Public Notices and Newspaper Inserts (Public Hearing and Road Closure Notices)

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING (Bylaw No. 1696 & Bylaw No. 1803)

The City of Langford wishes to amend Zoning Bylaw No. 300 by means of proposed Bylaw No. 1696 and to amend the Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 1201 by means of proposed Bylaw No. 1803. All persons who believe that their interest in property is affected by the proposed Bylaw will be afforded an opportunity to be heard or to present written submissions respecting matters contained in the Bylaws at a Public Hearing to be held in the CITY OF LANGFORD COUNCIL CHAMBERS, Third Floor, 877 Goldstream Avenue, Langford, BC, on Monday, 16 September 2019, at 5:30 pm. Please be advised that no representations may be received by Council after the close of the Public Hearing and any submissions made to Council, whether orally or in writing, will form part of a public record.

Proposal:

• The purpose of Bylaw No. 1696 is to amend various sections of the City of Langford Zoning Bylaw No. 300 relating to garden and carriage suites.
• The purpose of Bylaw No. 1803 is to amend a section of the City of Langford Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 1201 relating to garden and carriage suites.

Applicant:

• City of Langford

Location:

• The lands that are the subject of Bylaw No. 1696 and Bylaw No. 1803 are all the lands within the City of Langford boundaries.

COPIES of the complete proposed Bylaws and other material that the Council may consider in relation to the Bylaws may be viewed from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday (holidays excluded), from Tuesday, 3 September 2019 to Monday, 16 September 2019, inclusive, at Langford City Hall, 2nd Floor, 877 Goldstream Avenue, Langford, BC, V9B 2X8. Please contact Julia Buckingham in the Planning Department at 250-478-7882 with any questions on this Bylaw.

Braden Hutchins
Director of Corporate Services

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NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING (Bylaw No. 1860)

The City of Langford has received an application to amend Zoning Bylaw No. 300 by means of proposed Bylaw No. 1860. All persons who believe that their interest in property is affected by the proposed Bylaw will be afforded an opportunity to be heard or to present written submissions respecting matters contained in the Bylaw at a Public Hearing to be held in the CITY OF LANGFORD COUNCIL CHAMBERS, Third Floor, 877 Goldstream Avenue, Langford, BC, on Monday, September 16, 2019, at 5:30 pm. Please be advised that no representations may be received by Council after the close of the Public Hearing and any submissions made to Council, whether orally or in writing, will form part of a public record.

Proposal:

• The purpose of Bylaw No. 1860 is to amend the City of Langford Zoning Bylaw No. 300 by amending the zoning designation of the land that is the subject of Bylaw No. 1860 from RR4 (Rural Residential 4) Zone and adding to the CD12 (Comprehensive Development 12 – South Skirt Mountain) Zone to allow a residential development.

Applicant:

• Keycorp Consulting Ltd.

Location:

• The land that is the subject of Bylaw No. 1860 is two unaddressed parcels in the 2100 block of Bear Mountain parkway on South Skirt Mountain, PID Nos. 009-427-902 and 024-550-485, as shown shaded on the plan.

COPIES of the complete proposed Bylaw and other material that the Council may consider in relation to the Bylaw may be viewed from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday (holidays excluded), from Tuesday, September 3, 2019 to Monday, September 16, 2019, inclusive, at Langford City Hall, 2nd Floor, 877 Goldstream Avenue, Langford, BC, V9B 2X8. Please contact Robert Dykstra in the Planning Department at 250-478-7882 with any questions on this Bylaw.

Braden Hutchins
Director of Corporate Services

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NOTICE OF ROAD CLOSURE AND DISPOSITION

The City of Langford hereby gives public notice of its intention to close and dispose of a portion of road, shown in heavy outline in Schedule ‘A’, known as Citation Road adjacent to 2691 Secretariat Way, which was dedicated as highway by Strata Plan 1876.

The approximate 688 m2 (7,406ft2) portion of Unnamed Road intended to be removed as highway dedication and disposed of, will be considered by the Council of the City of Langford at its regular meeting at the City Hall, 3rd Floor, 877 Goldstream Avenue, on Monday, 16 September 2019 at 5:30pm. Persons who consider they are affected by the Bylaw will be provided an opportunity to make representations to Council at the meeting, or by delivering a written submission to the Corporate Officer by 4:00 pm on those dates.

The City of Langford also intends to transfer the closed portion of road to 1177289 B.C. LTD., the owner of the adjoining property shown as 2691 Secretariat, for $170,000.

Braden Hutchins
Director of Corporate Services

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News Articles and Community Items

Highway 1 upgrades at Leigh Road begin this month

Author: Shalu Mehta, News Staff

Upgrades to the Trans-Canada Highway at Leigh Road in Langford are expected to begin in September.

Safety and reducing travel times for those driving along the stretch of highway are the main goals of the upgrades according to a news release from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. Highway 1 will be widened from three lanes to four lanes for two kilometres beginning at Leigh Road.

The additional lane will continue through the West Shore Parkway intersection and the northbound merge will be moved to the Goldstream Park side of the signal.

The release said the changes will add capacity to the highway at the intersection and reduce congestion for those travelling northbound.

Concrete median barriers will also be added on 1.2 kilometres of the highway to separate lanes of traffic.

Reflective delineators were installed on the centre line of the Trans-Canada Highway between Leigh Road and West Shore Parkway in March. The delineators were short-term options to improve safety in the area following two fatal crashes in under one month on that stretch of highway.

The Leigh Road connector to the Trans-Canada Highway was completed in April.

Nanaimo’s Windley Contracting has been awarded a $9.7 million contract for the work. Construction will begin in late September and completion is expected in summer 2021.

