The Langley City Connects Bulletin has dropped and is in a mailbox near you!

What's old is new again, and I'm excited to see the relaunch of this twice-a-year newsletter to keep our residents and businesses in the loop about what's happening in our community and at City Hall.

September 25 Council Meeting Notes: More Housing Approved, McBurney Plaza Renewal, Other Matters

On Monday night, Langley City Council gave third reading for a rezoning bylaw that, if approved, would allow for the construction of two 6-storey apartments with 171 units at 20659-20679 Eastleigh Crescent. You can read more about this project and its public hearing in a previous post. Rezoning bylaws require four readings. Council only considers the fourth and final reading once an applicant has completed all of Langley City's preconstruction planning and engineering requirements. These requirements also include paying fees and deposits. There is usually a gap of a few months to a year before final reading, depending on the applicant's speed.

Council also gave final reading and issued a development permit to construct a 6-unit townhouse at 20816 45A Avenue. This development was subject to great concern and feedback from people living in the surrounding neighbourhood. This concern led to Council placing a moratorium on redevelopment in the area until parking and traffic could be addressed, and a best practices guide for building Townhouses/'Plexes was created. As these conditions have been met, Council lifted the moratorium in August.

Later in the meeting, Council approved tendering a contract for $679,781 to Cedar Crest Lands (BC) Ltd. This tendering enables replacing the wood decking with new concrete pavers, concrete substructure, wood benching, tree preservation and planting in McBurney Plaza. The current wood deck is deteriorating and slippery.

Council provided an opportunity for people to comment on an amendment to our 2023-27 Fiancnail Plan. I posted about this amendment previously. There was no feedback. Council gave final reading to the amendment.

Council also approved the Deputy Mayor schedule for 2023-24 as follows:

November 1 - December 31: Councillor White
January 1 - February 28: Councillor James
March 1 - April 30: Councillor Mack
May 1 - June 30: Councillor Albrecht
July 1 - August 31: Councillor Solyem
September 1 - October 31: Councillor Wallace

Public Hearing Notes: 6-Storey, 126-Unit Apartment Building at 19948 55A Avenue

Last night, Langley City Council held a public hearing for a rezoning bylaw and development permit that, if approved, would allow for constructing a 6-storey, 126-unit apartment building at 19948 55A Avenue.

A front view of the proposed building. Select the image to enlarge.

Council received a letter from a resident in the neighbourhood concerned about the capacity of schools to accommodate more children and increased traffic in the area. Langley City works with the Langley School District to model school enrollment in our neighbourhoods. Council also continues to lobby the provincial government and School Board to expand schools in our community.

About seven people provided verbal feedback at the public hearing.

One person spoke in favour of the development but wanted to ensure that Langley City continues building the social infrastructure to accommodate new people moving to the community.

One of the main themes from the public hearing was that people living around the proposed new building, especially those in the five-story building to the south, were concerned about shadows being cast onto their building. Because the proposed building is to the north of their buildings, and because of the sun's position in our part of the world, both City staff and the applicant said it was physically impossible to cast shadows on those properties. The shadow is cast onto the street for the buildings to the north as the building steps back its sixth storey.

Shadow cast during the spring equinox. Select the image to enlarge.

There was also concern about traffic and the safety of the intersection of Brydon Crescent and 200th Street. Langley City staff noticed that the applicant for this proposed new building would have to complete a traffic impact assessment, including studying intersections in the area. If the assessment recommends road or intersection changes, those recommendations must be considered.

One person expressed concern about not enough on-street parking. Staff noted that during construction, trade/construction parking will be secured off-site, likely at the nearby church. Council noted that we are also completing an on-street parking management plan to ensure that on-street parking is equitably allocated in our community.

Another person noted concern about whether the alley to the east of the proposed development would be blocked off during construction. The alley may be blocked during some small periods, but it would remain open overall. The City requires a construction and traffic management plan.

Some other folks expressed concern about vibration and construction noise. City staff noted that the City requires noise and vibration controls, and if there are concerns during construction, please contact the City.

