June 9 Council Notes: Budget and Crime Prevention

As I posted previously, every year, local governments in BC must update their financial plans to reflect their independently audited year-end financial statements. As part of this process, people have the opportunity to provide feedback. Langley Council did not receive any feedback and on Monday approved updating our 2024 - 2028 Financial Plan.

Every year, Langley City Council must provide an "approval in principle" letter to the RCMP for the upcoming year's budget. This letter outlines the upper bounds of costs. The federal government uses this to help with its budgeting, as it covers 10% of policing costs. City Council may choose to reduce the budget but not increase it during our budget process, which starts in the winter. The RCMP is budgeting a 4.7% increase in policing costs, rising from $15.7 million to $16.1 million in 2026 with no new members (officers).

In the next five years, the RCMP estimates that we may need 12 additional members. This number could be lower or higher. As such, City staff also included in the "approval in principle" letter asking for the federal government to set aside a budget for two new members this year, which would increase the 2026 policing budget by an additional $533,594 to $16.5 million.

Langley City's Crime Prevention Committee, which includes volunteer members from the community, asked City Council to dedicate eight hours of the City's communication staff time to help the committee with social media messages focused on crime prevention, personal safety, and existing RCMP programs for residents and businesses, such as Block Watch. Council approved this request.

June 9 Council Notes: Housing Matters

On Monday night, Langley City Council gave first and second reading to rezone 4505-4535 200A Street to accommodate a 27-unit, three-bedroom townhouse project.

Rendering of proposed townhouse project at 4505-4535 200A Street

I wanted to highlight a few things about this proposed project. The project, if approved, includes retaining clusters of existing trees along the 200th Street frontage, bordering the school property and the walkway connecting 200A Street to the school property. The walkway would also be widened as part of this project.

The project includes a small, common passive greenspace and six visitor parking spaces (one of which is accessible). 17 of the 21 units have side-by-side garages.

As per the City's Townhome & Plex-Home Best Practices Guide. The proposed townhouses are set back 8 metres from 200A Street or step down in height to two stories.

As part of any redevelopment of market rental buildings, the current number of rental units must be secured in the new building for the life of that building. 20675 Eastleigh Crescent is subject to a rezoning and development application. You can read more about this in a previous post. Twenty-one units in the new building must be rental units, comprising a mix of 11 two-bedroom units, four one-bedroom units with dens, and six one-bedroom units. Council gave first, second, and third reading to a housing agreement bylaw to secure these rental units in the proposed new building.

Council also gave final reading to rezoning and issued a development permit for a 6-storey, 80-unit apartment building located at 20130-20150 53 Avenue and 20139-20153 52 Avenue. You can read more about this project in a previous post.

New Draft Zoning Bylaw for Langley City

As I mentioned last week, Langley City is rewriting its zoning bylaw. The zoning bylaw is one of the primary ways that the City implements the policies of the Official Community Plan.

The last major update of the zoning bylaw occurred in 1996. I was in grade 7 at the time, and Langley City had a population of 22,523. The needs of 1996 Langley City are different than today, and over the years, the current zoning bylaw has become a bit of a Frankenstein's Monster of a document.

One of the primary goals of the rewrite is to simply and modernize the zoning bylaw. This simplification includes reducing the number of zoning.

Map of Langley City with new draft zones. Select the map to enlarge.

The new zoning bylaw also thoroughly bakes in all the recent provincial government changes, such as transit-oriented areas and the ability to build up to four units of housing on any residential lot in the City. The new zoning bylaw also enables the addition of inclusionary zoning and density bonusing in the future, which allow the City to leverage private development to build below-market rental units.

Within our residential zoning, the zoning bylaw will enable detached homes, duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, carriage homes, garden suites, and secondary suites.

Without limiting the ability to build quadplexes with at least 50 m² per unit in accordance with provincial guidance, the zoning bylaw also encourages less boxy designs of housing up to three stories in height. You can build up to three stories today in Langley City on any residential lot.

The zoning bylaw also requires that a minimum of 5 percent of all units in apartment zones have three or more bedrooms.

The zoning bylaw also reduces the parking requirements for below-market rental units and boosts the number of required bike parking spots in transit-oriented areas.

The zoning bylaw also enables more zones that permit childcare.

We know that there are many "spas" in the City, which, in our new draft zoning bylaw, are called "Personal Health Enhancement Centres." The zoning bylaw bans this use outright (though existing spas are grandfathered.) As a note, RMTs, hair and nail salons, and barber shops are not included in the "Personal Health Enhancement Centres" definition.

The zoning bylaw is in draft form, and the City is now seeking feedback from our community, as I noted in a previous post.

If Council approves the new zoning bylaw, just like today, rezoning would still be required in many cases.

You can read the draft zoning bylaw on Langley City's website.

Traffic Fine Revenue in Langley City

Since 2004, the provincial government has provided all traffic fine revenue collected in a local government area to that local government. In Langley City, we receive about half a million dollars in traffic fine revenue per year. In Langley City, we earmark the funding directly back to our local RCMP detachment.

The following chart shows the absolute amount of revenue we receive per year between 2018 and 2024.

It was interesting to see an increase in traffic revenue fines during the pandemic.

This next chart shows the per capita amount due to population growth.

Traffic revenue is an area where, if an equal amount of enforcement is applied, we want to see a decrease in fines as people change their behaviour. Although there has been a slight decline in per capita traffic fine revenue after the pandemic, speeding and distracted driving continue to be significant concerns in our community.

Tree Bylaw and Zoning Bylaw Online Feedback and Open Houses

Way back in 2010, Langley City Council proposed a tree bylaw to prevent cutting down trees that had a diameter of 20cm or larger without a permit on private property. I was part of the City's Park and Environment Advisory Committee at that time. The bylaw caused panic in the community, and people started cutting down trees left, right, and centre, concerned that the bylaw would make it impossible to remove trees without costly studies and permits. The Council of the day abandoned the bylaw due to widespread concerns in the community.

