Two out of every three new homes built in Langley Township went up in the Willoughby neighbourhood during the first four months of 2014.
A development summary report generated by the Township of Langley shows the rapidly-growing neighbourhood accounted for 65 per cent of all new dwelling units in the Township between January and April of this year.
The second busiest urban area of the Township for residential construction was Fort Langley, with six per cent, and Brookswood/Fernridge was third at four per cent.
Residential construction in rural areas of the Township made up 13 per cent of overall activity.
Every category of residential construction in the Township is showing increases compared to the same period from the previous year, with the estimated value of multi-family construction nearly doubling from $18.7 million to $35.7 million.
More development activity translated into more revenue for the Township, which collected just over $1 million in permit fees during the first four months of 2013 compared to just over $900,000 during the same period in 2013.
The Township website puts the estimated population of the Willoughby/Willowbrook area at 19,400, making it the second largest urban area after Walnut Grove, with 23,900 residents.
The official Willoughby community plan describes the area as “one of the few remaining parts of the community designated for, and capable of, accommodating urban forms of development.”
It has been designated as “ a major development area” that can accommodate 65,000 people, or more than three times the current population.
A lot of that growth will be accommodated by “multi family areas north of 66 Avenue at 203 Street, along 208 Street between 80 and 82 Avenues, at 80 and 212 Street, at 72 Avenue and 208 Street, and at 200 Street between 80 and 82 Avenues and adjacent to commercial areas along 200 Street” the plan says.
A previously-released staff report to council showed Willoughby was the fastest-growing neighbourhood in the entire Township, adding 2,800 new single-family and 2,400 multi-family housing units between 2006 and 2013.