Langford residents have one final chance to have their voices heard at the final public hearing of a controversial rezoning application of south Langford land on Monday, Nov. 25.
The Citizens of South Langford for Sustainable Development (CSLSD) are turning to the city to explore the idea of investing in the protection and creation of a community park within the rezoned area.
“It’s absolutely crucial that people show up,” Nicole Polet, member of CSLSD said. “It’s sort of our last chance to show the city how invested its citizens are.”
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They’re looking for the City of Langford to join their cause by using a portion of the municipal Parkland Acquisition Reserve Fund – currently valued at over $2 million – to protect a portion of the land as a park.
Notably, Langford bought a $2.2 million oceanfront property in early November. The 22-acre piece of land along Finlayson Arm Road is planned for eco-tourism and recreation. The property is expected to be open to the public in the spring and be paid for over three years.
READ MORE: Langford buys $2.2 million oceanfront property with plans for eco-tourism, recreation
Langdon Weir Construction Ltd., plans to develop a 73-acre parcel of land into approximately 300 homes, including up to 80 townhouses.
While the CSLSD is concerned about the habitats of several endangered species, they aren’t against the development as a whole.
“We’re not asking the entire parcel be made into a park, but just the area that is most ecologically important,” said Polet.
Over the past few months, the CSLSD has been working behind the scenes with the land developer and the Land Conservancy of BC to explore the option of setting aside part of the land as a protected nature park – the size is still yet to be determined.
If the City of Langford doesn’t get on board, the CSLSD will have to rely on the developer to absorb the cost.
“I don’t think that’s fair to the developers,” Polet said. “We all need to come together to make this happen.”
The final hearing takes place at Langford City Hall on Monday, Nov. 25 starting at 5:30 p.m.
Residents can find out more about CSLSD’s demands at http://cslsd.ca/write-to-council/.
