July 9, 2018 Council Meeting Notes: Public Hearing on Four Development Proposals, Plus a New Mixed-Use Building Approved

Monday night’s Langley City council meeting had a packed agenda. There were four public hearing items and one “Committee of the Whole” where people could provide comments on rezoning and development proposals.

The first public hearing agenda item was for the properties located at 19727, 19737, 19755, & 19763 55 Avenue to accommodate a 3 storey, 36 unit townhouse development. There were two representatives from Huntsfield Green which is a 117 unit townhouse complex that is adjacent to the properties under consideration for rezoning. The representatives said that their complex was supportive of the proposed new townhouses. They commended the developer for working with them to come up with solutions that will preserve their quality of life. One example was using privacy glazing on the patios that abut Huntsfield Green. They were also supportive of the two-vehicle parking requirement which has been standard for townhouses in Langley City for at least the last 30 years.

Another person expressed concerns about construction projects in the area. He noted noise, mess, safety, and construction crew parking issues. The mayor instructed the person to leave their list of concerns with City staff for follow-up.

Council unanimously gave third reading to the rezoning.

The second public hearing agenda item was for property located at 20105, 20109, 20119, & 20129 53A Avenue to accommodate a 4 story, 48 unit apartment building. The proposed apartment would contain a mix of one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and two-bedroom plus den units.

Five people from the townhouse complex just north of the proposed apartment did not support the proposed rezoning. They were concerned that the proposed apartment would impact their quality of life. Some of the concerns were around parking, fire safety, and that the underground exhaust fans would be noisy.

At the meeting, I said that I live in a 48 unit apartment building which is adjacent to a 5 unit townhouse complex. I stated that our buildings have been able to co-exist with no issues for at least 15 years. I also noted the parking in my building is the same as the proposal, and that parking hasn’t been an issue in my building. I stated that for over 30 years, there was no on-street parking near our buildings on 53 Avenue. I did note, as did other members of council, that construction crews are taking up a significant amount of on-street parking spaces in the area. We asked the developer to work on a construction crew off-street parking plan. I asked staff to investigate with the developer options for low-noise underground parking exhaust fans.

Councillor van den Broek and Albrecht asked City staff about fire safety concerns. They were told that the project was approved by our fire department.

Council unanimously gave third reading to the rezoning.

The third public hearing agenda item was for a proposed 3 story, 13 unit townhouse complex at 5471 and 5481 199A Street. There were no members of the public that spoke about the project. Council unanimously gave third reading to the rezoning.

You can see renderings of the proposed projects in a previous post I wrote.

Back in June, Council removed the road dedication for a small section of lane adjacent to 204 Street and Park Avenue, retaining a continuous 6-metre cross-section from 204 Street to Park Avenue. One of the housekeeping matters was to zone that section of former lane to “C1 Downtown Commercial.”

Several people from the apartment building located at Douglas Crescent and Park Avenue expressed concern about the 6-metre cross-section being too narrow, creating a safety issue. I noted that research shows that a 6-metre lane is safe, and point to research out of the City of Toronto. Councillor van den Broek suggested that a mirror be installed at the intersection of the building and lane to improve safety.

Council unanimously gave third reading to the zoning.

Rendering of approved mixed-use building at 203rd Street and Michaud Crescent. Select image to enlarge.

The final opportunity for public feedback was for a mixed-use building at the corner of Michaud Crescent and 203rd Street. The project will contain one ground-level retail unit and 6 apartments above. There were no members of the public that spoke about the project, but there was one letter council received in support of the project.

I noted that the building had a good streetfront design which will support creating a vibrant, walkable downtown. In our downtown, developers can pay cash in lieu of providing on-site parking for commercial units. This money will be used to fund a future central parkade. I support building a parkade in our downtown as it will help maintain walkability while providing an adequate central parking supply. Without central parking, our downtown would end up looking like the Langley Bypass. The developer of this building is proposing to pay for parking in lieu of providing 3 on-site spots for the commercial unit.

The City recently completed a parking utilization study for our downtown. Within walking distance of the proposed building, there is an ample supply of on-street parking.

On-street public parking demand west of downtown core. Select chart to enlarge.

Council approved issuing the development permit for this building with Councillor van den Broek opposed.

Tomorrow, I will be posting about other items that were addressed at last night’s council meeting.