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Mixed-income housing project gets off the ground in View Royal

Author: Shalu Mehta, News Staff

Just over 150 new housing units — some labelled affordable housing — will be coming to View Royal after a new mixed-income housing project is developed.

Last week, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing announced 152 units in two, six-storey, wood frame buildings will be available at 1938 West Park Lane near Thetis Lake.

The development is a partnership between the federal and provincial governments and the Capital Regional District. The project will provide a minimum of 44 affordable homes, 74 near-market price homes and 34 shelter-rate homes rented at the provincial income assistance rate of $375 per month. It is being funded through the Regional Housing First program.

The buildings will be operated by the Capital Region Housing Corporation and will include laundry, a playground, bicycle storage, electric bike plug-ins and an electric car charger. Construction for the two buildings is expected to start in October, with an approximate opening date of September, 2021.

“This project will go a long way to addressing the crucial shortage of affordable and market rental housing in View Royal,” said View Royal Mayor David Screech. “We thank our partners at the Capital Regional District, along with the province and the federal government, for making it possible.”

The Regional Housing First Program is an equal partnership agreement between the federal government through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the province through BC Housing, and the CRD. It was launched to create more affordable rental housing and address the needs of people experiencing homelessness in the region.

“Housing affordability and availability is a critical issue and a key priority for the CRD and requires a strong, collaborative response,” said Colin Plant, board chair with the CRD. “The Regional Housing First program partnership is a shining example of working together with our federal and provincial partners to build affordable and accessible communities that benefit the people who need it most.”

The Regional Housing First program is expected to create up to 2,000 rental units throughout the CRD. Twenty per cent of them will be rented at provincial income assistance rates within projects that will also include at least 31 per cent affordable rental units and up to 49 per cent near-market rental units on southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.

This housing project will bring the number of approved projects up to eight, to date. All eight projects will create 907 units, including 211 shelter-rate units.

There are three projects in Langford with a total of 382 units, two in Sooke with 245 units total, on Salt Spring Island with 56 units, one in Victoria with 72 units and this new one in View Royal with 152 units.

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The Rickter Scale

Author: Rick Stiebel (column)

The unbelievable explained

The bride and I officially tied the noose 25 years ago yesterday on Bowen Island on the deck of her friend’s house which, fittingly, was still under construction. A small gathering of family and friends witnessed the event, those from the Island still muttering about having to attend a wedding that required two ferry trips each way.

While the quarter century mark is a notable milestone for many, Joan and I are lightweights compared to friends Peter and Linda, who share their “unofficial” 50th anniversary with Woodstock.

I wound up crashing their ceremony just long enough to drop a guest off on the way back from that legendary festival. My three days of peace and love was short-circuited by a lack of food, cash and shelter and the ability to find George and his Volkswagen van, which, according to our original plans, had enough bare necessities for all of us. The reason an “unofficial” caveat is noted is because Peter and Linda had legally tied the knot months before Woodstock in another small town in New York State. If you knew Peter then, you understand why it took Linda’s parents some time to warm to welcoming him into their family, thus the need for wedding waltzes on both sides of the border. George, best friend and best man when Joan and I exchanged vows, bore witness to Peter and Linda’s American union as well.

Meanwhile, back at the Rickter ranch, every yesterday and tomorrow with the bride is a testament to her infinite powers of persuasion, patience, perseverance, and problem-child-solving skills. After my first four flights into co-habitation failed in flames, it became painfully obvious the problem was me. Despite a long list of shortcomings – she still refers to me as a work in progress – Joan somehow keeps me on course and on a steady ascent.

So 25 years later, I’d like to share 25 seconds that defines the formula for the glue that’s kept us stuck on each other. We set off one recent Saturday to purchase a toaster oven because the old one has served its last slice. The bride had completed her mandatory thorough research and narrowed it down to three choices. In a rare stroke of genius, however, I suggested we start with Superstore instead because of the rewards points we’ve accumulated. The lure of purchasing a free appliance worked its magic and we headed off for my Serious Coffee Africano to go, a must for any trip into Langford.

We wound up behind an Abell Pest Control van, which prompted the bride to say she wouldn’t want to be a fly on the wall in that vehicle. Before I could respond, Joan quiplashed that the driver must be bugged about something because he appeared to be getting antsy. “I hope he behaves and doesn’t fly off the handle,” she added in less time than it takes to shift gears. When she noted it was actually a woman driving the van, I finally broke my silence with “I knew it was a fleamale.”

That 25 or so seconds of laughter shared in the parking lot 25 days ago explain better than I can why I’m looking forward to another 25 years.

Rick Stiebel is a semi-retired local journalist.

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Highlands firefighter earns 20-year medal

Author: Shalu Mehta, News Staff

It’s a rare accomplishment to be in the volunteer fire services for a long period of time, according to Highlands Fire Chief Dean Ford, but last week Stew Bender was recognized for two decades of service.

Bender received the Fire Services Exemplary Service Medal for serving the Highlands Fire Department and community for 20 years. Bender was awarded the medal by the Chancellery of Honours in Ottawa on behalf of the Governor General of Canada.

“I’ve been with [Bender] the entire time, he’s an absolute pleasure to have around the department,” Ford said. “He was a mentor to a lot of the younger members and new recruits…he’s transferred his knowledge to them.”

Bender served as a lieutenant, senior driving instructor and mentor in his time with the fire department.

In a speech, Highlands Mayor Ken Williams said Bender demonstrated good conduct, industry and efficiency in his time serving the Highlands community.

Shalu Mehta
News Staff