The pain felt by Canada’s universities and colleges prompted by the reduction in international students isn’t stopping a group of organizations from building a massive student housing building in Surrey.

Lark Group, Western Community College (WCC) and ICT Group, broke ground last month on City Centre 5. It's a 23-storey, 182,000-square-foot student housing residence with 810 beds designed for post-secondary students. The building is expected to complete in Fall 2028.

Located next to Surrey Memorial Hospital and near King George SkyTrain Station, City Centre 5 is part of the broader Health and Technology District. It’s an 11-phase master-planned development by Lark Group and ICT Group that will eventually include nine City Centre buildings.

The building will be operated by UniLodge Canada, a global provider of purpose-built student housing.

District emerging as health and education hub 

Kirk Fisher, CEO with Lark Group, said WCC had previously purchased several floors at City Centre 3 and City Centre 4 for educational spaces. "Their college is booming," he said in an interview.

The Lark Group is a family-owned and operated development, construction and facility management company, based in Surrey. 

The District is designed to bring together healthcare, education, business and technology organizations into a single hub, Fisher said. "It's a cohesive community where you're not off on an island creating education and then looking for places for your students to do the work they need to do and the jobs they need to do."

UBC and SFU have also been active in the area. 

UBC currently operates several programs at the City Centre 1 building, including its Nurse Practitioner program and Master of Physical Therapy and Master of Occupational Therapy programs. In 2021, UBC also announced a $70-million acquisition of an adjacent property intended to support future academic development through a mix of residential and commercial uses.

Meanwhile, Simon Fraser University is expanding its Surrey campus near Surrey Central SkyTrain Station with plans for a dedicated medical school as part of a new mixed-use development.

Developers not worried about international student decline 

Fisher said this location in Surrey seems to defy the trend of a general downturn in post-secondary demand, following the federal government's reduction in foreign student volume. Other schools in the region, including Langara College, Kwantlen Polytechnic University and Vancouver Community College, have been forced to lay off faculty and reduce programming amid the drop in foreign students.

“This partnership reflects our long-term commitment to creating environments where students can truly thrive,” said Gurpal Dhaliwal, president of WCC. “Purpose-built student housing integrated into Surrey’s Health and Technology District strengthens the live-learn ecosystem we are building, one that supports academic success, student wellbeing and meaningful engagement with the community and industry.”

He told RENX that WCC has succeeded by focusing on programs that require regulatory certification, and they focus mostly on domestic enrollment. "We're pretty much focused on a lot of regulated programs where a third-party regulatory body comes in to evaluate your program to make sure your program meets that accreditation."

WCC has six campuses including three locations in Surrey, two in Abbotsford and one in Agassiz. 

Feedback from students in recent years has focused heavily on the challenges of finding safe, secure, affordable housing in the community, Dhaliwal said. 

He said WCC will be part owner of the building as well as a tenant. "I see WCC is taking one-third of the space right now, and (we have) the potential to take up to 50 per cent of space in the building.”

Building suited to students’ lifestyles 

City Centre 5 will include a range of studio, one bedroom, and two-bedroom units tailored to suit students’ lifestyles. 

Fisher said the building will mostly be occupied by students attending various local post-secondary institutions. They won't be limited to WCC but must be students. 

The building will offer semi-private bathrooms, communal kitchen and dining areas, a fitness centre, a gaming room and theatre, study rooms, laundry facilities and indoor/outdoor lounges. 

UniLodge Canada will oversee the day-to-day operations of the purpose-built student housing. It will provide on-site management, resident support services and curated community programming.

“As a Canadian-owned and operated company, we are proud of our legacy as one of the world’s leading student housing operators, with projects across Australia and New Zealand,” said Mike Porritt, chief development officer at UniLodge Canada in a release.

Porritt said the partnership is their first operational contract in Canada and will serve as the flagship for their Western Canadian operations.

WCC provides post-secondary training in fields such as healthcare, hospitality, accounting, information technology, business management, aviation, education and community support.