SFU unveils plans for new student housing and child care centre

Hundreds more students will call Simon Fraser University home after British Columbia Premier David Eby announced $187.6 million in funding for phase 3 of SFU’s housing master plan on Friday.

Eby and Lisa Beare, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, were at Burnaby campus to unveil the project, which features an eight-storey residence that will accommodate 445 upper-year students and a 160-space child care centre that will vastly expand the university’s sense of community and belonging when it opens its doors in fall 2027.

“When students don’t have access to student housing they are forced into the local rental housing market with higher costs, increasing competition with other renters,” says Eby. “By providing hundreds of additional students with on-campus homes every year – as well as increased access to convenient child care – we are helping them focus on their studies and their futures, while also relieving pressure on local renters who aren’t students.”

The residence building – situated across from the existing Pauline Jewett, Barbara Rae and Shadbolt student housing buildings – will include a mix of self-contained studios, quad units (four-room suites with shared kitchen and living spaces), as well as two- and four-bedroom townhouses.

It will also sport shared study and amenity spaces, including lounges, a laundry room and house kitchen.

The child care spaces, announced Thursday, will include 36 spaces for infant-toddlers and 124 spaces for kids from three to five years.

“We are grateful to the Province for its support and partnership with increasing student housing options at SFU,” says SFU’s Dilson Rassier, Provost and Vice-President Academic. “Students who live on campus feel a greater sense of belonging, community, and are more satisfied with their overall university experience. As we move forward with our residence and housing master plan, we look forward to expanding a diverse student community that encourages academic success, self-discovery and exploration.”

The project will be constructed using mass timber and is targeting optimal BC Energy Step Code and Zero Carbon Code compliance – underscoring the Province and SFU’s commitment to CleanBC goals.

The total cost will be $187.6 million, with the Province contributing $132.2 million, including federal funding through ChildCareBC. SFU is contributing the remaining $55.4 million.

"Our government has been making historic investments in on-campus student housing to support students in their academic success and well-being,” says Beare. “This project builds on the thousands of student beds already built or underway across B.C., making it easier for students to get the skills they need for the jobs of tomorrow."

Since 2018, SFU has planned and constructed three new student housing buildings on the Burnaby campus - East and West Buildings, Courtyard Residence and Grad and Family Housing – bringing on line 941 new beds.

Once complete, phase 3 will see SFU expand on campus housing to approximately eight per cent of the student population. The goal at the completion of the five-phase residence and housing master plan is for SFU to house 10 per cent of full-time students.

The university celebrated the completion for phase 2 last summer with the opening of the stunning Courtyard Residence, the site of Friday’s event.

Undergraduate student Emmaneul Adegboyega, president of the Simon Fraser Student Society and former president of the Residence Hall Association, says the new spaces, amenities and, most importantly, connection with neighbours have helped invigorate life on campus.

He’s looking forward to having more students experience the benefits of living on campus and having increased access to housing options.

“It’s so exciting to see housing options continue to expand at Simon Fraser University. The opening of the Courtyard Residence last year added so much to the community on Burnaby Mountain,” says Adegboyega. “On top of building on the sense of belonging, expanding residence at SFU tackles the two issues I hear from students the most: housing availability and affordability. Phase 3 checks all the boxes and I can’t wait for the day students get to move in.”

For more information on phase 3 and the SFU housing master plan, visit the Residence and Housing website.