Two people who are friends with the people who own houses to the west of this proposed development were concerned that their friend's lots would not be able to be redeveloped because they are too small. Langley City staff confirmed that the size of the two lots combined would support a six-storey building.

National Day for Truth & Reconciliation Gathering and Workshops

National Day for Truth & Reconciliation Gathering Postcard. Select the Postcard to Enlarge.

For the past several years, there has been a memorial at Derek Doubleday Arboretum to learn about and honour those who survived and those who did not due to the horrors of the residential school system in Canada. It was also an opportunity to recommit to reconciliation.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is this Saturday, and there will be a gathering at Derek Doubleday Arboretum.

From 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm, a guided activity will help you reflect on the past and commit to working toward reconciliation.

From 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm, there will be speakers, drumming and a candlelight walk to honour the children sent to residential school.

One of the keys to moving toward reconciliation is education. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation is putting on “lunch and learn” sessions this week, which you can participate in live or view later.

Topics include:

Monday, September 25: Indigenous peoples and the History of Residential Schools, hosted by Brenda Gunn with Crystal Fraser and Tagaaq Maata E-Palmer.

Tuesday, September 26: Unconscious bias and debunking stereotypes, hosted by Kaila Johnston with Dr. Cary Miller and Jesse Wente.

Wednesday, September 27: Intergenerational impacts and ongoing systemic discrimination, hosted by Sandra Bender with Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux and Christa Big Canoe.

Thursday, September 28: Indigenous peoples’ rights and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, hosted by Kaila Johnston with Brenda Gunn.

Friday, September 29: Taking action toward reconciliation, hosted by Kaila Johnston with Jimmy Durocher and Dale LeClair.

Please visit the Truth and Reconciliation Week 2023 Public Lunch and Learns Eventbrite page to learn more.

Langley City Council Meets with Provincial Ministers to Raise Community Concerns and Opportunities

This is a slide from one of the sessions at the UBCM conference this week.

Langley City Council is at the Union of BC Municipalities Conference in Downtown Vancouver this week. This annual conference is an opportunity for local government elected representatives to get together to learn about the challenges we are all facing and potential solutions. It is also a time to have informal conversations and debate resolutions with other elected representatives across BC. Critically, it is also an opportunity to meet with provincial cabinet ministers to bring local concerns and requests forward.

Langley City Council has or will be meeting with six ministers throughout this year's conference.

Our first meeting was with the Minister of Finance, Katrine Conroy. We advocated for the province to split the current single residential property tax class into a detached and attached residential property tax class. This change would allow for more consistency when we annually adjust property tax. You can read more about why this matters in a previous blog post. This call to create two residential property tax classes was endorsed by the Lower Mainland Local Government Association membership earlier this year and the Union of BC Municipalities memberships yesterday.

We met with the Minister of Housing, Ravi Kahlon, to advocate for a BC-wide tenant protection and compensation policy for when housing is redeveloped. These policies are done piecemeal by municipalities today, and every municipality takes a different approach. We also asked the minister to talk with his federal counterpart to reform the CMHC RCFI program to encourage more affordable housing.

Our third meeting was with Rachna Singh, the Minister of Education and Child Care. We asked her to consider building and expanding schools in Langley City in preparation for the arrival of SkyTrain.

We will meet with the Minister of Health, Adrian Dix, this morning. We will ask for Fire Rescue Services to be better integrated into the pre-hospital care system and for the province to compensate local governments for the medical calls our Fire Rescue Services attend.

We will also be meeting with Minister Lana Popham today. As the Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, and Sports, we will ask her to support our plan to build a performing arts centre in Downtown Langley.

Finally, we will meet with the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Framworth tomorrow about the future of the Langley RCMP detachment.

September 11 Council Notes: Banners, Bus Rapid Transit, Asset Management

Langley City's September 11th Regular Council meeting started with an award presentation to Kurtis Stevenson as his design was selected for this fall's streetlight banners.

