December 6 Council Meeting Notes: Furniture Store Expansion, Christmas Lights, and Regional Growth Strategy

Last Monday, Langley City Council issued a Development Permit to enable a 16,000 sq. ft. expansion of Jag’s Furniture on the Langley Bypass.

Site plan of proposed retail expansion at 20359 Langley Bypass. Select image to enlarge.

Langley City’s Advisory Design Panel, which includes an accessibility representative, members of the public, architects and landscape architects, made the following recommendations which the project proponent accepted:

• Add pedestrian paths on the parking lot surface
• Swap accessible parking spot to locate closer to entrance
• Add outdoor amenity area for employees
• Add additional landscaping

Council also approved reimbursing the Downtown Langley Business Association $10,000 for providing Christmas lights along Fraser Highway from 201 Street to 203 Street. The City will own, store, and maintain these lights like other Christmas lights in our downtown.

The Metro Vancouver Regional District is in the process of updating our Regional Growth Strategy. All municipal councils must agree to the strategy for it to be adopted. While the regional district has been consulting and working on the updated strategy for some time, we are now in the formal feedback portion of the strategy as it works its way towards what I hope is eventual adoption.

Langley City staff provided Council with a formal response to the regional district. While I disagreed with some of what City staff said about the proposed updated Regional Growth Strategy, I supported the letter. The overall staff criticism about the proposed regional growth strategy was that it was becoming too prescriptive. I believe this is good as the Regional Growth Strategy responds directly to regional challenges such as protecting industrial land, enhancing our natural environment to mitigate the impacts of climate change, and addressing affordable housing.

The letter stated, “the City strongly supports Metro Vancouver’s initiative to update the regional growth strategy and appreciates the opportunity to participate in this vital process at the Board, committee and staff levels. Langley City Council and staff look forward to continued cooperation and dialogue with the region as we progress towards adopting Metro Vancouver 2050.”

You can read the full letter on Langley City’s website.

Langley City Council also adopted a new policy on advisory bodies. This housekeeping policy defines the roles and responsibilities of various committees and task groups that the mayor, councillors, staff, and others sit on.