Fact Check: Do we have to choose between affordable housing and greenspace?

No. When a developer makes a request to the City to develop land, the Council can ask them to contribute in different ways:

• That the developer provide cash to the City ‘amenity fund’, and…
• That the developer create affordable housing units, and…
• That the developer set aside land for parks and open space, as determined by Council “on a case by case basis.”

(The full policy is available here from the City)

If you’re in support of a forested park in South Langford, you aren’t against the developer making a contribution to the amenity fund, or against the creation of affordable housing.

Just like us, you just want the Planning and Zoning Committee and City Council to also make the developer set aside land for parks and open space, in addition to any other contributions they make.

As Mayor Young says himself, “You buy an affordable house in Langford and you need to have access to trails and the same stuff we do everywhere.” We can all benefit from a new forested park in South Langford.