Tall condo towers see support from Langford mayor, opposition from some residents
Langford is one of B.C.'s fastest growing cities, and it’s experiencing growing pains.
Some 50,000 people now call Langford home, but with skyrocketing real estate prices, its mayor, Stew Young, says not enough residents can afford to own their home.
In fact, he says only 30 per cent of folks in Langford own their homes, while the rest rent.
Young says the solution lies in building lots of condos — which are cheaper than houses.
"The only way to do that here is to go higher here, and to make sure it's affordable. So you go into airspace," said Young on Monday.
"So you got the same amount of land in a downtown core, and you go higher."
Young's vision is for multiple residential towers, 18 stories or taller, in the area of Peatt Road near Goldstream Avenue – creating a dense downtown core with more affordable housing.
There are currently two development projects in that neighbourhood before council, awaiting decisions on rezoning.
Each proposal involves two towers, ranging in size from 18 to 24 storeys tall. Both proposed projects include daycares and parking, amongst other amenities.
But not everyone is happy with the potential developments.
Some folks living in the area worry that more density will overwhelm the city’s infrastructure. Others have expressed concerns about an increase in traffic or a loss of green space.
A petition started by a resident who lives near the proposed developments had garnered more than 80 signatures from people in the neighbourhood by Monday afternoon. The petition seeks to reduce the density and height of the projects, calling for lower towers than those proposed.
However, the developers note the designs fit the official community plans in terms of density.
They also claim that studies of the area show traffic and infrastructure won't be overwhelmed.
The mayor says tall towers are better for the environment. Young says larger towers have a smaller footprint on a lot than multiple individual homes, or six-storey buildings, and can potentially reduce vehicle use.
"You use your car four times less when you're in a downtown core in a building," said Young.
"You don’t even use a car. Right now, there’s no opportunity in our downtown core to be carless," he said.
Council is expected to make a decision on the rezoning in a month. If the projects get the green light, shovels are expected in the ground in roughly one year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.