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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
1 comment:
With so much redevelopment, contractors need to build more 3-4 bedroom suites. I’m a family of five living in a townhouse and everything new is mostly 1-2 rooms. Where I live, we are constantly being asked to sell for redevelopment but in our current location there are not many options. New doesn’t have enough rooms, and old will eventually be redevelopment too , not giving families much options.
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