Why does Michaud Crescent exist? Who is Innes, and why do we care about his corners? What’s with our road system? Where did people party at the turn of the 20th Century? And how did a random trip down the road lead to the eventual creation of Langley City?
Find out in “The History of Langley City: Part 1”. Coming Soon!
When people examine how folks move around in our region, they typically refer to data from Statistics Canada. Unfortunately, this data only examines how people travel to their place of work. This is why, approximately every half-decade, TransLink commissions trip diaries, which provide a sample of all trip types people take throughout Metro Vancouver.
Metro Vancouver Regional District staff have recently created maps to look at the changes between TransLink’s 2017 and 2023 trip diaries for walking and transit trips.
With the exception of West Vancouver, walking trips are up throughout the region. Port Moody, Pitt Meadows, and Langley City have all seen a doubling of walking trips between 2017 and 2023. In Langley City, approximately 14% of all trips originating in Langley City were made on foot in 2023. For trips that stayed within Langley City, about 32% were walking trips.
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| Change in the number of walking trips between 2017 and 2023 across the region. Select the map to enlarge. |
While overall transit ridership remained flat between 2017 and 2023, the following map shows that there has generally been a decline in transit trips in the western part of our region, whereas in the eastern part of our region, transit trips are significantly up. In fact, Langley City saw the largest growth in transit trips within the region between 2017 and 2023. In 2023, approximately 3% of all trips originating in Langley City were made by transit.
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| Change in the number of trips made on transit between 2017 and 2023. Select the map to enlarge. |
In Metro Vancouver, the number of overall trips made by bike increased, while trips by automobile decreased between 2017 and 2023. For more information, please visit TransLink’s 2023 Trip Diary dashboard.
As I mentioned last week, there is good news regarding the crime statistics in Langley City. Over the last five years, the overall crime rate has decreased by 40% and the Crime Severity Index has decreased by 50%.
At the same time, people are still calling the police. The number of police “files” or service calls is steady at around 12,000 annually in Langley City, with a peak of 12,676 in 2022 and a low of 11,703 in 2020, about a 7% difference. In 2024, the number of “files” was 11,997, which is about a 5% difference from the peak.
For all suspicious activity that is not an emergency, you can call the non-emergency police line at 604-532-3200 or use the online crime reporting tool.
Last week, Langley City held its first Social Streets event at Linwood Park. This was a casual drop-in event for people to hang out, get to know their neighbours, enjoy some low-key, family-friendly music, free food, and live entertainment.
People were dancing, relaxing in their lawn chairs, and enjoying a chef's cooking demo.
There are two other neighbourhood-scale Social Streets events scheduled to take place in about a month, so be sure to mark your calendars.
The next Social Streets event will happen at Hunter Park in the Alice Brown Neighbourhood. This will be one of the first City events in this part of our community in a long time.
Date: Wednesday, August 27th
Location:
Hunter Park
Time: 3pm to 8pm
The Social Streets event after that will take place at Rotary Centennial Park.
Date: Wednesday, September 3rd
Location:
Rotary Centennial Park
Time: 2pm to 8pm
I look forward to seeing you at your neighbourhood event!
Recently, Statistics Canada released its latest annual Crime Severity Index and Crime Statistics, which cover the period up to 2024. Langley City’s overall crime rate and Crime Severity Index are at their lowest levels since 1998, the earliest year available on the Statistics Canada website. The following chart shows the overall and violent crime rates over the last decade for Langley City.
Within the overall crime rate is the violent crime rate. Langley City’s lowest violent crime rate occurred in 2014, with a rate of 1,439.85. It was trending up, but is now trending down. Violent crime means crimes against a person, which include incidents such as bar fights and threatening people to murder.
The crime rate is determined by the actual number of police reported incidents per 100,000 population.
The Crime Severity Index can be considered an improvement over raw crime rates, as it takes into account both the volume and seriousness of crimes. One homicide would impact the Crime Severity Index of a community 1,000 times more than one instance of “causing a disturbance,” for example. Statistics Canada determines the weighting for each type of crime based on the length of convictions people receive. The Crime Severity Index is calculated on a per capita basis. The following chart shows the Crime Severity Index over the last decade for Langley City.
