Kwantlen Polytechnic University will open a new 30,000-square-foot campus in Surrey Centre at 3 Civic Plaza.

KPU president Alan Davis,  Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts, and KPU Foundation CEO Jeff Norris made the announcement today in the atrium of Surrey City Hall.

In an interview before the news conference, Davis told the Straight that the board of directors has agreed to invest about $20 million and will own the space, which is not far from the SFU Surrey campus and Surrey Central Station.

"We're hoping we can do some exciting new things," Davis said, noting that it won't be merely a satellite to KPU's main Surrey campus on 72 Avenue. "One of the ideas is for students in the final year of their business program to take more of their courses up at 3 Civic Plaza."

He said that if students are doing more of their senior-level studies at the new campus, this will create additional space at the Newton location.

KPU has 20,000 students, including part-timers, attending the Newton, Richmond, Langley, and Cloverdale campuses.

"Our plan is to grow five percent a year in the next five years," Davis said. "That’s a combination of domestic and international students."

He revealed that more programming and professional education will be made available in the coming years, including to those who may prefer attending classes in the evening.

Davis said KPU hopes to work cooperatively with SFU to ensure the programming is complementary rather than having them compete with one another.

The Century Group is developing 3 Civic Plaza project, which will include 349 residences and a 144-suite Civic Hotel. It will be managed by Marriott International.