New Policy to Prevent Parkade Construction Cave-Ins

Until December 2022, I'd never heard of a parkade under construction in Langley City having a cave-in or partial cave-in during construction. In December 2022 and August 2024, the construction shoring at two different sites failed.

As I posted in November, Langley City implemented a practice of having independent reviews of the geotechnical design for underground parkades. Last night, Langley City Council adopted a new "CO-87 - Excavation and Shoring Policy."

This policy makes the new practice of having an independent review of geotechnical design a requirement for all proposed excavations with 3 metres or greater depth. It also reserves the right for the City to request an independent review for any excavations.

While this might seem like the City is adding red tape, the safety of our community and workers is paramount. This policy will help improve underground parkades' safety and other underground construction.

Metro Vancouver Housing Supply Challenge Started in the 1990s

Everyone knows that there is a housing shortage in Metro Vancouver. All municipalities now have provincially mandated housing needs reports. I posted about Langley City's report in December.

The Metro Vancouver Regional District recently completed a Regional Housing Needs Report. There were a few things that stood out to me.

One thing is that this housing shortage we find ourselves in today, while certainly exacerbated in the last few years, really started back in the early 1990s. This period is when governments were cutting funding to housing programs. Interestingly, it was also in the early 1990s when the province started the process of shutting down Riverview Hospital without providing adequate facilities in other locations. Decisions made in the past (good and bad) can impact people for generations.

Metro Vancouver Housing Completions per 1,000 Population, (1970 to 2024) and Required Level of Completions to Meet 20-Year Housing Need (2022 to 2041). Select chart to enlarge.

Region-wide, we need to increase yearly housing completions by 22,668. We need to double the current rate in the South of Fraser - East (where Langley City is located). The following chart shows the sub-regional breakdown.

Estimated Annual Shortfall in Housing Completions, Metro Vancouver Sub-Regions, 2022 to 2026. Select chart to enlarge.

Regional District staff made the following overall observations:

• Housing development levels must double to address regional housing pressures.
• The federal and provincial governments must significantly increase their loan and funding programs to build more affordable rental housing.
• Overall, we need more purpose-built rental housing.

Certainly, municipal governments have taken our lumps for being a barrier to getting housing built (some deserved and others not), though we will continue to need to invest in ways to build housing more efficiently to meet the growing demand, such as modular construction.

Please read the April 3 Metro Vancouver Regional Planning Committee agenda for more information.

Proposed Regional Parks Bylaw Update: E-Bikes, Alcohol in Parks, and Dog Leashes

The Metro Vancouver Regional District is proposing several changes to the bylaw regulating regional park use. I wanted to highlight some of the proposed changes.

Right now, e-bikes are technically not permitted in regional parks (outside of roadways), even in areas where human-powered-only bikes are permitted. The proposed update will allow e-bikes to be used wherever traditional bikes are permitted.

The District is also looking to allow electric kick scooters on designated trails and greenways.

Regarding dogs, the Regional District is looking at reducing the allowed leash length from 5 metres to 2.5 metres to ensure that people can keep their pets under control better. The District is also looking to make Codd Wetland Ecological Conservancy Area a no-dog area.

The proposed bylaw changes also include an update around requirements for camping in regional parks for people who are experiencing homelessness. People experiencing homelessness will be allowed to camp in grassy areas that are not in ecological conservancy areas, park reserves, or any other ecologically sensitive areas.

The Regional District also proposes extending their pilot program, allowing people to consume alcohol in specific areas of regional parks from Friday, May 16, 2025, to Monday, October 13, 2025.

The areas are:

• Boundary Bay Regional Park at Centennial Beach
• Brunette Fraser Regional Greenway at Sapperton Landing
• Campbell Valley Regional Park at the 8th Avenue Picnic Area/Order of Canada Grove
• Capilano River Regional Park at the Cleveland Dam Picnic Area
• Derby Reach Regional Park at the Day Use Area adjacent to Edgewater Bar campground
• The Iona Beach Regional Park Picnic Area

Please read the latest Regional Parks Committee agenda for more information.

March 24 Council Notes: Traffic Lights, Committees, Surety Bonds

Yesterday, I posted about the proposed BC Builds Affordable Rental Mixed-Use Project at 49th Avenue and 200th Street, and today, I will post about the remaining items addressed at Monday's Langley City Council meeting.

Council approved a contract worth $689,700 to Crown Contracting Ltd and $5,300 to W.K. Williams Engineering Consultants Ltd. to upgrade various traffic signals throughout the City. The City is also setting aside a $68,970 contingency for this project.

Council also changed who chairs and co-chairs our Crime Prevention Committee. Councillor Albrecht will chair the committee, and Councillor Solyom will co-chair. If you would like to volunteer for this committee, please visit Langley City's website.

When people build a project in any municipality, they must provide bonds or deposits to the municipality. For example, you must pay a deposit for landscaping in new projects to ensure that the landscaping survives at least a year. Any landscaping that dies after one year needs to be replaced. This deposit is returned after this one year and after the City verifies that all landscaping is alive and to the original plan.

Some municipalities are piloting allowing surety bonds instead of cash deposits. Instead of a builder having to give cash to a municipality for a deposit, they would take out an "insurance plan" that would be paid out to a municipality if a builder didn't meet their obligations. Surety bonds could help lower the cost of housing project construction. Council passed a motion asking that we consider exploring a surety bond program as part of our upcoming strategic planning.