Between 2015 and 2022, there was a data entry issue where a large number of “Making, or distribution of child pornography” incidents were misidentified as coming from Langley City. This error was corrected in the 2023 data going forward.
Langley City participated with other western Canadian municipalities to change how the Crime Severity Index data is reported. You can read more about this on a previous blog post and on a press release on Langley City’s website. The short of it is that crime rates and Crime Severity Index data should not be used to rank municipalities against one another, as it is an incorrect use of this data. Crime Rates and the Crime Severity Index are useful to understand trends within a municipality or jurisdiction.
July 21 was the last Langley City Council meeting before Council takes a break for the month of August. Our next Council meeting will be on September 8th. In previous posts, I wrote about the 200th Street watermain project that Council approved a tender for, and Langley City’s on-street parking and public parking lot management strategy. Today I’ll post about the remaining items addressed at the meeting.
David Pollock, who is the Director of Engineering, Parks, & Environment, provided a brief update on the Fraser Highway One-Way Project. The project remains on time and on budget. The new sidewalks and first layer of asphalt will be completed before August 16, which is when the Arts Alive Festival takes place. At this point, people will be able to walk, roll, drive, and park on the one-way.
The second (and final) layer of asphalt will be applied at the end of August. Street trees and street furniture (chairs and tables) will be installed in the first few weeks of September.
Council also gave final reading for rezoning the property at 20256-20272 54A Avenue and issued a development permit for a 6-storey 114-unit apartment building. You can read more about this building in a previous post.
Finally, Council approved the Langley School District’s Eligible School Sites proposal. This is a rolling 5-year plan that outlines where the District plans to allocate the School Site Acquisition Charge, a $600-$1000 development charge applied to each new unit of housing in the City and Township. The District submits an updated proposal annually.
The District estimates that, over the next decade, approximately 900 new student spaces will be required in Langley City and 6,300 for the Township. The current plan for the City is to accommodate these students in expanded existing schools, as well as in expanded school and new school sites within the Township. As such, the School Site Acquisition Charge collected in the City and Township will be used to acquire new sites in the Township.
The City and School District are working together on identifying a potential future school site within the City that may be necessary after the arrival of SkyTrain. Council approved the Eligible School Sites proposal.
This is the final post in my three-part series about Langley City’s on-street parking and public parking lot management strategy. Part one discussed the public feedback received regarding parking, and part two examined parking demand by block and street. Today’s post examines proposed actions to help manage parking north of the Nickomekl River and in our Downtown.
In our Downtown, based on feedback and parking demand, we need to shift longer-term parking from high-demand areas, such as on-street parking along the Fraser Highway One-Way, to areas with extra supply, like the City-owned parking lots around the Fraser Highway One-Way.
The following map illustrates the proposed changes to parking times, with shorter 2-hour parking on most streets and 4-hour parking in public parking lots.
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| Proposed changes to the on-street and public parking lots time limits. Select the map to enlarge. |
The proposed changes also include rolling out shorter-term parking/loading spaces (30 minutes or less).
Langley City currently provides a limited number of reserved monthly parking spaces for rent in our public parking lots. The proposed changes include expanding the number of these spaces for people who work in our Downtown.
In the future, the City may consider implementing paid parking in high-demand areas to help manage parking turnover, if needed, once SkyTrain is operational. Paid downtown on-street parking isn’t proposed for implementation at this time. The City will explore securing on-site public parking as part of redevelopment projects near our two SkyTrian stations.
Finding our public parking lots is a challenge even for locals, so one of the big moves will be to develop and implement better public parking wayfinding.
For areas outside of our Downtown, north of the Nickomekl River, the City is exploring on-street permit parking in high-demand locations to help ensure that people can fairly share limited on-street parking spaces. Consultation will take place with the community regarding residential permit parking this fall.
To help ensure that people park appropriately, the City will also modernize its parking enforcement. An example includes implementing automated license plate readers for bylaw staff.
This is part two of a three-part series about Langley City’s on-street parking and public parking lot management strategy for areas north of the Nicomekl River. Part one examined the feedback the City received about people’s parking experiences and highlighted key findings from that feedback. This post focuses on parking utilization rates by block or corridor in our downtown and primarily residential areas north of the Nicomekl River.
