Thursday January 9, 2025 | LANGFORD, BC [Posted at 2:45 pm | Updated 4:30 pm]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Six more acres of Langford city core greenspace results from the City’s purchase of Woodlands Park.
The park is located at 848 Hockley Avenue between Jacklin Road and Peatt Road. The area has a dense multi-family residential footprint as well as commercial buildings. The area is heavily travelled by local and regional commuters.
This significant property in downtown Langford features mature trees, botanical flower beds, and tranquil winding pathways.
The acquisition, unanimously approved by Council in-camera in December 2024, addresses the need for additional parks, trails, and open space in Langford’s downtown, as highlighted by the City’s Parks Needs Assessment, Urban Forest Management Plan, and Official Community Plan Refresh public input.
The current council is Mayor Scott Goodmanson and Councillors Kimberley Guiry, Colby Harder, Mark Morley, Lillian Szpak, Keith Yacucha and Mary Wagner.
Restoration will begin in 2030:
The City anticipates that the restoration of the urban oasis will begin in the spring of 2030 and will include additional trails and gardens, open green space, decorative fountains, landscaped ponds, picnic areas, and playgrounds.
Beacon Hill Park in Victoria, VanDusen Botanical Gardens in Vancouver, and the Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle will provide inspiration for the future design of Woodlands Park.
The City says that the acquisition follows significant due diligence, conducted by the City’s external legal counsel, TerraWest Environmental Inc., and Colliers Project Leaders.
“The acquisition of Woodlands Park to create an urban green space for people in Langford will benefit the community for generations to come,” says local MLA Ravi Parmar (Langford-Highlands) who also happens to be Minister of Forests.
“I want to congratulate the City of Langford on this exciting, future-thinking purchase, and I’m thrilled that this was made possible in part through the Growing Communities funding that the province distributed to municipalities in 2023 to support initiatives like these,” said Parmar in a statement today.
Previously a manufactured home park:
Woodlands Park has been privately operated as a manufactured home park for almost 60 years.
According to the municipality, this transfer of land reflects the former owner’s “vision and desire to leave a lasting legacy for the residents of Langford while meeting their need to retire and plan for their next phase of life”.
Purchase price:
Woodlands Park, stewarded by longtime Langford residents Ralph Stoerzer and Laura Kiehl, was secured by the City for $9.8 million. That is “significantly less than its appraised value of $18.125 million”, says the City of Langford in a news release today.
The City will issue a donation receipt to the operators of $8.325 million, which is the difference between the appraised value and the purchase price.
Supports to existing home park tenants:
To respectfully wind down the manufactured home park operations over the next five years, Council has approved a robust set of supports for existing tenants of Woodlands Park that exceeds the requirements of the provincial Manufactured Home Park Tenancy Act.
Tenants will have the option of continuing to reside in Woodlands Park for up to five years, until January 31, 2030, at which time the City will purchase each manufactured home for the assessed value plus 10%, should the tenant not be able to or want to relocate their manufactured home.
Tenants can also request that the City purchase their manufactured home at any time over the next five years at the assessed value plus 10%, if the tenants’ life circumstances require an earlier move.
To facilitate this, the City will budget up to $1 million annually to purchase homes as tenants are ready to move. To ensure a smooth transition for existing tenants, the City has appointed a dedicated Tenant Liaison to assist throughout this process.
“Ralph and Laura’s vision and significant contribution to the community will create an accessible urban oasis that benefits both current and future generations,” said Scott Goodmanson, Mayor of Langford. “This once in a generation initiative will transform Langford’s downtown by adding much needed greenspace, trails and gardens while preserving the biodiversity and mature tree canopy for residents to enjoy. I look forward to Woodlands Park providing year-round opportunities for friends and family to come together with nature in Langford’s downtown core.”
The City will fund $7 million of the $9.8 million purchase price through the Growing Communities Fund, a provincial grant received by the City in March 2023. In addition to the $1 million to be budgeted annually for tenant supports between 2025-2029, the remainder of the purchase price, along with the future transformation of the urban park in 2030, will require an additional tax increase of approximately 1.75% in 2029.
Dedication bylaw on January 13:
Langford Council will consider first three readings of a Park Dedication Bylaw for Woodlands Park on January 13, 2025.
This bylaw will designate the land as a permanent “green oasis” in the downtown core of Langford, ensuring it remains freely accessible to everyone, protects biodiversity, and provides a peaceful and tranquil environment, featuring a horticultural-style garden and an overstory of trees.
A portion of Hockley Avenue will also be closed and dedicated as Park land. The park will be formally designated Woodlands Park as a non-sheltering park.
The transfer will officially take place on January 22, 2025, at which time the City will assume all existing tenancy agreements for the manufactured home park and will enter into an agreement with the vendor for continued management and gardening services for one year, with an option for renewal.
===== RELATED:
NEWS SECTION: LANGFORD | ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY