Don’t Let South Langford’s Vision Be Deleted
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May 4, 2021 – UPDATE: Committee voted to keep the neighborhood plan for now, but revisit this again in the future since it warrants a bigger discussion,
The City argued that the South Langford Neighborhood Plan is outdated and has been replaced by the OCP, but ultimately they were unable to explain why the document has been active and regularly referred to for 13 years if it’s obsolete. This is definitely a win for South Langford, thanks to everyone who wrote and called in for presenting a united front on this. Stay tuned, because this isn’t the last time we’ll have to fight this.
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April 30, 2021 – For 15 years, the South Langford Neighbourhood Plan has been a set of guidelines shaping development in our neighbourhood.
But this coming Monday evening, the Planning, Zoning and Affordable Housing Committee are being encouraged by staff to delete the entire South Langford Neighbourhood Plan, calling it ‘outdated’. They aren’t offering to consult our community or update the plan for our neighbourhood – just cut it out entirely.
Why is this concerning?
When development proposals are submitted to the City, the OCP and Neighbourhood Plans keep new developments in-line with a broader vision of what we want our community to be like. The OCP and Neighbourhood Plans were originally created through a public process, involving multiple workshops and hundreds of surveys. The last broad public consultation for this area was completed in 2006. The same concerns expressed by residents at that time – preserving green space, wildlife habitats, rural nature, improvement of roads and pedestrian paths, lower density – are exactly the concerns being expressed by residents now.
Right now, Council is required to ensure that any new developments or bylaws are consistent with the OCP and Neighbourhood Plans. There are 11 other specific Neighbourhood and comprehensive development plans in the OCP, including Westhills and Bear Mountain. The South Langford Neighbourhood Plan, which is referred to regularly in planning reports by City staff to Council, is the only one being requested to be removed. If the South Langford Neighborhood Plan is deleted, we will no longer have a vision for the neighborhood informed by the residents who live here.
Read it in the PZAHC meeting agenda here
(Bylaw 1969, pg 29)