We all recognize that land is valuable and that on-street parking must be balanced with other uses, such as loading zones, fire safety, streetside patios, and transit lanes. The golden rule for effective on-street parking is to maintain a utilization rate of around 85%. This means in each block, there should be one or two free spots, which prevents people from having to circle around. This 85% metric originates from the extensive research of the late Donald Shoup, as outlined in his seminal book, “The High Cost of Free Parking.”
The following map shows the typical peak parking utilization rate in Downtown Langley City.
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| Map showing typical weekday peak parking demand in Downtown Langley City. Select the map to enlarge. |
The key finding for Downtown Langley City is that there is sufficient parking availability, both on-street and in public parking lots, but there is excessive demand in specific areas. For example, the Fraser Highway One-way section has excessive demand for on-street parking, even while the free public parking lots at City Hall and on the east end of the One-way have sufficient capacity.
The following map shows the typical peak parking demand for areas outside of Downtown Langley City, but north of the Nicomekl River.
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| Map showing typical peak evening demand in neighborhoods north of the Nicomekl River, excluding Downtown. Select the map to enlarge. |
My key observation is that neighborhoods with a significant amount of townhouses that have fully enclosed parking tend to have higher on-street parking demand, including my own neighborhood (I live on the very west side of 55A Avenue). Anniodately, I see some of my neighbourhood's garages mostly filled with everything but a vehicle. When I lived in an apartment, parking was actively managed to ensure that only vehicles were in assigned parking spots.
Based on the feedback people provided and the observed parking utilization rates, the parking study team is proposing a set of draft recommendations, which I will share in part three of this series.
As a note, the maps show the times of day/day of the week with the highest typical demand.
With population growth, the arrival of SkyTrain, and thriving commercial areas, Langley City is developing an on-street and public lot parking management strategy for areas north of the Nicomekl River, with a focus on the Downtown Area.
Over the last year, the strategy development team has been gathering data, including on-street parking utilization rates and community feedback. Based on the data and feedback, they have developed a draft set of recommendations, which will be further refined over the coming months. However, before I get to the recommendations, I would like to share some of the feedback the team received.
In Langley City’s downtown area, there are two key findings that I would like to highlight. The first finding is that people who are not local to Langley City (approximately one-third of those who park downtown) are more likely to be dissatisfied with their parking experience.
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| Parking satisfaction among downtown parkers by typical parking duration and place of residence. Select chart to enlarge. |
While parking dissatisfaction rates are low, they increase to 40% for individuals who want to park for more than six hours. This makes a lot of sense, as the City currently has only 3 hours of time-limited on-street parking and limited monthly public paid parking in our downtown area.
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| Parking satisfaction among downtown parkers by typical parking duration. Select image to enlarge. |
Some of the top recommendations from the feedback the project team received included providing more dedicated medium- and long-term parking options (greater than three hours) in the downtown area and improving parking wayfinding, including to City-owned parking lots.
Looking at residential parking north of the Nicomekl River, on-street parking dissatisfaction rates are low; however, they increase for households with two or more vehicles.
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| Parking satisfaction in residential areas among residents by vehicle ownership. Select image to enlarge. |
Tomorrow, I will continue posting about Langley City’s parking management strategy, looking at overall parking utilization rates.
On Monday evening, Langley City Council approved a $2.97 million tender for Hyland Excavating Ltd. to replace the watermain under 200th Street between 44th Avenue and 50th Avenue. Council also approved a $105,800 tender for ISL Engineering and Land Services Ltd. to manage the construction of the project.
The project has a $315,000 contingency, as even with the best planning, unexpected issues can be discovered during the excavation of old roads.
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| Map showing the watermain replacement project’s location. Select the map to enlarge. |
As part of replacing the end-of-life watermain, the project will include upsizing the pipe to accommodate future growth. To pay for the upsizing, approximately 10% of the project's funding is from development cost charges. These charges are levied on development projects in the City.
The road will be patched up after this project, but not fully repaved this year as BC Hydro will be installing new underground ducting along 200th Street in early 2026. After the BC Hydro project is complete, the road will be fully repaved.
Last week, I posted that people can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower costs by renovating existing buildings to install energy efficiency solutions, such as electric heat pumps.
Sometimes you might hear that the BC’s electricity grid doesn’t have the capacity to support the full electrification of building systems and the switch over to EVs. SFU’s Centre for Dialogue project, Clean Energy Canada, has set out to dispel some of the myths about the clean energy transition and our ability to meet demand in BC.
Myth 1: BC has an electricity shortfall now and into the future.
Fact 1: Between 2021 and 2030, electricity demand is expected to
increase by 15%, while new clean energy supply is projected to increase by
27%, resulting in a faster increase in supply than demand.
Myth 2: Importing electricity means BC has not adequately planned for
energy needs.
Fact 2: BC is a net exporter of electricity, and BC Hydro is not seeing
a trend in the long-term drying of hydro reservoirs.
Myth 3: Climate policies will overload the grid (such as the switch to
EVs)
Fact 3: BC’s current and upcoming supply increases will meet demand. In
fact, switching current baseboard electric heat to heat pumps will reduce
electricity demand by 5%.
In the last little while, it might seem like it is harder than ever to move towards a clean energy future, but the facts are that it has never been easier or more possible. For more information, please visit the Clean Energy Canada website.
Langley City recently launched “Let’s Chat, Langley City!”, its online engagement platform. You can sign up to stay up to date on projects and initiatives in the city, including opportunities to provide feedback.
Langley City is looking at ways to support businesses, whether in our Downtown, along the bypass, or in our industrial areas. Some examples might include simplifying permitting or streamlining business licensing requirements.
If you own a business in Langley City, the city wants to hear from you. Langley City’s first “Langley City Business Success Program” survey is online until September 1st.
I know there are many demands on business owners’ time. This survey will take about 5 minutes to complete and will help shape how Langley City will support businesses.
The Metro Vancouver region has some of the highest recycling rates in the country, and we are doing a good job of diverting materials from disposal via landfill or incineration. The overall materials we recycle, compost, or dispose of have remained relatively flat per capita.
Growing up, I heard the phrase reduce, reuse, recycle. I think we've nailed the recycling part, but there is work to do with reducing and reusing. Metro Vancouver has come up with some other words, rethink and recover.
Recycling and composting still require energy, space, and infrastructure, so the fewer overall products that require recycling or composting, the more money and resources we can save as a region.
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| Using drinking water and a refillable container is a simple way to reduce waste. |
With this in mind, the Metro Vancouver District is looking to update its solid waste management plan with the following hierarchical goals based on feedback it has received. Number one is the top focus, and six is the last resort.
With these goals, the Regional District hopes to move forward with an updated solid waste management plan.
Since I was first elected to Langley City Council in 2016, there has been a steady stream of housing projects, and the number of projects has been ramping up over the years. This year, I’ve noticed a decline in new projects.
While many housing projects are still under construction, new submissions have stalled. Langley City has an Advisory Design Panel, which includes experts and regular community members who provide feedback on proposed development projects. Last year, this committee reviewed about a dozen housing projects. This year, the committee has reviewed five projects to date. You might think that the number of projects seems to be tracking the same as last year, but there are a few things to consider.
For one project, the applicant decided to cancel the project. Another project was the B.C. Builds projects, funded with the help of the provincial government, low-cost land from the City, and a church providing land. The last time the Advisory Design Panel met was in April.
I heard from elected folks in other Metro Vancouver communities that new housing projects have also slowed down in their communities.
A recent report from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation found that we need to double the amount of new housing built annually to restore affordability to the Canadian housing market.
The federal government has recently reduced immigration numbers. Many people thought this would allow the housing supply to “catch up.” If new housing construction is also slowing down, we may not see this “catch-up.”
Talking to home builder, they say financing costs, material and labour costs, and even the fees local government charges (which are needed) puts the price of housing above what the market can bear. These costs mean that projects are simply not moving forward.
So, what are the solutions? A few ideas come to mind that are easy to say but require more effort to implement.
The government must expand financing programs that provide low—or no-interest loans, such as the current Apartment Construction Loan Program. Modernizing construction, such as with modular housing, to reduce costs and speed up the timeline is more challenging but necessary.
While the federal government is now doing more to manage the demand for housing, we still need to “catch up” to deliver more affordable housing.