Langley City initiated a call for artists back in the spring to design a banner that reflects our community in the fall.

Stevenson recently graduated from The Wilson School of Design at KPU. Besides an honorarium, he was also given two banners with his design. If you head to Downtown Langley, you can see his banners in the wild.

New street banner in Downtown Langley. Select the image to enlarge.

As I posted, Bus Rapid Transit is the future of getting people around our region. Bus Rapid Transit will allow more people in our region to access fast, affordable, frequent transit service that doesn't get stuck in traffic. The Mayors' Council on Regional Transportation and TransLink staff are currently working on shortlisting the first few Bus Rapid Transit routes that will go forward. They are looking for municipalities willing to support Bus Rapid Transit, including a commitment to reallocate road space to accommodate dedicated bus lanes, support transit-oriented development, and work with TransLink staff to get this transit service running as fast as possible.

98 B-Line Bus Rapid Transit on No. 3 Road in Richmond. Image Source: Busologist

TransLink and the Mayors' Council want this early support because they ran into bumps with the previous rollout of RapidBus, including having to cancel a section of RapidBus in West Vancouver as there wasn't municipal support at the time.

Langley City Council unanimously endorsed Bus Rapid Transit along 200th Street, going through the future 203rd Street/Industrial Avenue SkyTrain Station and transit exchange.

Langley City Council approved updating our Living Wage Policy with some housekeeping items, including increasing the threshold where it would apply to contractors and service providers from $50,000 to $250,000. Council also asked City staff to review creating an updated Living Wage/Fair Wage program for future years.

Council also approved City staff applying for a $25,000 grant from UBCM to develop an Asset Management Plan and Levels of Service Framework. This framework would help optimize how Langley City's cost effectively maintains assets such as roads to maximize their life and lower costs. If we are successful with this grant, the City will contribute $48,000 for a total project value of $73,000.

CKF is one of the largest employers in Langley City, providing over 350 well-paying union jobs. At their request, Council approved sending a letter of support for the proposed expansion of their production facility in Langley City. They are applying to the provincial and federal governments to support their expansion plans financially.

Save Our HandyDART Virtual Townhall - September 20th

HandyDART Buses. Source: Mike W.

I received a flier about a virtual town hall for HandyDART services last week. I wanted to pass on this information as I know that HandyDART service is a critical part of our transportation network in Langley City.

Are you concerned about Translink’s increasing use of taxis to perform HandyDART trips? Are you worried about the service’s lack of public accountability?

Join our Save Our HandyDART! Virtual Townhall

DATE: Wednesday, September 20th
TIME: 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM PDT
LOCATION: Online, via Zoom
REGISTER: https://www.bit.ly/hdtownhall
CART caption and ASL interpretation will be available.

Heather McCain, the Live Educate Transform Society founder, will be hosting the virtual townhall.

The Save Our HandyDART coalition is hosting this event, which includes accessibility advocates, seniors advocates, and the labour movement.

For more information about HandyDART service today, please read my overview of the report “Access for Everyone? Publicly Operated HandyDART In Metro Vancouver” or download the whole report.

All Aboard for Heritage Railway Signs in Langley City

A few years ago, Langley City resident Bruce Downing had an idea to place heritage markers on Grade Crescent to recognize the history of that road as the original railbed for the Vancouver, Victoria and Eastern Railway.

A picture of Langley Prairie’s (Langley City) B.C. Electric Railway "new" station opened July 1928. It was demolished circa 1955. The railway tracks were removed in 1970. Select the image to enlarge.

Mr. Downing presented this idea to the City, but we didn't have a heritage committee then, so the City upgraded the mandate of our Arts, Culture, & Recreation Committee to the Arts, Culture, Recreation & Heritage Committee.

With the additional help of Henry Ewert and Graham MacDonell, Mr. Downing and the committee worked on what has now turned into the Heritage Railway Project.

An example of the heritage railway signs.

Last Monday, Langley City Council approved installing signs at six locations in our community as shown on the following map.

