Tuesday, July 16, 2019 ~ LANGFORD
~ West Shore Voice News
At the Monday July 15 meeting of Langford Council there was the usual marshalling of mighty strides forward for the municipality through discussion and approvals of bylaws and reports.
About 40 members of the public attended, which included at least three developers (Jim Hartshorne, Ron Coutre, and Matthew McKay).
The meeting was chaired by Councillor Lanny Seaton as Acting Mayor in the absence of Mayor Stew Young, with Councillor Denise Blackwell (who chairs the Planning, Zoning & Affordable Housing Committee) taking some of the lead on discussions on development and temporary use permit items.
Strenuous statements of objection and frustration were made by several members of the public, in particular regarding the proposed issuance of a Temporary Use Permit (TUP19-0007) for an eco-tourism and outdoor recreation enterprise targeted for 3680 Trans Canada Highway. The property is currently zoned RR4 (Rural Residential 4).
The City of Langford recently acquired the property that is located east of the TCH (Malahat section), and is one of the few oceanfront properties within the municipality. The topography is very steep (elevation drops from 120m at the Malahat down to sea level).
Being situated immediately adjacent to some residential and commercial properties (including the Goldstream Boat House Marina), there was concern expressed by the public about the possibility of fires happening next to their homes and properties, given that outdoor recreation – especially in dry summer conditions – can include camp fires and the sparks from recreational equipment. At one point, a speaker from the public challenged council with suggesting there was going to favouritism to the mayor’s businesses for possible activity on the property to which Councillor Seaton and others responded by saying with some outrage that such comments were inappropriate.
Councillor Seaton explained that allowed usages need to be known ahead of time by a business – therefore needing a Temporary Use Permit. The general public sentiment at the meeting was the proposed uses needed to be known first before granting permission for action on them.
Developer Ron Coutre – who is president of the Westshore Developers Association – lauded council as he’s done before regarding the pro-development and growth of Langford. More homes and schools are needed, he said. He also told Council that a 43% increase in School Site Acquisition Charges (SSACs) is considerably high. SSAC fees are ultimately passed on into the cost of housing development and further to the consumer (whether home buyer or renter).
Attending the meeting on Monday night was SD62 Chair Ravi Parmar. The agenda item for Langford to support SD62’s SSAC increases passed with council approval, with Councillor Blackwell saying that Coutre’s concerns on behalf of the Westshore Developers Association would be somehow considered in future (without any details provided).
Answering questions about his development of three 12-storey commercial/residential buildings in central Langford (along Peatt Rd from Goldstream to Hockley) was developer Matthew McKay of DB Services. Public concerns included relative loss of daylight due to the height of the buildings, as well as the duration for construction. Council heard that wood frame construction is being considered for the buildings which would reduce noise (trucks and equipment) and time compared to construction with concrete.
McKay and the city’s senior planner and director of engineering provided assurances about the adequate assessment of parking. A preliminary traffic pattern study has been done but has not yet been made public. One member of the public feared the addition of 500 more residents to the area resulting in the traffic addition of 1,000 cars. However, a response from council/staff was around more accurate assessment of the number of residents (apartments may have only one occupant in many cases), and that many people choosing the high-density lifestyle may in fact require parking for a vehicle. The buildings are near the #50 BC Transit bus, with easy proximity to shops and services. The commercial office component of the buildings are intended to fulfill the City’s long-time goal of anchoring high-paying full-time government worker jobs into the city core, as a way of reducing commuter traffic and of course increasing the municipality’s commercial tax base.
After the council meeting went in-camera, out in the hallway about eight members of the public continued a high-decibel discussion about their concerns as expressed in the council meeting. Their main impact was effective. The motion that did pass will allow for the time for individuals to review details of the permit with staff before further action is taken by council.