The Metro Vancouver Regional District recently published a report on building emissions focusing on greenhouse gases. Buildings are the second largest source of GHG emissions in our region. It found that while per capita emissions are slightly declining, actual emissions are rising.
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| GHG and Nitrogen Oxide Emissions by Building Type. 2010 through 2022. Source: Metro Vancouver 2022 Emissions Inventory. |
Between 2010 and 2022, GHG emissions from residential buildings increased by 11.5% and from commercial buildings by 20.7%. Nitrogen oxide, which harms human health, has also been increasing. Using conventional natural gas for heating and hot water is the primary driver of building GHG emissions.
We must move from conventional natural gas to renewable natural gas and fully electric heating and hot water systems. Of course, this must be done while maintaining affordability.
I've discussed this in the past for detached and strata housing; energy-efficient retrofit programs are needed to help reduce emissions and save people money. Modern buildings are significantly more energy efficient than older buildings, but over 2/3rds of housing units in our region were built in the 20th century.
Retrofitting these buildings, such as installing electric heat pumps for heating and hot water, will help reduce GHG emissions. There are some rebate programs, but commercial and strata buildings can fall through the cracks of these programs, leaving out a huge section of our building inventory. For example, 61% of housing units in Langley City are apartments.
While newer buildings become more efficient and have lower emissions, more work needs to be done to help homeowners, stratas, and commercial building owners reduce their buildings' emissions.
On Monday, Langley City Council awarded PW Trenchless Construction Inc. a tender for $2.98 million to complete several sanitary sewer projects throughout the community.
The following map shows the locations of the projects, including replacing the sewer line along 198th Street between 53rd and 56th Avenue.
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| Location of Sewer Project. Select the Map to Enlarge. |
The sewer pipes will be renewed using “pipe busting.” This process involves running a new pipe through an older pipe, helping minimize the disruption on the street.
The project also includes an additional $156,180 awarded to Binnie & Associates Ltd. to help manage it. The project has a $315,000 contingency in case of unforeseen issues. In an older community like Langley City, even with the best planning, unexpected things can happen when working underground.
On Monday, Langley City Council received our quarterly RCMP update from the Officer in Charge of the Langley Detachment Superintendent Dosange. He provided a brief overview of some of the policing initiatives they are working on in the City over the summer, including working with the BC Lions, where youth will train with CFL players to compete in a tournament later this month. The first event was at HD Stafford and helped get young people who live in both the City and Township engaged in positive activity.
You'll also see the police on bikes in our parks and trails over the summer. One of the major police concerns is people using e-scooters (both kick scooters and ones that look like mopeds) unsafely. The police are launching an education campaign around these mobility devices, including positive reinforcement and partnering with 7-Eleven to give out free coupons.
The police continue to partner with bylaws, including for trespassing matters. They will also ramp up the promotion of the Block Watch program in partnership with the City's Crime Prevention Committee.
On the crime stats, Dosange noted that things are stable in the City, though he did note an increase in auto theft, which he believes will be reduced shortly. A handful of people cause most criminal activity; once arrested, the crime will drop significantly. These people are also known as prolific offenders.
Later in the meeting, the Langley Foundation presented a $27,000 cheque to Langley City to purchase trees and street furniture for the Fraser Oneway project. The Langley Foundation is a local charity that supports improving pedestrian paths and trails, preserving and illuminating history, and enhancing green spaces. This generous donation will help offset some of the cost of the Oneway project.
Council also received an update on the rollout of the new waste collection program for people in detached houses and non-strata townhouses. City contractors are delivering bins this month, and the new collection system starts August 1st. More information is available on the City's website.
City staff presented to Council some proposed updates to our minute-taking policy to align with best practices. Council also updated who on Langley City staff attends the E-Comm Annual General Meeting as voting members on behalf of the City. E-Comm is a local government-owned organization that provides 911 and first responder radio services.
Every year, Langley City Council updates its strategic priorities plan. This plan outlines the City's mission, values, and core focus areas over the next five years. It also includes specific actions that Council would like to take. This plan is meant to be a living document as priorities may change and the City completes specific actions.
There are five top priorities for 2026, which layer onto the current work the City is doing within the strategic priorities plan.