A map showing the locations where the City will install the heritage railway signs. Select the map to enlarge.

The following shows an example of the Vancouver, Victoria and Eastern Railway wording.

Grade Crescent is aptly named as it is laid on the original “grade” of the Vancouver, Victoria, and Eastern Railway (V.V.& E.) line.

Chartered in 1897, this railway operated between the Lower Mainland and B.C.’s Kootenay-Boundary region. The V.V.& E. operated through Langley from 1908 to 1933. It was a passenger and freight line with an emphasis on long-distance rather than local service and it often transported logs to sawmills. The railway had a limited impact within Langley Prairie as there were no stations located here. The closest V.V.& E. stations were Cloverdale Station and Lincoln Station (Benz Crescent, Township of Langley). The arrival of the BC Electric Railway in 1910 had a more profound impact on Langley Prairie which became Langley City in 1955.

Parts of the V.V.& E. right-of-way were purchased for municipal roads in 1934 at a cost of $240. The following roads follow the original railbed. (with some minor realignments).

These include:

• Colebrook Road / 50 Avenue (between 192 Street and 200 Street)
• Grade Crescent
• 47 Avenue east of 208 Street

There was also a spur line on Grade Crescent near 208 Street which was used for housing logs on railcars that supplied the adjacent Federal Lumber Company (1918 – 1924)

The next shows an example of one of the texts for the British Columbia Electric Railway Interurban sign, which the City will install by Brydon Lagoon.

Langley City was initially connected to the rest of the region by two railways. They were the B.C. Electric Railway and the Vancouver, Victoria and Eastern Railway (V.V. & E.). These railways carried both passengers and freight. This path follows the old rail bed of the B.C. Electric Railway.

It operated its passenger interurban service in Langley between 1910 and 1950. The railway helped fuel the growth of Langley City. It was hydroelectric-powered and provided transportation from Vancouver, all the way to Chilliwack by October 1910.

The railway ran to the west on the south side of Brydon Lagoon to 192 Street where Anderson Station stood. To the east, the railway followed what is now Baldi Creek Trail. It ran to Hunter Station at what is now the intersection of 200 Street and Michaud Crescent. From Hunter Station, it followed the north side of Michaud Crescent to Langley Prairie Station. That station is now the location of Timms Community Centre. Leaving Langley Prairie Station the tracks headed northeast along Glover Road.

Slowly, with better roads and an increase in cars and trucks, the railway became uneconomical. The ending of service on September 30, 1950, was marked by a large ceremony attended by politicians from the communities served by the railway. The tracks were removed in the early 1980s and this walking path was established.

The signs will have QR codes directing people to a web page with more historical information. If you would like to learn more about the historic railways in Langley City, please read NEIGHBOURHOOD HISTORY - THE RAILWAYS.

September 11 Council Notes: Capital Projects Changes and Cost Increases

Langley City may receive grants throughout the year, project cost changes, and priorities shift. These changes mean that Langley City Council amends the capital budget from time to time throughout the year.

Council approved the last budget amendment in May.

While there are some new projects, the biggest reason for this latest amendment was the cost difference between what the City thought the projects would cost and the price the City received when projects went to tender. Like other governments and the private sector, Langley City has seen substantial and unprecedented cost increases in construction due to a labour shortage and material cost increases.

Building a Safer Langley (BSCF) – Guns & Gangs: $320,800 Federal Government Grant

Local Government Climate Action Program: $170,080 Provincial Government Grant topped up with $34,020 from casino proceeds to help the City meet provincial climate action goals

Replace a Broken Woodchipper: $80,000 funded by City reserves

Transportation Safety Improvements: $75,000 grant from ICBC, including an enhanced crosswalk at 53rd Avenue and 201A Street

MIA Risk Management: $25,545 risk management grant from the Municipal Insurance Association of BC

Asset Management: $25,000 grant from UBCM to enhance the City's asset management program

City Hall/Timms Office Space Reconfiguration: $400,000 to accommodate additional staff funded by casino proceeds

