This week, the BC government singled out 10 more communities that are falling behind pace building housing—two of which are located on Vancouver Island.
Both Langford and Courtenay have been assigned housing targets based which they must meet within five years, or the Province will step in to streamline their approval processes.
The other communities that were singled out in this latest housing target assignment are Burnaby, Coquitlam, Langley, Pitt Meadows, Richmond, Penticton, Squamish and Vernon.
Prior to this fourth round of housing targets, Victoria, Oak Bay, Central Saanich, Esquimalt, Nanaimo, Colwood and View Royal were all among the 30 communities selected to increase the housing supply.
The Province has yet to announce what Langford and Countenay’s targets will be.
Langford is ‘disappointed’ they were singled out
The City of Langford expressed they were “disappointed” to be among the selected communities.
The City claims that this decision fails to recognize Langford’s leadership in housing development and growth management since incorporation in 1992, adding that this “unfairly penalizes” the municipality.
“Langford is one of the fastest-growing communities in British Columbia and Canada and has delivered a disproportionately high share of new housing within the Capital Region,” said a City spokesperson in a media release.
Langford says their 20-year plan is to accommodate for a near-doubling in population, going from approximately 58,000 to 100,000. In this time, the City estimates it will need 17,000 new homes to house 42,000 new residents.
In the process to adopt a new official community plan (OCP), the City says they did ample research on not only housing, but how housing needs to intersect with affordability, transportation, services and infrastructure.
Additionally, Langford notes that it has taken on costs that should be burdened by the Province, regarding housing, healthcare and E-Comm services.
“Langford’s track record speaks for itself. Langford is the model municipality,” said a Langford spokesperson.
“The City will continue to lead with innovation and efficiency, but long-term sustainability requires the Province to invest in the infrastructure and services that support sustainable and livable communities.”
The City of Courtenay has not made a statement regarding their being selected for housing targets.
💬 Join the conversation
0 people are talking about this