Redevelop 20411 Fraser Highway: Partner with a developer to create a new mixed-use building that will include market and non-market homes at the entrance to the Fraser Highway Oneway.
Create a Standards of Maintenance Bylaw: A standard of maintenance bylaw sets the safety and quality standards that residential and commercial landlord must achieve on their properties.
Tenant Relocation Plans Policy: Last summer, Langley City Council approved a new tenant relocation policy, which set tenant compensation, relocation support, and the ability to return to a building after a redevelopment at a discounted rate. Council would like to see further refinements to the policy.
Amenity Cost Charges (ACC) Bylaw: The provincial government introduced ACCs to replace voluntary Community Amenity Contributions from developers. Local governments can use ACCs to fund infrastructure, including municipal buildings such as fire halls and recreation centres, that are required due to growth.
Develop Long-term Staffing Plan: As our community is growing and needs change, to continue to meet the needs of residents, businesses, and Council, the City will hire external support to develop a staffing plan.
The plan also has additional new initiatives that the City may take action on over the next year if time and resources are available. The City will continue to action on existing priorities that are in progress, such as the Innovation District strategy in partnership with KPU.
You can learn more by reading the plan.
As you may know, BC Hydro is upgrading and expanding the McLellan Substation just west of Brydon Lagoon in Surrey. As part of the upgrade, BC Hydro will be removing a significant number of trees on their property. While this project is entirely within Surrey, it will impact Brydon Lagoon. As such, Langley City staff, as well as Langley community organizations such as the Langley Field Naturalists, have been talking to BC Hydro to find ways to minimize the impacts.
I wanted to share the latest map showing the tree-clearing area and where BC Hydro will retain trees.
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| Map that shows McLellan Substation upgrade area, including tree removal and retention areas. Select the map to enlarge. |
As you can see, BC Hydro's current plan is to retain the section of trees (550 m2) on the southeast part of their property and a two- to six-metre buffer on the east edge of their property line.
I also understand that BC Hydro plans to do further landscaping and natural restoration after they complete the substation expansion.
More information about this project is available on their website, including information about how to reach out to BC Hydro.
Sometimes, it seems that all we get is bad news regarding the environment, but there is a lot of good work going on, such as cleaning up our air, water, and land. One area where we have made a lot of progress is cleaning up the air. Metro Vancouver is part of the Lower Fraser Valley airshed, and the Metro Vancouver Regional District completes a comprehensive inventory of air pollutants every five years.
They recently shared trends of air emissions from 2000 to 2020. The bottom line is that “today’s cleaner air saves the lives of approximately 580 Metro Vancouver residents each year, compared to air quality in 2001.”
The following tables show the reductions of certain emissions types.
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| Volatile Organic Compounds Emissions Trend in the Fraser Valley 2000-2020. Select the chart to enlarge. |
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| Nitrogen Oxides Emissions Trend in the Fraser Valley 2000-2020. Select the chart to enlarge. |
Except for fine particulate matter emissions from wildfires, PM2.5 emissions are also declining.
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| Fine Particulate Matter Emissions Trend in the Fraser Valley 2000-2020. Select the chart to enlarge. |
Of course, more work needs to be done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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| GHG Emissions Trend in the Fraser Valley 2000-2020. Select the chart to enlarge. |
Parking is one of those topics that people can feel very passionate about, whether people believe we have too much or too little parking. In Langley City today, most of our community north of the Nicomekl River does not have minimum parking requirements for residential use per provincial law as they are within provincial designated transit-oriented areas.
Building residential parking, especially in apartments, is expensive. Many numbers have been used over the years to quantify the cost of underground parking. The Metro Vancouver Regional District recently commissioned a study to determine the cost per stall.
The cost ranges from $117,382 to $137,721 per apartment stall. It might seem surprising initially, but parking is more expensive per stall in communities with higher per-unit parking requirements. This cost does make sense. Building a two-storey underground parkade is far more expensive than a one-storey parkade. With new six-storey wood-frame apartments in Langley City, parkades range from one to two stories.