56 Ave, 200 St to 203 St: $1.38 million top-up of an ongoing project funded by City reserves and developer contributions

McBurney Plaza Improvements: $350,000 top-up of project to replace wood decking with a more durable and slip-resistant product funded by developer contributions

Douglas Park Washroom: $400,000 top-up of project funded by developer contributions

City Park Enhancement: $350,000 top-up of project to complete the renewal of Barbour Field funded by developer contributions

Cast Iron and Watermain Replacement: $795,000 top-up of the project funded by delaying a watermain valve replacement project, $95,000 from City reserves and $700,000 from casino proceeds

46 Ave, 206A to 207 St Storm Sewer: $167,000 top-up of the renewal project funded by casino proceeds*

Fire Utility Truck: $20,000 top-up funded by casino proceeds

Fire Command Vehicle: $20,000 top-up funded by casino proceeds

Council gave this budget amendment first, second, and third reading.

*This was included in the spring budget amendment details, but it didn't make it into the official budget amendment bylaw due to an oversight.

September 11 Council Notes: Housing Matters. Two Additional Six-Storey Apartment Buildings

On Monday night, Langley City Council addressed several housing matters. The first was a public hearing, which you can read in yesterday's post.

Council gave first and second reading for rezoning bylaw that, if approved, would allow for the construction of a 6-storey, 126-unit apartment building at 19948 55A Avenue. If you go to this site today, you'll notice that it is an empty lot. There was a proposal for this site in 2019 for a 4-storey apartment. The applicant didn't proceed with that project.

A rendering of a proposed apartment at 19948 55A Avenue. Select the image to enlarge.

Council will now schedule a public hearing for the rezoning bylaw to enable the 6-storey apartment.

Council also gave third reading to a rezoning bylaw, which, if given final reading, would enable the construction of a 6-storey, 75-unit apartment building at 20214 & 20224 54A Avenue.

A rendering of a proposed building at 20214 & 20224 54A Avenue. Select the image to enlarge.

At the public hearing, while Council received various feedback, the City sent six items to the project's applicant to provide a more detailed response.

These items include the removal of trees on neighbouring properties, traffic impacts, rear lane safety, updating the rental replacement unit mix, and providing a drawing showing the usability of combined bicycle and storage rooms.

You can read the complete response from the applicant in the Public Hearing Followup Memo. The primary concern for the adjacent strata apartment owners is the removal and replacement of trees on their property's borders. As noted in the memo, the City "will be required [the applicant and the stratas] come to a resolution with them before the subject application will be permitted to return to Council for consideration of approval."

As an additional followup, all units will have A/C, and the applicant will also provide the option to purchase wall/ceiling bike rack mounts for the storage units.

Public Hearing Notes: Two 6-Storey Apartments on Eastleigh Crescent

Last night, Langley City Council held a public hearing for a proposed rezoning which would enable the construction of two 6-storey apartments with a total of 171 units at 20659-20679 Eastleigh Crescent.

Rendering of proposed project at 20659 - 20679 Eastleigh Crescent. Select the image to enlarge.

Langley City Council received one written submission from a current resident in one of the existing townhouses, noting concern about finding affordable rental housing elsewhere.

Three people shared their feedback at the public hearing. One person supported the project, though they thought there wasn't enough parking. The other two people who shared feedback were a husband and wife who live in the townhouse complex to the back of the proposed new apartments.

They expressed concern about construction noise, dust, asbestos, trees, rodents, the replacement fencing between their townhouse complex and the proposed apartments, and the setback of the proposed buildings' parking garage.

