Arena construction pitches and proposals in Surrey aren't new, but this time Mayor Brenda Locke sounds firmly committed to building a 10,000-seat stadium in City Centre over the next few years, with the help of development and operating partners.
"I'd like to see it built yesterday, and I wish it was built 10 years ago," Locke told the Now-Leader. "It's our time, there's no doubt about it. Surrey needs this kind of facility and there's a lot of interest, of course. We're not going to disclose those names (of possible arena users), they can't be yet, but we're absolutely moving forward to do all that."
June 26 is the closing date for job applications in Surrey's search for a development advisor to help create a City Centre Entertainment District and Arena, to prepare feasibility plans.
"Based on the plans developed to date," says , "it is anticipated that the Entertainment District will be comprised of a 10,000-seat arena, 100,000 square feet of commercial retail/office and a 150-key hotel with 60,000 square feet of ballroom, meeting and conference facilities."
Construction could start as early as 2027 based on designs drawn and approved in 2026, according to the Request for Proposal (RFP).
Locke sees the arena as more than a sports-only facility, "with concerts and music and conventions, other big events that could happen there," she said. "We want to make sure that we're keeping our families and our people here. This is about trying to make sure that Surrey becomes a city of its own, not a city that has to rely on (other cities in the region) to host bigger events."
, for various reasons, but proponents see it as a facility that will "transform Surrey鈥檚 entertainment and recreation landscape," as the mayor trumpeted in her 2025 .
No price tag is yet estimated, but Coun. Linda Annis pins it in the $600 million range, "with no anchor tenant in sight" for the arena, which she calls an unwanted "vanity project" that "no one is asking for" at a time when Surrey "needs more neighbourhood parks, pools, rinks and playing fields instead."
A few weeks ago Annis' comments triggered a war of words with Locke, who points out that Annis voted in favour of advancing the arena/entertainment district project during closed-door meetings in 2024.
Locke first hinted about , and similar plans were 鈥� in Bridgeview 鈥� by local investment banker Inde Sumal.
City Centre is an ideal location for a new arena, the mayor contends, but finding an exact site is among many tasks for the incoming development advisor, once hired.
"We're really looking for that perfect location," Locke said. "We certainly are looking at options in this area and we will continue to do that."
In 2024 the city considered building , for possible use as a practice facility during the 2026 World Cup, but those plans have gone nowhere to date. The park site is adjacent to the BC Lions鈥� training facility, and drawings from Vancouver-based company showed the stadium positioned on land where the existing football building is located.
Wherever it's built, Ron Brar, who co-owns Surrey Eagles with brother T.J. Brar, backs construction plans for an arena in Surrey City Centre, but is quick to say the junior hockey team would not be a full-time tenant there, and would still play at South Surrey Arena.
"I foresee the BCHL (BC Hockey League) coming there to do massive events like our showcase events and all-star events," Brar said. "I see large hotel bookings at events (the league) does in other cities, and all of a sudden this venue (in Surrey) would allow the Eagles to be a part of that hosting committee for major showcase events and possibly games when we would want to have more than the capacity of South Surrey Arena, maybe in the playoffs."
Brar couldn't speculate about what sports teams would be interested in playing at a City Centre Arena.
"I do know that multiple tenants would be needed to make it work, right?" he said. "You wouldn't be able to sustain it with just one program in there, you'd have to have different programs running all the time. Even minor hockey could use it, because we're still so short of ice right now, even with Cloverdale (new arena) getting built. Other programs could be in there."
Could pro teams call the place home? Hockey, lacrosse, basketball?
All will be considered, for sure, and potential arena users have been knocking on Surrey's door, Locke said.
"They've come to us, we haven't had to go to anybody," she said. "The very mention of this generated the energy from different sports teams. People know Surrey is the place to be. They also know the location of this, and being on a SkyTrain line is going to be incredible for this region. You're right, 91原创 has a great facility and so does Abbotsford, but they're not on SkyTrain line, they don't have the accessibility, and they're not in a city that is 700,000 people, and growing."
Locke said she's surprised that a city of Surrey's size doesn't yet have a big arena, which she targets as a P3 project, or public/private partnership.
"My real hope though, realistically, is that we're going to have a site targeted and started, ready to go, in 2027," she said. "That's when I think we'll really be putting all those shovels in the ground, and we should be on our way before then."
Annis isn't so sure.
鈥淲hen it comes to this 10,000-seat arena, there is no plan, no tenant, and no money,鈥� Annis charged in a June 3 statement. 鈥淓ven more, no one is asking for it, which speaks volumes about the reality of this project. Frankly, I'd put Brenda Locke's arena in the political promises and ego column, which as every voter and taxpayer knows, should be taken with a big grain of salt."
Meantime, steps to house are detailed in a "status update" report to Surrey council ahead of a June 23 meeting. Council-approved plans for the new SSHOF include having the first inductions a year from now, in June 2026, during a ceremony at Surrey City Hall. This summer, applications will open for an advisory board in July, followed by a call for hall nominations in August.
