🚨 URGENT COMMUNITY ACTION REQUIRED 🚨
STOP THE FAST-TRACKING OF THE ROSEMARY HEIGHTS RETREAT LAND DEVELOPMENT
The Rosemary Heights Community Association (RHCA) has learned that Polygon is attempting to fast-track their rezoning application for the former Rosemary Heights Retreat Lands. They have not listened to our community's feedback given over many years, and are pushing to have this rushed through City Council without consideration of the long-term consequences.
This is a direct threat to our neighborhood. We must act now.
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO — IMMEDIATELY:
1. Voice Your Opposition
Complete the following Polygon survey: https://bit.ly/rosemaryheightssurvey
2. Contact Surrey Officials
We are calling on every resident to raise their voice and firmly oppose this reckless development. This is our community. We cannot sit back while developers push through plans that will overwhelm our existing infrastructure and destroy the natural character of Rosemary Heights.
Email addresses to copy and paste:
mayor@surrey.ca; doug.elford@surrey.ca; ghepner@surrey.ca; harry.bains@surrey.ca; linda.annis@surrey.ca; mandeep.nagra@surrey.ca; mike.bose@surrey.ca; pardeep.kooner@surrey.ca; rob.stutt@surrey.ca; planningdevelopment@surrey.ca; RGill@surrey.ca
Sample Email (Copy and Send – or make it your own):
Subject: I Strongly Oppose the Rezoning and Destructive Development of the Rosemary Heights Retreat Lands
To Mayor, Council, and other stakeholders,
As a deeply concerned resident of Rosemary Heights, I am writing to express my complete and unwavering opposition to the proposed rezoning and high-density development of 3660 and 3690 152 Street — the former Rosemary Heights Retreat Centre lands.
Let me be absolutely clear: this development must not proceed.
Polygon's plans to bulldoze one of the last remaining pockets of natural forest in our community to construct 200 townhomes and 175 condos is not only a gross violation of the Neighbourhood Concept Plan (NCP), but also a reckless and short-sighted move that will irreversibly damage the livability, sustainability, and ecological integrity of our area.
Here's why this development is unacceptable:
It violates the existing neighborhood concept plan
• The Rosemary Heights NCP, created through extensive public consultation, explicitly designates these lands for institutional or park use, not high-density housing. • This plan has guided responsible development in our area for over two decades and is the reason many of us chose to raise our families here. The Rosemary Heights NCP is widely regarded as an established, successful community plan--the neighbourhood does not need higher density. • Approving this rezoning would betray years of community planning and destroy public trust.
It threatens a rare, ecologically sensitive forest
• The proposed development will wipe out 95% of the upland forest and intrude upon critical, protected riparian zones along the Nicomekl River. • These lands are recognized in Surrey's Biodiversity Conservation Strategy as a "high-value" wildlife corridor, home to deer, eagles, owls, and other protected species. • Surrey has committed to environmental stewardship through initiatives like the Blue Dot Declaration — this project stands in direct contradiction to those values.
It will cripple our infrastructure
• Our roads were never designed to accommodate the massive traffic increases this development would create. Already, traffic congestion, speeding, and dangerous intersections are daily problems. • The access point off 152 Street — a known high-speed corridor — poses serious collision risks, especially during inclement weather and peak hours.
It will overwhelm our schools
• Rosemary Heights Elementary is already well over capacity, with multiple portables and zero room for growth. • Grandview Heights Secondary is also far over capacity, requiring portables, extended day-schedules, and enrollment restrictions. • Adding hundreds more students will degrade the quality of education and put our children's safety at risk, particularly with increased traffic near school zones.
It does nothing to solve the housing crisis
• These units will be priced far beyond the reach of those most in need. This is not affordable housing. It is speculative overdevelopment at the community's expense.
Let me emphasize: Polygon knew the zoning when they purchased this land. Now they are asking Council to ignore your own planning frameworks so that they can recoup their ill-advised investment, and to profit off the destruction of a cherished and irreplaceable natural asset.
In 2018, the Rosemary Heights Community Association (RHCA) compiled a comprehensive report highlighting our concerns regarding this property, which remains relevant today, if not more prominent. You can access the report here: Final Report to Council (PDF)
I urge you to reject this rezoning application in full. Our community deserves better. Surrey deserves better.
Do not allow a developer-driven agenda to override decades of thoughtful planning, public consultation, and ecological responsibility.
Sincerely, [Your Full Name]
Already sent an email?
Simply re-forward it to all the addresses listed above—every message counts.
• Prefer hard copy letters? That works too—send them now. • Strata councils: Please distribute this notice to every homeowner in your complex.
NOW is the time to stand together. We must show Polygon, and the City that Rosemary Heights will not be steamrolled by irresponsible development.
Our collective voice can and will make a difference.
In solidarity, Rosemary Heights Community Association (RHCA)
This is a critical moment for our community. Every voice matters. Please share this with your neighbors and encourage them to take action immediately.