The project's applicant noted that they would be willing to work with the townhouse complex if someone had a backyard event, such as an outdoor wedding, to reduce the noise impacts at a specific time. Staff noted that the City has a construction noise bylaw that regulates permitted construction activity hours. Because of the high water table, dust is not expected to be an issue during construction, but any silica dust will be captured to prevent spread. There will likely be asbestos in the existing buildings. Before demolishing, the asbestos will need to be removed safely and with the approval of WorkSafeBC. While the trees on the side of the property will be removed, the buildings' underground parking is designed to preserve the trees on the back of the property, which backs onto the townhouse complex. Those trees will be protected and retained. City staff noted the applicant must have a rodent control program to reduce rodents making a home in other buildings due to the demolition of the older buildings. The applicant also noted the replacement fence between the proposed apartments and the townhouse complex to the back would be a high-quality metal and composite fence. The buildings' underground parking is setback at least 1.2 metres from the back of the property.

Langley City's Advisory Design Panel made 25 recommendations about this project, which you can read in their explanatory memo.

The project is also subject to Langley City's Tenant Relocation Policy. You can read more about their relocation work to date in an additional report.

The project is subject to Langley City's one-for-one rental replacement policy. As such, the applicant will provide ten one-bedroom rental units and 11 two-bedroom rental units ranging from 557 sq. ft. to 805 sq. ft.

As the public hearing is now closed, Council cannot, under BC law, receive any further feedback about this proposed rezoning.

Loss of Sensitive Ecosystems Slows in Metro Vancouver. 207 Hectares Were Lost From 2014 to 2020

The Metro Vancouver Regional District keeps track of our region's sensitive and modified ecosystems. Sensitive ecosystems include mostly unmodified natural areas such as mountain fields, intertidal areas, mature forests, wetlands, and riparian areas along waterways. These are critical places that support biological diversity. Modified ecosystems can also support various animal and plant species, and areas include unused farm fields and young forests.

About every six years, Metro Vancouver updates their ecosystem mapping. As I posted about in the past, between 2009 and 2014, 426 hectares of sensitive ecosystem were lost in the Metro Vancouver core. Between 2014 and 2020, 207 hectares were lost in the core. This is a slowdown of ecosystem loss, though more can be done.

Map of ecosystem loss in Metro Vancouver between 2014 and 2022. Select the map to enlarge—source: Metro Vancouver.

The leading types of natural areas lost in the core area were mature forests, riparian areas, and wetlands.

The top causes of ecosystem loss are logging, increased agriculture activities, and urban growth.

The Metro Vancouver Regional Growth Strategy has specific measures to help reduce ecosystem loss, which is likely why the loss was less pronounced in this most recent period. As the next steps, Regional District staff are working on mapping what sensitive ecosystems are protected and which are not. They will also assess the quality of these ecosystem areas. This mapping and assessment will likely inform what land the Regional District could acquire for conservation purposes. They will also map the change in land becoming protected over the years.

Please read the "Sensitive Ecosystem Inventory 2020 Update" in the September 7th Regional Planning Agenda for more information.

Sneak Peek on What Langley City Council Will Be Working on This Fall

The beginning of September always feels like the actual start of the year instead of January. For local government, it is the start of the next season of Council meetings after the August break. Council will be busy working on new policies and bylaws for our community, and I wanted to give you a sneak peek at some of the things we will be working on.

Tenant Relocation Policy

Langley City currently has a Tenant Relocation Policy. The policy is applied when a building is up for redevelopment. It provides additional compensation and notice above the Residential Tenancy Act requirements, assistance with moving (with additional support for people who are senior or vulnerable), and right-to-return provisions. With increased redevelopment in our community, Council determined that we need to beef up our current policy.

Below Market Rental Policy

While provincial and federal government policies and funding have the most impact on reducing the cost of housing, Langley City Council also wants to do our part. One way to increase below-market rental units is to require a certain percentage of these units to be built as part of redevelopment. We will be working on creating this policy because with SkyTrain coming, we will see increased redevelopment and higher densities in our community.

Healthy and Resilient Community Dialogue Series

This summer, Langley City started working with people who have different life experiences to identify gaps in services that prevent people from getting help and ensure that the help creates positive outcomes for people and our community. This mapping of gaps will help us align objectives between the City, our non-profit sector, Fraser Health, and the provincial government to ensure that we take an outcomes-based approach that focuses on people. We will also be working across these groups to sign a document which outlines our joint comments to and measure progress in improving the outcomes of people in our community.

