INTERFACE FIRE HAZARD PROTECTION: FRIEND OR FOE OF SUSTAINABILITY

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Langford, BC
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Land Development Financing Community Development

• Location/Images
• Big Boxes
• Environmental
• Parks
• Trails
• Big Box Economic Impact
• Affordable Housing
• Downtown Revitalization

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Community Context

• population 21,000
• Incorporated eleven years ago
• Growth centre for Western Region of greater
  Victoria
• Land use includes urban and rural areas.
• Lack of services at incorporation

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The Strategy

• 1996, Open for Business
• Develop a larger and restructured tax base which
  included more commercial and industrial land.
• Have new development provide community amenities
  such as sidewalks, curbs and streetlights not
  only for the developments own frontage but also
  extending improvements off-site and providing
  parkland.
• Undertake other community development initiatives
  such as downtown beautification, parks and trails
  using partnerships, taxes and development
  contributions.

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Old Langford
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Old Langford
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Old Langford
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Intersection of Veterans Memorial Parkway and
Goldstream Avenue
before
after
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• Auto-oriented big-box development

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• Auto-oriented big box development

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Big box retail
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Langford Images
the wildland-urban interface
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Development Amenity
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Community Improvements
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New City Hall
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Creek upgrades weir construction
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Environmental restoration
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Garbage Cleared from environmental restoration
site
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Fish Habitat Improvement
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Access to Spawning Habitat
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Implications Parks

• Total park area 1992 24 hectares (59.5
  acres) 2004 70.3 hectares (173.6
  acres)

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Veterans Park Lavender Festival
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Langford Trail Master Plan
District of Langford CloghesyDoak Ltd.
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Langford boardwalks
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Langford Trails
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In ProgressFisher Field
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Implications Trails

• Total trail length 1992 2,313m
• 2005 19,640m
• Trail length added since development of big box
  stores (1999) 16,825m

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New Business Licenses/year

• 1995 - 38
• 1996 16
• 1997 26
• 1998 41
• 1999 32
• 2000 64
• 2001 45
• 2002 109
• 2003 108
• 2004 127

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Implications on Municipal Tax

• 1997 tax roll 9.8 commercial
• 89 residential
• 2005 tax roll 17.2 commercial 81.9
  residential

• Big box commercial development accounts for
  approximately one-third of the increase in
  commercially assessed properties
• Total municipal taxes collected last year from
  big box developments 764,884

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Implications on Municipal Tax

• If commercial assessment in 2005 was at the same
  proportion as it was in 1997, it would be valued
  at approximately 48 or 197,000,000 less
• ? ? this would represent a loss of 1.6 million
  in tax revenue
• If that loss was made up by increasing
  residential taxes, it would mean a 27 increase,
  or approximately 210/house.

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Affordable Housing policy

• A developer committee proposal
• provide one out of every ten lots subdivided as
  an affordable house.
• contribute 2,000 to the City Park fund for every
  lot above a full increment of ten units and
  1,250 per ground oriented unit and 750 for all
  other units in multi-family developments to the
  City Park fund
• sell each affordable house for 150,000.00
• register a housing agreement which restricts the
  resale of the property and
• provide a minimum of 25 of the land being
  rezoned to the City as open space.

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Proposed Affordable House Designs
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Housing Implementation

• Since its adoption in March of 2004, seven (7)
  properties have been rezoned which will provide a
  total of thirty-one (31) affordable housing
  units, the first of which will be ready for
  occupancy in April 2005.
• Based on a market value of 250,000 per lot and
  house, these 31 houses will have a market value
  of 7,750,000 but are sold for a total of
  4,650,000. This translates into a 3,100,000
  subsidy provided by the developers.
• Without any public solicitation, the City has
  received thirty requests from individuals to be
  on the list of eligible purchasers.

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The Revitalization Planning Process

• Phase 1
• Start-up Meeting
• Information Collection/Review
• Base Map Preparation
• Background Information

• Phase 2
• Economic Analysis
• Visioning Workshop
• Design Charette

• Phase 3
• Public Forum

• Phase 4
• OCP Review
• Zoning By-law Review
• Development Permit Guidelines Review
• Proposed Modifications and Implications
• Draft Recommendations Report
• Public Review

• Phase 5
• Implementation Plan
• Business Plan
• Downtown Parking Strategy
• Final Revitalization Plan

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Phase 1

• Start-up Meeting
• Information Collection/Review
• Base Map Preparation
• Background Information

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(No Transcript)
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Phase 2 and 3

• Phase 2
• Economic Analysis
• Visioning Workshop
• Design Charette
• Phase 3
• Public Forum

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(No Transcript)
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City Hall as Catalyst
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Phase 4

• OCP Review
• Zoning By-law Review
• Development Permit Guidelines Review
• Proposed Modifications and Implications
• Draft Recommendations Report
• Public Review

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Phase 5

• Implementation Plan
• Business Plan
• Downtown Parking Strategy
• Final Revitalization Plan

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Langfords Downtown Plan
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Pedestrian streetscape along Goldstream Avenue
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Pedestrian Streetscape
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Private Redevelopment in the Downtown Core
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Private Redevelopment
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Mixed Use Commercial-Residential Development
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Revitalization in the Downtown Area
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Langford Landscapes

• Forests...

...Urban...
...Rural.