On top of the Civic Hotel, 22 storeys above the Civic Plaza, guests and residents of 3 Civic Plaza will enjoy a rooftop garden with expansive views of City Centre and the surrounding mountains. As part of the overall hotel and residential experience, this urban oasis will be available to everyone for events, parties and get-togethers.

It will simply be stunning. Plans include covered areas for weddings, reunions and soirées, as well as open outdoor space for evenings under the stars; and at an expected 5,250 square feet, and nearly 20 feet of vertical space, there will be plenty of room for most activities.

The rooftop garden will also have water features, walkways and a number of quiet patios and private activity areas for lunchtime retreats, meet-ups, yoga and meditation, with decking made from a recycled rice husks. We’re even considering how we could integrate food stations, and carts for coffee and cocktails.

Some of the green space will be used for urban gardens, such as a number of raised beds for herbs, vegetables and garnishes — a culinary connection to the ground floor restaurant. We will also feature edible plants as a tribute to Surrey’s small-scale farms, perhaps with honey, blueberries, strawberries and salad greens. Native British Columbian flowering plants will attract and provide food sources for bees, butterflies and birds.

The benefit to our residential owners with having a commercially-owned amenity space such as this one is that all maintenance, upkeep and programming doesn’t come out of their pockets, regardless of their interest in using the facilities. Truly, this amenity on top of the hotel will be a benefit to the entire community — a place for lifestyles and leisure to come together in the middle of the new centre of city life at 3 Civic Plaza.