Developers are now starting to get a sense of what Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum and his Safe Surrey Coalition had in mind when they pledged to pause development in one of the fastest growing cities in the province.

Council sent an application for 71 apartment suites and 96 townhouses in the Clayton Heights area back to staff Monday evening.

Coun. Steven Pettigrew says he's concerned the project will add too many students to a nearby school that is already overcrowded.

"My concern about this application is we're seeing a bit of a pattern here now," he said. "We're seeing these large, large developments going into an area, and it's really stressing out the school systems here."

City staff estimate the project would add 28 students to Clayton Elementary School. (City of Surrey)

Crowded classrooms

Pettigrew says Clayton Elementary School is already well beyond capacity and, according to estimates from a city report, it will take in an additional 28 students if the development is approved.

Coun. Mandeep Nagra says he believes the actual number will be much higher.

"In future, can we see some realistic numbers of students projected to go to schools?" he asked city staff. "I think the number is way off."

Pettigrew says the the completion date of the new developments should match with the completion date of a school in the area, which is expected to open in 2021.

Doug McCallum thanks supporters after being elected mayor of Surrey. (CBC)

Smart development

McCallum says the city isn't saying no to housing projects, but new applications will have to fall under what he calls smart development.

"We need to make sure the infrastructure is in place, as we do developments out in Surrey," McCallum said.

"That means that we need to have at least some type of commitment to put schools into large areas where we have a lot of people living."

Cindy Dalglish with the education advocacy group, Surrey Students Now, says it's encouraging to hear the mayor commit to developing in communities that have the infrastructure in place to accommodate growth.

She says, however, the budget the city passed this week postpones several major projects, such as a community centre in Rosemary Heights and a new arena in Cloverdale.

"It would be nice to have some balance," she said. "I'd love to see a commitment to build all the infrastructure our city needs in order to be a thriving city."