engineering and Planning staff. The City Engineering representative shall be
Philip Bellefontaine, of the Engineering Department under the supervision of the Transportation
Manager, Jaime Boan P.Eng. They shall co-ordinate the Transportation elements of the Plan on
behalf of the City and assist with liaison between the consultant and the Planning and
Development Department and any other consultants retained. His contact information is as
follows:

Philip Bellefontaine
City of Surrey Engineering Department
14245 56th Avenue
Surrey, BC
V3X 3A2
PBellefontaine@surrey.ca
(604) 591 4690
8.0 Proposal

As part of the submission, the Consultant should provide a statement of understanding of the
project and project requirements and the proposed methodology. The submission should also
have a detailed summary of the modeling procedures an approximate schedule including
deliverables and milestones, an explanation of fees and a description of the key staff involved in
the assignment with a summary of their skills, experience and billing rates. This will also apply
to any other consultants who may be involved in specific aspects of the assignment.

All submissions to the City under this proposal call shall be the property of the City. The City will make a decision
on the selection of a consultant through its sole discretion and shall reserve the right to cancel this proposal call
without selecting any consultant at any time.