Budget infographic released; open house set for tonight, plus other ways to provide feedback on 2018 Langley City budget

Earlier this month, I posted about the proposed 2018 Langley City Financial Plan including highlights from the operating budget as well as the capital works budget.

Langley City staff will be hosting an open house tonight at City Hall where you will be able to ask questions directly to the folks that put together the financial plan. I also plan on stopping by the open house near the beginning. The details are as follows:

Date: January 31, 2018
Time: 6:00pm -7:30pm
Location: Langley City Hall Finance Department Foyer
20399 Douglas Crescent

City staff have also created two infographics that provide a high-level overview of the financial plan, including the changes in property taxes over the last four years.

2018 Financial Plan Infographic - Property Tax. Select graphic to enlarge.

The infographic clearly shows that policing is the largest expense in our community. As the RCMP provides policing services to our community, local property taxes pay for 90% of the cost to provide policing while the federal government pays 10%. Municipalities with their own police forces pay generally more for the same level of service.

2018 Financial Plan Infographic - Expenses. Select graphic to enlarge.

I believe that we have a good relationship with the RCMP. The official powers of local governments when it comes to poling is pretty much to set the number of RCMP members. Considering that police enforce federal and provincial laws, and considering the limited role that local governments play in policing, I find it interesting that the provincial government mandates that municipalities with populations over 5,000 pay for policing costs.

Water, sewer, and drainage expenses are a distance second and third respectively as shown in the infographic.

You can also provide feedback by emailing info@langleycity.ca. There will be another opportunity to provide feedback at the next council meeting which is scheduled for:

Date: February 5, 2018
Arrive by: 7:00pm
Location: Langley City Hall Council Chambers
20399 Douglas Crescent

January 29, 2018 Council Meeting Notes: Rezoning Requests West of 200th Street

Monday night’s Langley City council meeting started with a public hearing for a proposed rezoning at the corner of Brydon Crescent and 199A Street to accommodate a 77-unit, four-storey apartment building. This area west of 200th Street has seen a significant amount of redevelopment activity over the last few years.

The proponent of the project presented an overview of the building and its landscaping. As is standard, the developer will be responsible for improving the sidewalk and street around the proposed project. This includes the City’s new standard for curb extensions which improves visibility for all road users and lowers speeds at intersections, reducing collisions and near-misses between people walking and driving.

Proposed site plan, including street design, for Brydon Crescent apartment project. Select image to enlarge.

On-street parking will also be accommodated via parking pockets to clearly delineate parking areas. On the topic of parking, the proposed apartment building will also include 10 EV charging stations in the underground lot.

Because of poor soil conditions in some parts of the City, most underground parking in not flush with the sidewalk. Some apartment buildings present a concrete wall to the street as a result. This project will include a landscaped, terraced design which will result in a better public realm.

Proposed apartment project at 19941, 19943, 19951 & 5444 Brydon Crescent/5461 199A Street. Select image to enlarge.

There was one person at the public hearing who was concerned about development proposals generally in the area. He was concerned about buildings not having enough on-site parking, leading to parking spill-over onto the street. He was also concerned that there was not enough affordable housing in the community.

For 30 years, there was no on-street parking around the apartment building that I live in. On-street parking was recently introduced a month ago. The new on-street parking in now well used. Free on-street parking is like free beer, you can never provide enough. To learn more read, “The High Cost of Free Parking.”

Council gave third reading to the rezoning after the public hearing. Council also gave first and second reading to another proposed rezoning at the end of 55A Avenue, near 196 Street. This will allow for a public hearing to be scheduled for that request.

Proposed townhouse project located at 19607, 19619, 19629, 19649 & 19655 55A Avenue. Select image to enlarge.

Near the end of the meeting, Council approved two out-of-province training requests for staff members to attend the Pacific Northwest Resource Management School, and 2018 National Planning Conference.

Non-residential ownership of apartments in double digits

Many people believe that foreign ownership of residential property is one of the causes of the current housing crises in our region. In 2016, the provincial government responded with a 15% additional property transfer tax for foreign nationals and foreign corporations that purchase property in Metro Vancouver. The impact of the tax can be seen on single-family housing, but it has appeared to have had a much more limited impact on the apartments and townhouses.

Statistics Canada recently release information on who owns what types of housing in Canada based on type of housing, and whether the owner is a resident of Canada.

The following table shows the percentage of housing owned by non-resident owners by housing type. I've included the regional, as well as City of Vancouver and Langley City figures.

Non-Resident Ownership by property type. Single-attached housing includes row houses and townhouses. Source: CANSIM Table 035-0005.

While there has been much focus around single-family housing unaffordability and foreign ownership, non-residential ownership of apartments is more significant, as has been their rapid appreciation over the last year.

Price Index for Lower Mainland - Three Year Trend. Source: Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver.

It is not surprising that non-resident ownership is higher in the City of Vancouver than Langley City. There is no doubt in my mind that housing prices in the City of Vancouver are causing an upward pressure on housing prices in the rest of the region.

Housing exists along a continuum, with shelters and supportive housing on one end, and market-priced housing on the other end. If the rapid increase of pricing for all types of housing in our region continues, new residents of our region, and many in my generation, will not be able to purchase market housing in any form without significant changes in housing polices by the federal and provincial governments.

Discover the perfect day in Langley City

Last week, someone asked me what they should do when they were visiting Langley City. Of course, I gave them my suggestions which included checking out Downtown Langley, but you no longer have to take it from me that Langley City is the place to be.

Hotelier in our community voted this summer to form a destination marketing organization for Langley City. The City, though an RFP process, selected the Downtown Langley Business Association to be the organization responsible for delivering tourism services on behalf of the hotelier.

Today marks the official launch of Discover Langley City. Their newly launched website includes information on upcoming events, and itineraries to help plan a day or evening in our community. One of the big focuses is on local food, especially in “Restaurant Row” along Fraser Highway.

If you are local, you might even discover a thing or two that you didn’t know you could do in our community. It is really amazing what you can pack into 10 square kilometres!