The City of Surrey plans to invest $200 million to build a new 10,000-seat sports and entertainment arena in its downtown core.

The project forms part of the city’s proposed five-year, $779 million capital plan and is intended to anchor a broader entertainment district in Surrey’s central neighbourhood. Plans for the district include a hotel, conference and meeting space, restaurants, retail stores and residential units.

The city issued a request for development proposals that closed February 13 and will announce a shortlist of candidates Tuesday.

While some municipalities are holding back on major spending, political scientist Stewart Prest of the University of British Columbia told Postmedia that Surrey’s approach reflects its rapid growth.

“This is a little bit outside the norm, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing,” Prest said.

“Surrey is really a unique situation, because no place is growing faster than Surrey. … So with that increasing population, increasing demand for services, then there is a case to be made for greater investment in brick and mortar projects in the city.”

The arena is envisioned as a regional hub capable of competing with other large-capacity venues in Metro Vancouver. City officials hope it will fill a gap for mid-sized concert venues in the region, an RFP document indicates, while also helping to spur economic activity and accelerate development in the downtown area.

“It is expected that the revenue generated from development agreements, tenanting of the arena and the sale of naming and other commercial/marketing rights will assist in funding the construction, operation, and maintenance of the arena,” the city’s budget document states.

Reports indicate that the arena will be on the site of the current B.C. Lions practice facility. It remains to be seen whether the Canadian Football League team’s facility, which is the base of its day-to-day operations, would remain in Surrey.

Pictured: New arena planned for Surrey’s downtown core.

Photo: Perkins & Will/City of Surrey