The regional district also updated its apartment parking utilization study. Below are the results for South of Fraser Communities.
| Municipality | Residential Stall/Unit (Sampled) | Residential Stall Utilization | Visitor Stall Utilization |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delta | 1.39 | 72% | 47% |
| Langley City | 1.27 | 75% | 57% |
| Langley Township | 1.37 | 63% | 41% |
| Surrey | 1.31 | 70% | 40% |
| White Rock | 1.8 | 59% | 35% |
The parking utilization for residential parking demand was surveyed between 11:00 pm and 1:00 am, and visitor parking demand was surveyed between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm.
While Langley City Council does not control residential minimum parking requirements in most areas designated for apartments, there are still a few small areas outside the provincial designated transit-oriented areas that we do. A reduction in our residential parking to one parking space per unit for apartment buildings in these areas could reduce per-unit costs around $30,000, helping with affordability while providing adequate parking based on actual utilization.
To clarify, the study did not look at parking costs or utilization for townhouses, 'plexes, or detached homes.
It was a hot day yesterday, so I decided to ride my bike down to McBurney Plaza and grabbed a cold brew coffee and a cookie from Oldhand Coffee. It is one of several excellent independent coffee shops in Downtown Langley City, along with Coastal Coffee, Cozy Bean Bakery, Cup O' Cafe, Red Velvet Cafe, and Twins Coffee.
Anyway, I was talking to the barista, and I think I mentioned that Langley City used to be called Langley Prairie. She thought it was interesting and said that people always ask her about the area's history.
I mentioned that McBurney Plaza exists because, in 1995, the historic Oddfellows Hall caught on fire twice. The plaza is where the hall used to be. I then pointed out some of the other century-old buildings in our downtown.
Our community has so much history, but I fear that it will be lost if we don't share that history.
Langley City's Arts, Recreation, Culture, and Heritage Committee has been busy bringing that history back to life along with community members.
You'll notice that there are many things named Douglas in Langley City. They are named after James Douglas, the first Governor of the Colony of British Columbia. I've posted about his connection to the historic Black community in BC. He was of mixed descent.
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| Unveiling of plaques about James Douglas and Black History in Douglas Park. Select the image to enlarge. |
A few weeks ago, some Arts, Recreation, Culture, and Heritage Committee members officially unveiled new information plaques about James Douglas in Douglas Park. Be on the lookout for them, the next time you are at the park.
You'll notice signs about Langley City's railway history along Michaud Crescent and Grade Crescent that we rolled out earlier.
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| Vancouver, Victoria and Eastern Railway Sign at the south entrance of Sendall Gardens. |
There is much more history to tell, and I'm excited that we are starting to bring that history to life.
As I posted last week, Langley City's 2024 Annual Report is now available. Municipalities must provide an opportunity for people to provide official feedback on an annual report, whether written or at a council meeting. On Monday, Langley City Council provided an opportunity for people to speak to Council about our annual report. No one spoke, and we received no written feedback. Langley City Council officially approved the annual report.
Council received a presentation from the BC Nurses Union on how local governments can support nurses moving to and staying in our community. Munipciliaities need to support the creation of affordable housing (such as BC Builds projects where rents are 20% below market rates), build a variety of transportation options, expand childcare options (Langley City is considering expanding locations where childcare facilities can open as part of our new zoning bylaw), and provide recreation opportunities.
Later, Council received a spring update presentation from Discover Langley City, our tourism marketing organization that is primarily funded through a hotel room tax. Council learned about Discover Langley City's "Experience the Wonderland" winter campaign to attract people from BC and Washington to spend a night or two in Langley City to explore our community. We also learned about an upcoming sports tourism package they are putting together, as sporting events are big in Langley. I was able to attend a part of a FAM tour hosted by Discover Langley City. The tour included travel professionals and media and was an opportunity to show what our community offers.
At the end of May, several news outlets reported that the City of Bellingham in Washington sent letters to municipalities in Metro Vancouver, including Langley City, expressing their support for our peaceful border and long-standing relationship between BC and Washington State.
There are strong ties between Bellingham and Langley City that go beyond cheap gas and groceries. For example, at one point in my life, I took part in Highland Dancing. The group I was part of included members from Langley and Bellingham, and we would attend events on both sides of the border. I know a few people in Metro Vancouver who have cabins in and around Bellingham.