Right now, a lot of good work is happening in our community. However, we need better alignment among the multiple agencies and organizations because people are still slipping through the cracks in our social safety net. Council wants to reduce the number of people slipping through the cracks.

Citizen Assembly on Community Safety

We know that increasing community safety is top-of-mind for people in our community, but our current piecemeal approaches aren't working. We need a comprehensive approach to addressing community safety, encompassing policing, fire-rescue, the education system, the bylaw department, and health care. It also includes how we design and build our community, parks, roads, recreation programs, library, lighting, and overall engineering services. This plan needs to be informed by the real-world knowledge of people who call our community home. This is why we will roll out a Citizen Assembly starting this fall. You can read more about the Assembly in a previous blog post.

Improving Community Input

Our neighbourhood meetings will be back, allowing people to connect with the Council and senior City Staff to get their questions answered and provide direct feedback to us. I will also work with the Council and City Staff to see how we can improve the public information and input process regarding redevelopment. I've seen over the last year that we need to update this process to better inform people about proposed changes in their neighbourhood and allow people to provide input earlier about these proposed changes.

Create a New Capital Plan Vision

We have many significant projects that we must completed in Langley City over the coming decade, including an indoor pool and performing arts centre. We need a robust capital plan, which includes how we will fund some of these significant projects.

Adopt our New Zoning Bylaw

Langley City has a new Official Community Plan. The Official Community Plan outlines the vision for our community, and the zoning bylaw helps implement that vision. Our current zoning bylaw was adopted when I was in Grade 7, and I'm now 40 years old. Langley City Council is working toward adopting a new zoning bylaw this winter.

Create a New Rolling Strategic Plan

Langley City Council adopted our short-term 2023 Council Priorities. We will be working this fall to adopt a new five-year, rolling strategic plan that Council will update annually, similar to our budget. This plan will be a living document that outlines what Council wants City staff to focus on.

Join Langley City's New Accessibility Committee

The provincial government's Accessible B.C. Act received royal assent in the summer of 2021. This act requires provincial entities, including local governments, to implement:

• An Accessibility Plan which outlines how they will identify, remove and prevent barriers
• An Accessibility Committee to provide advice on the Accessibility Plan and removing and preventing barrier
• A way for people to provide feedback directly to a local government on accessibility, which a local government must provide to its Accessibility Committee and consider in creating and updating its Accessibility Plan

Areas to consider in improving accessibility and universal access include people's attitudes, physical barriers, communication, systemic barriers, technology, and sensory barriers.

Langley City is forming its Accessibility Committee and seeking volunteers.

The City is looking for:

• One voting member representing the Indigenous community
• Up to five voting members who represent persons with disabilities or individuals who support persons with disabilities
• One voting member representing Inclusion Langley
• One voting member representing seniors
• Up to three voting members from the community who are passionate about accessibility and universal access

If you want to join the committee, please visit Langley City's website, complete the Committee Expression of Interest Form, email info@langleycity.ca, phone 604-514-2800, or drop by the Administration Department at City Hall. The deadline is Friday, September 29, 2023.

Interactive Map of Major Langley City Projects

One of the focus areas of the 2023 Langley City Budget was to work on the basics. While there are certainly some flashy projects, such as the new Downtown bike lanes and the upcoming $18 million Fraser Highway One Way renewal, most of the projects focus on the basics, like ensuring our water and sewer lines are in a state of good repair and that our traffic lights are modernized.

202 Street Area, South of 48 Ave, Utility Replacements

Langley City staff has put together an interactive map that shows some of the other significant projects, including:

56 Avenue Water, Storm and Sanitary Sewer Replacement: $4 million
202 Street Area, South of 48 Ave, Utility Replacements: $3 million
49 Avenue Utilities Replacement: $1.1 million
Traffic Signal Renewal: $750,000
McBurney Plaza Wood Deck Replacement: $350,000

Check out the map to see what projects are happening in your neighbourhood.