Fifteen years later, Langley City is considering a tree bylaw again. Langley City's goal is to expand our tree canopy. A tree bylaw is one tool that can help with this goal. A tree bylaw can help manage trees on public property, during redevelopment, and on private property. While the City can use a tree bylaw to protect existing trees, the bylaw can also set requirements for tree replacement and how the City manages public trees. To prevent a repeat of 2010, the City is seeking feedback on what people would like to see in a tree bylaw. You can visit Let's Chat Langley City to provide your feedback on what you would like to see in a tree bylaw.

The City is also hosting an open house as follows. You can drop by anytime between 6 pm and 8 pm.

Date: Monday, June 16
Time: 6 pm to 8 pm
Location: City Hall/Timms Community Centre

Langley City's current zoning bylaw dates back to 1996. Though it has been updated over the years, it is long in the tooth. While the Official Community Plan sets the overall land-use vision for the community, the zoning bylaw implements the nuts and bolts of the land-use vision, such as maximum building height and how far a building needs to be set back from property lines. The City has been working on a new zoning bylaw.

Over the last few years, the City has received feedback from the community for the new zoning bylaw. Keep your eyes on Let's Chat Langley City for more details, but save the date for an open house of our proposed updated zoning bylaw.

Date: Wednesday, June 25
Time: 4 pm to 7 pm
Location: City Hall/Timms Community Centre

Planning for the Future Relies on Regional Data Models

As our population grows and communities change, people can take it for granted that water will flow, toilets will flush, and new streets and parks will be built. Assuming everything will just work is a good thing, but there is a lot that goes on that many people may not be aware of. In Metro Vancouver, we have access to high-quality data models that help us make better-informed decisions about how we plan for the future.

There are 21 municipalities in Metro Vancouver. We know that planning for the future requires looking at both the regional and local levels. As a result, local governments in Metro Vancouver have primarily tasked the Regional District with creating data models to help plan for the future. These models provide both regional-level and neighbourhood-level information.

The key data models used by local governments, TransLink, and the Regional District are as follows.

• Immigration Model - Models growth within the region based on past settlement patterns.
• Behavioural Model - Models where and what types of housing people want, including size, tenure (rent/own), and type (attached/detached).
• Growth Projections Models - Models future population, employment, and housing units required based on immigration and behavioural models.
• Land Use Model - Forecast land-use requirements based on the growth projections models.
• 3D Urban Form Model - Used in conjunction with the land use model to help visualize the future built form, including building heights and lot coverage.

No models are perfect, many factors can impact future growth, such as federal immigration numbers. City plans throughout our region, including Langley City's Official Community Plan, utilize these regional models to inform future planning decisions.

Green Bins in Apartments and Reducing Single-Usage Items

People in the Metro Vancouver region do their part to reduce waste and recycle. Over the last decade, we have reduced our waste by 11%, even as our region's population has increased. As I've posted in the past, people in apartments and townhouses recycle and use organics bins less than people who live in detached housing. There is an opportunity for changing behaviour.

From Metro Vancouver's Food Scraps aren't Garbage Campgain. Select the image to enlarge.

As people in townhouses and apartments often need to store organic waste under the sink or in their garage, there is concern that it may smell unpleasant, attract insects, and generally be messy and dirty.

With this in mind, Metro Vancouver has updated its resources with a larger focus on people who live in apartments and townhouses. Metro Vancouver's "Food Scraps Aren't Garbage" site has tips on how to manage organics cleanly and how to get a program set up in your building (if you don't have one already.) One tip is to store your green bin in the freezer.

This summer, Metro Vancouver's "What's your Superhabit?" educational campaign will be back. The program's goal is to educate people on easy ways to reduce the use of disposable cups, containers, and utensils. This year's campaign will focus on people under the age of 44 who tend to use more single-use items. Some simple reminders include using a travel mug, using a reusable water bottle and bringing a set of utensils to work.

While there are certainly other barriers to reducing waste and using the organics bin, changing behaviour is critical. The overall goal of Metro Vancouver's campaigns this year is to let people know that everyone is using fewer single-use items and using green bins, and that you should join the party.

Upcoming Events: State of the City, Community Dialogue on Safety

There are two upcoming events in the City this June that I wanted to highlight.

The first event is a Community Dialogue on Safety. As you may know, Langley City has a Citizens’ Assembly. The assembly consists of 29 members from our community who put their names forward and were chosen through a lottery system, taking into account our community’s demographic makeup. The mandate is to deliver a set of recommendations to Council that will improve community safety, transitioning from a more reactive to a proactive safety model.

An upcoming Community Dialogue will allow Citizens’ Assembly members to collaborate with attendees and share insights about safety and well-being in Langley City.

Name: Community Dialogue
Date: Wednesday, June 11
Time: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Location: Council Chambers, Langley City Hall

This event is open to anyone in the Langely City community. If you are unable to attend in person, you can also participate online.

The Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce will host the annual State of the City Address. I will deliver a presentation about what has been happening in Langley City over the last year and where we plan to go in the coming year. This year’s address will focus on community safety, community investments, and Langley City’s new data-driven approach to decision-making and organization accountability. We will be launching our KPI dashboard. KPIs, or Key Performance Indicators, are measurements that help track progress toward objectives and flag issues early, allowing organizations to make adjustments. There will also be a question-and-answer period and dinner.

Name: State of the City
Date: Thursday, June 19
Time: 5:30 pm  - 8:15 pm
Venue: Coast Langley City Hotel 
Cost:  $55

You can register to attend the State of the City Address on the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce website. The City will also post videos from the address on its website.