A faith-based addiction recovery house in Langley is planning to more than double the number of beds available at its Glen Valley-area facility.
Wagner Hills Farm Society is asking for a rezoning to allow it to expand it’s men’s campus from 50 to 119 beds, which will include staff.
“We’ll do it slowly, over the next number of years,” said Jason Roberts, the CEO of Wagner Hills and director of the men’s treatment facility.
The Agricultural Land Commission has already approved a non-farm use permit to allow the expansion.
Council is to consider the first and second readings of the rezoning bylaws on Monday, Nov. 6.
If approved, there will also be a public hearing on the project.
Roberts said the facility has already reached out to its neighbours, and believes it has had a good response so far.
“We’ve been in the neighbourhood for almost 40 years,” Roberts said. Some of their residents do work for the neighbouring farms, Roberts noted.
The plan has been long in the works. The first request to the ALC for an expansion was back in 2010. But at the time there wasn’t a clear building plan, and the project was held in abeyance for several yeras.
Now a new leadership team is in place, and there’s a plan to move forward with facilities.
“We’re not going to double that quickly,” said Roberts.
There is a need for more treatment spaces in Metro Vancouver, however.
Wagner Hills has about 40 men already vetted and ready to come, but on a waiting list for lack of space.
“We can’t house them,” Roberts said.
Part of the next step, if the project is approved by Langley Township council, is to tear down an older residence and replace it with a new building.
Wagner Hills has been operating in Glen Valley since 1981. It has a female residence in South Langley as well.
