Abbotsford is experiencing continued growth in housing development, carrying over from the success seen in 2023.
According to city staff, building permits were issued for 1,179 new residential units in 2023, compared to 621 the previous year, and applications were received for 260 new units.
The new units approved include 65 single-family residential lots (up from 38 in 2022) and 915 for apartments and townhouses, marking the second best year for approvals since 2017.
There are approximately 1,300 new multi-family residential units currently in stream – awaiting permit approval – for 2024.
Many of these are related to large development projects – such as Vicarro Ranch and the former Cooper Farm – and to new development in Auguston and west Abbotsford.
Cooper Farm on McMillan Road in east Abbotsford made significant progress last year, with work starting on the 63-acre property – including the demolition of the iconic red barn that had stood for decades.
The project calls for almost 18 acres of land being dedicated to the city as parkland, while the rest will be designated to almost 400 units of housing, including single-family homes (some with secondary suites), duplex homes and townhouses.
A future 40-unit townhome site is also proposed at the south end of the property where the red barn was located.
Another large project sets the future for development on McKee Peak on Sumas Mountain.
Council last year – following two public hearings – approved an amendment to the Official Community Plan to include the McKee Neighbourhood Plan.
The plan provides a framework for the development and preservation of approximately 2,000 acres (842 hectares) on the mountain, with a vision of the neighbourhood as an “outdoor adventure hub.”
The area currently has 1,500 units of housing, which are projected to reach 6,600 to 9,600 in the future.
At the time of council’s approval of the plan in June 2023, Mayor Ross Siemens emphasized that no development applications had yet come forward.
Among the largest housing projects currently underway in Abbotsford is the Highstreet Village apartment-and-townhouse project at Mt. Lehman Road and Cardinal Avenue, north of Highstreet Shopping Centre.
The project entails nine condo buildings and 137 townhouse units, amounting to more than 700 housing units in total.
The townhouses consist of a mix of two-, three- and four-bedroom units ranging in size from 1,317 to 1,819 square feet. Seven of the units include private rooftop amenity areas.
There will also be a two-storey amenity building of almost 3,000 square feet.
The apartment buildings are composed of one-, two- and three-bedroom units ranging from 500 to 974 square feet, and include a two-level underground parkade.
The development’s two parcels of land, totalling 12.5 acres, were sold to developers Alf and Bruno Wall – who are brothers – for $26 million in 2018.
Also in the plans for 2024 is Abbotsford’s tallest building – a 31-storey mixed-use building on Garden Street across from Canadian Tire. The application proposes 262 living units with 859 square feet of commercial space and a 473-square-foot daycare.
Moving east into the downtown core, The Rail District, which broke ground in 2021, is another massive development.
The “master planned” community by developer Infinity Properties is located on the 19-acre site of the former Clayburn Brick Plant property east of McCallum Road and north of George Ferguson Way and Pine Street.
The multi-year plan entails building five new neighbourhoods, with the first phase consisting of 91 two- and three-bedroom townhouse units.
The next three phases consist of one townhouse site and three of apartments. In all, the project includes 650 residential units, as well as 80,000 square feet of retail and office space.
Also in east Abbotsford, The Highlands neighbourhood (east of Whatcom Road) is expected to make significant construction progress this year.
Other long-term plans in the works include the 1,400-unit Vicarro Ranch development on Sumas Mountain and the 500-unit UDistrict project near University of the Fraser Valley.
The Abbotsford Tech District is another big project in the planning stages – on 140 acres on Sumas Mountain. Auguston Town Development has described the area as “Abbotsford’s Silicon Valley” with plans for thousands of new homes; a centre for innovation and food security; spaces for start-ups, entrepreneurs and post-secondary institutions; commercial and professional services; and farm-to-table restaurants and coffee shops.
The city also continues to look at more low-income and supportive housing, as well as innovative approaches to housing, such as including a bachelor suite as part of a three-bedroom apartment.
READ MORE: Abbotsford in Action 2024