A plan to breathe new life into one of the City of Langley’s more troublesome corners was greeted with a mix of enthusiasm and caution by members of council on Monday night.
At its Monday (Feb. 16) meeting, council issued a development permit for the construction of an eight-unit townhouse complex on a strip of land at the corner of 56 Avenue and 201A Street — an area that is somewhat notorious for illicit drug use and prostitution.
At a public hearing earlier in the meeting, architect Fred Adab and landscape architect Mary Chan presented a plan for the development on behalf of the property owner, Jasbir Singh, who operates the Stop and Shop convenience store on the opposite side of 56 Avenue.
The lot, which is long and very narrow, presented a unique challenge for designers, said Adab.
The solution came in a plan for two buildings of four units each, to be constructed in a single line fronting 201A Street, with driveway and parking access at the rear of the property.
The eight three-storey units will be 1,500 square feet, including three bedrooms and a den. Each unit will boast a private rooftop garden with lattices and a two-car garage.
The development is geared toward “affluent” people who are downsizing from a detached house, but don’t want to live in a tiny apartment or townhouse, said Adab.
The proposal includes skirting the property with 40 trees and 750 shrubs — all drought-tolerant, said Chan, during a brief presentation.
Only one person spoke at the public hearing. A resident of the condominium complex at 20145 55A Ave., located across the street from the proposed development, complimented the architect on the design, but told council she is concerned about the impact that eight new units might have on already limited parking in the area. She asked whether any measures could be taken to designate street parking as resident-only.
“It’s a lovely building,” she said. “I like the urban design and the gardens.”
“I agree with the parking issue,” said Councillor Dave Hall. “But to give credit to the developer, these are two-car garages with no opportunity to tandem park in the back.”
At the same time, he said, there is always the concern that one half of the garage will be used as storage space. And with three-bedroom units, he added, it’s safe to assume there will be two cars.
“What other storage capacity do the units have to accommodate storage versus using the garage,” Hall asked the architect.
Adab replied the design for the units does not include designated storage space, but added that the closets are quite large.
While most of council focused on the appeal of the design, one member suggested several safety improvements could be made.
Councillor Val van den Broek, who worked as a co-ordinator at the Langley City community police office before running for council, had concerns about security in the area.
Noting that the building’s target market is upscale buyers, van den Broek told Adab, “You will not reach them if they know anything about the area.”
“She’s not wrong,” said the same resident who had spoken earlier, from her seat in the gallery.
“It’s one of those areas,” said van den Broek. “That area at night, I’m not sure if you’ve been there . . . I recommend gating the driveway.”
Adab replied that it is up to the City’s planning department to determine whether they want the complex to have a gate.
“Personally, I don’t see this site to be fenced and gated. It doesn’t look that nice in an urban setting,” he said.
Citing CPTED — Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design — principles, van den Broek also voiced concern about a so-called “dead man zone” at the back of the property, where drug use and prostitution could take place.
That area is only about 10 square feet and is surrounded by chain link fence, replied the developer, adding the corner will likely house an electrical transformer.
Van den Broek noted that chain link can be easily cut.
She also expressed reservations about a plan to plant trees on both sides of the sidewalk, saying they could create a visual barrier.
Chan replied that the lowest branches of the trees will be six feet off the ground, in keeping with CPTED guidelines, while the shrubs will be selected to provide both privacy and good visibility.
“You still have to be careful of natural surveillance from people driving by on the street,” said van den Broek.
Councillor Gayle Martin took the opposite view, stating she liked the idea of all the trees.
“This is a 500 per cent improvement,” she said. “A lot of the problems on that corner will disappear because of this Class A development.”
“This is a creative way to manage a difficult property,” commented Councillor Paul Albrecht.
“It’s a nice looking development,” said Mayor Ted Schaffer. “It should clean up the area quite a bit.”
Dan Ferguson/Langley Times
