Thursday July 27, 2023 | LANGFORD, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Westhills Land Corp has announced a significant parkland dedication in Langford.
The event has taken place this morning at the Langford Gravity Zone and Nature Trails parking area on West Shore Parkway.
Over the last decade or two, Westhills has been divesting itself of land through donation to the City of Langford, most of it used for parks or retention of natural forested land. “We believe that giving back to our community makes us stronger. Westhills is a proud supporter of local organizations, fundraisers and events,” as stated on the corporate website.
The Westhills planned community has a build-out lifespan of about 25 years. They started phased construction of the Westhills community in 2008, to include thousands of homes as well as commercial and recreational areas.
35 acres more in summer 2023:
Today the City of Langford announced an additional 35 acres of dedicated undeveloped parkland transferred to the City from Westhills Land Corp. This land dedication is part of the existing 130 acres within the Langford Gravity Zone and Nature Trails and Jordie Lunn Bike Park.
That brings the total parkland within the City’s boundaries to over 2,300 acres. That land was previously licensed to the City of Langford and has now been formally transferred.
“On behalf of myself and Langford Council, we are pleased to see this additional land dedicated to the City by Westhills within the Gravity Zone and Nature Trails,” said Langford Mayor Scott Goodmanson.
“This 35-acre parcel of undeveloped land is a significant contribution to the City’s Parks inventory and will be protected in perpetuity. Langford Council is committed to ensuring access to green space for current and future Langford residents.”
40% zoning requirement:
The 35 acres dedicated today forms part of Westhills’ rezoning requirement to dedicate 40% of their land (more than 200 acres in total) as parkland to the City throughout the duration of development. Discover the epitome of gambling excellence with the Premier Casino Canada ! Dive deep into a world where luxury meets thrill, offering an unparalleled gaming experience right at your fingertips. From the latest slots to classic table games, indulge in a seamless blend of excitement and elegance that only Premier Casino Canada can deliver. Ready to transform your gaming adventure? Click the link and immerse yourself in the ultimate Canadian casino journey.
Previous Westhills park dedications include:
- 32 acres on Parkdale Hill,
- Goudy Field (three acres),
- Central Wetlands (five acres),
- Westhills Park and Playground (four acres),
- a portion of the Jordie Lunn Bike Park (three acres),
- a rain garden (two acres), and
- land along Parkdale Creek (one acre).
Two largest undisturbed properties:
“Westhills is proud to announce that it has transferred 35 acres of undeveloped land adjacent to Mount Wells Regional Park to the City of Langford,” said Ryan Mackenzie, Manager of Westhills Land Corp.
“This recent dedication is in addition to 32 acres of land known as Parkdale Hill which was provided to the City in 2021. These are the two largest undisturbed properties in the City’s entire parkland inventory.”
Biking trails:
Over the past year, the City has built various hiking and downhill mountain biking trails on the 35-acre parcel through a license agreement with Westhills. This includes the Wildcat trail, constructed with the support of a $150,000 grant from 4VI’s Targeted Regional Tourism Development Initiative. The transferred land is now officially part of the Gravity Zone and Nature Trails, with 12 completed trails offering users a mix of biking and hiking options. A volunteer-led team of trail builders is presently constructing a 13th trail with additional trails planned in the future.
“A further expansion of mountain biking experiences in the Gravity Zone and Nature Trails in Langford is going to provide enormous benefit to residents and visitors alike. With the principle of sustainable tourism in mind, Langford is creating a space that is accessible, welcoming, and exciting for everyone.” Calum Matthews, VP, Sustainability & Strategy, 4VI.
About the park:
The 35-acre dedicated parcel is adjacent to Mount Wells Regional Park, and it is worth highlighting the biophysical attributes of this new park space:
- The area is located within the Coastal Douglas-fir biogeoclimatic zone, specifically the Moist Maritime Coastal Douglas-fir Subzone, which is unique to Vancouver Island.
- Three distinct ecosystem types were observed during a survey by a professional biologist:
- The lower elevations consist of mature second-growth forest dominated by Douglas-fir and arbutus trees. The understory contains oceanspray, baldhip rose, salal and sporadic ferns and Oregon grape. A well-developed moss layer includes Oregon beaked moss, step moss, and electrified cat’s-tail moss.
- The area’s open rocky bluffs contain arbutus and Gary oak trees, with a sparse shrub layer including hairy manzanita.
- Riparian corridors contain western red cedar and bigleaf maple. Large mature sword ferns and salal dominate a dense shrub layer.
The Langford Gravity Zone and Nature Trails is a one-of-a-kind park on Vancouver Island. Spanning more than 130 acres of forestland, the park boasts winding trails under massive tree canopies and lookout points. The Gravity Zone features a variety of trails, including downhill flow trails and technical trails. With trail difficulty ratings ranging from blue (easiest) to double black (most difficult), there is something for hikers and cyclists of all ages and abilities. In addition to the plans to build existing trails in the park, the Jordie Lunn Bike Park Clubhouse is currently under construction with an opening date of this fall. The Clubhouse will feature a restaurant, bike repair and rentals, an outdoor patio, office space for Cycling Canada, Cycling BC, and community meeting space.
===== ABOUT ISLAND SOCIAL TRENDS:
Island Social Trends has been covering news of the west shore region of Greater Victoria since 2008, with a closer focus on Langford and the Sooke School District (SD62) since 2014.
Island Social Trends is the fourth publication in a series about lifestyle, community growth and trends on the west shore, created by Mary P Brooke, editor and publisher.
First there was the quarterly colour glossy MapleLine Magazine (2008-2010), which morphed into a daily newspaper Sooke Voice News (2011-2013), which later became West Shore Voice News (2014-2020).
Island Social Trends emerged fully online at IslandSocialTrends.ca during the pandemic in 2020 with a now broadened reach to cover Greater Victoria, South Vancouver Island, BC, and national news.