Lower Youth Rates and Super Seniors 80+ $1 Rate Coming April 6th

On April 6th, Langley City’s admission rates for recreation services are changing. There are two big changes. One is that the child and youth rates are merging, meaning it will be a $3 dollar drop-in rate for children and youth (aged 4-18). This saves $1.30 for people aged 13 to 18 and is 10¢ more for people aged 4 to 12 per visit.

For seniors aged 80 and older living in Langley City, the City is introducing a $1 drop-in rate.

No matter your age, it is always good to participate in a recreation program, and the City offers activities that are right for you, from art to weightlifting to swimming to fitness programs for people who use mobility aids. There is something for you.

There is a modest increase in the adult and senior rates. The 10-vist, 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month pass prices have also been updated to reflect the new categories and pricing. The game rooms and track pass are still $25 per year. The City also still offers the Leisure Access Program, which provides a discount for people living in Langley City with lower incomes.

March 9 Council Notes: Modernizing Fire Safety Bylaw and Other Matters

Over the past few days, I’ve posted about the topics covered at the Monday Langley City Council meeting. Today, I will conclude by covering the remaining topics addressed.

Council gave first, second, and third reading to approve in principle a new fire safety and protection bylaw, which, if adopted, would modernize and replace our current bylaw. At a high level, the new bylaw aligns with the latest provincial Fire Safety Act, including how the City performs preventive building fire safety inspections, moving from a time-based to a risk-based approach. For example, a restaurant would have a different preventive fire safety inspection process than an office.

Council also gave first, second, and third reading to update the Fees and Charges Bylaw and Municipal Ticket Information System Bylaw, reflecting the new proposed fire safety and protection bylaw.

Back in October, Langley City Council sent a contingent of us to Ottawa for an advocacy mission to the federal government. You can read more about this in a previous post. The official report of the mission was presented to Council on Monday, along with follow-up activities resulting from the mission.

Council appointed volunteers to our various City committees for the 2026 term. You can learn more about the committees on the City’s website.

Council approved sending a letter of support to the province to continue the BC Farmers Market’s Nutrition Coupon Program, which provides $27 weekly of food coupons to use at farmer markets for lower-income families, pregnant people and seniors.

Council received a presentation from Langley Community Action Team about creating a permanent public memorial for those affected by the toxic drug crisis. Council referred this to our Arts, Recreation, Culture & Heritage Committee for further consideration.

March 9 Council Notes: Industrial Development and Housing Proposals Approved

Council addressed two development proposals at its Monday night meeting. Back in 2024, Council issued a development permit for a proposed two-building, multi-unit, small-bay industrial project at 5721 Production Way.

View of Self-Storage Building from 196th Street Overpass.

View of Industrial Building Project from Production Way.

The development applicant returned with a new design that includes one multi-unit, small-bay industrial building and one self-storage facility. Because it is a significant departure from the original 2024 proposal, it required a new development permit.

The City’s Advisory Design Plan made several recommendations, and the applicant incorporated the following into the project:

• Incorporate more design features to break up both southeast corner walls
• Add more variation to the west building’s roofline
• Provide weather protection structures in both outdoor amenity areas
• Consider using pavers in front of business entrances
• Consider greater use of ornamental plantings in the Production Way outdoor amenity area

Council approved issuing the development permit.

Council also gave final reading and issued a development permit for a 26-unit townhome development at 20815 45A Avenue & 4560, 4570 and 4580 208 Street. You can read more about this in a previous post.

March 9 Council Notes: Speeding Up Simple Development Applications, New Zoning Bylaw in Effect

As Langley City continues to grow, Council and City staff are looking at how we can efficiently process housing and commercial development proposals while maintaining high-quality standards and appropriate oversight. Currently, with the exception of detached houses, all development proposals require a development permit. Development permits help ensure that certain design and quality-of-life measures are met for each development proposal. A triplex or small addition to an industrial building follows the same process as a 300-unit apartment project.

While larger projects should always have a full review process, including through the City’s Advisory Design Panel, which includes architects and landscape architects, adding a garbage room to a restaurant, building a duplex, or changing the location of a driveway by 1 metre, does not.

City staff presented a proposal at Monday’s Council meeting, which would allow staff to issue a development permit without requiring the Advisory Design Panel or Council approval for simple applications that don’t require a rezoning, such as:

• Residential project with 6 units or fewer (in alignment with provincial recommendations)
• Small commercial (max. 1,000 m2 floor area) and industrial (max. 2,000 m2 floor area) projects outside of Downtown

Council also currently approves Development Variance Permits; I can recall only two such permits over the last decade, for a duplex and a garbage enclosure. Minor Development Variance Permits are also proposed to be delegated to staff. Minor means small changes, such as changing the lot setback to allow a coach home by less than 1.5 metres, increasing lot coverage by no more than a percentage, making small changes to parking requirements (by no more than 10%), and landscaping.

Example of a garbage enclosure that could be a staff-delegated Development Variance Permit process.

To ensure transparency, all development permit applications would still be posted to the City’s website as they are today, with full details.

Council was generally supportive of this approach, and staff will present an updated Development Application Procedures Bylaw for Council's consideration at an upcoming meeting.

Before Christmas, Council gave third reading to our new zoning bylaw. Last night, Council gave the bylaw its final reading and adopted it. The delay was caused by the provincial government, as the Ministry of Transportation and Transit needs to approve all zoning within 400 metres of a provincial highway (the Langley Bypass).