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| Highland Dancing in the City of Bellingham in 2007. |
At the time, several news outlets reached out to ask if I had anything to say about the letter. Unfortunately, Langley City was not in receipt of the letter at that time, as Bellingham City Council and Mayor sent it via mail.
In Canada, official letters are sent as PDF attachments in emails, including letters from other local governments, the province, and the federal government. As I found out, the proper protocol in the US is to send official letters via mail.
On June 6th, we received the letter from Bellingham, which you can see below.
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| Letter from the Council and Mayor of the City of Bellingham. Select the letter to enlarge. |
Given the current federal dynamics in the US, I have not travelled to the US, and I am supporting local, BC, and Canadian businesses whenever possible.
That being said, Langley City and Bellingham share the same airshed and watershed and have historic personal and economic connections; we are also inextricably linked ecologically.
As a symbol and acknowledgment of our shared history, friendship between our communities, and hope for a brighter future, Langley City Council on Monday approved my sending a letter to the Council and Mayor of Bellingham inviting them to come up to Langley City to share a meal and plant a tree at a Langley City park.
The official motion was:
THAT Langley City Council direct the Mayor to write a letter on behalf of Council thanking the Council and Mayor of the City of Bellingham for their letter dated May 19th, 2025, and invite the Council and Mayor of the City of Bellingham to a meal and tree planting ceremony in Langley City.
At its meeting on Monday, Langley City Council addressed several housing matters that are currently working their way through the approval process.
Council gave third reading to a bylaw to enable the rezoning of property at 4505 - 4535 200A Street to enable a 27-unit townhouse complex. The applicant will now work with City staff to finalize the design, engineering, and payments of deposits to the City before Council considers the final reading of the rezoning. You can read more about this in a previous post.
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| Rendering of proposed project at 20659 - 20679 Eastleigh Crescent to become 20675 Eastleigh Crescent. Select the image to enlarge. |
Back in September 2023, Langley City Council gave third reading to a rezoning bylaw for the property at 20659 - 20679 Eastleigh Crescent (which will become 20675 Eastleigh Crescent). As these are purpose-built rental buildings, the rezoning is subject to Langley City's one-for-one market rental replacement policy and tenant relocation policy that was in effect at the time of the application (Council adopted a newer tenant relocation policy last summer). Council gave final reading to the rezoning, the housing agreement to secure the new rental units, and issued a development permit.
Local governments are required by BC law to produce specific reports and disclosures annually. On Thursday, I posted about Langley City's 2024 Annual Report. In May, I posted about Langley City's 2024 Year-End Consolidated Financial Statements.
Municipalities must also produce a Council Remuneration & Statement of Financial Information report. Langley City has prepared its 2024 report, which is available for download on the City's website. It includes Council remuneration, salary information for municipal employees, and vendor payment information.
The following table shows Langley City Council's Remuneration for 2024.
| Elected Official | Remuneration | Expenses | Benefits | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pachal, Nathan J. | $139,645 | $6,804 | $36 | $146,485 |
| Albrecht, Paul E. | $65,167 | $7,871 | $4,543 | $77,581 |
| James, Teri L. | $65,167 | $1,588 | $4,543 | $71,298 |
| Mack, Delaney | $65,167 | $7,919 | $4,543 | $77,629 |
| Solyom, Michael | $67,495 | $4,980 | $36 | $72,511 |
| Wallace, Rosemary H.M. | $65,167 | $5,326 | $4,543 | $75,036 |
| White, Leith | $62,840 | $6,818 | $4,543 | $74,201 |
A few things to note. Each member of Council holds the Deputy Mayor role for two months per year. Due to the pay cycles, you may notice slight discrepancies in the remuneration of some Council members because of when their Deputy Mayor service falls. Some members of the Council may choose not to receive health or dental benefits, as they may be covered under a family plan with their spouse or another employer.
Expenses will also vary for Council members. Council members can attend up to three conferences per year. The Lower Mainland Local Government Association AGM and Convention, Union of BC Municipalities Convention, and Federation of Canadian Municipalities Convention. I've previously posted about these. In April 2024, Council sent a delegation to Ottawa on an advocacy mission, which included myself and a few other members of Council. Councillor Albrecht and Mack also attended a conference about the Crime Severity Index.