Fort Langley residents have mixed reactions to townhouse plans

The construction of 44 new townhouses in Fort Langley drew a mixed response from the public at a Feb. 28 public hearing before Township council.

There were 16 speakers who signed up to comment on the plan to build the townhomes on a 1.9 acre site near the Fort Langley National Historic Site and the future Salishan Place cultural centre.

The Township owns the land, and is developing it to help pay for the creation of Salishan Place.

The speakers had a variety of viewpoints on the project, including some who approved of it for providing more housing and for allowing the creation of sidewalks on the block around the King Street area.

Others had concerns about traffic, with several speakers worried that there was a lack of parking in the area.

Several residents worried about changing the heritage feel of the area, which is often an issue with developments in Fort Langley.

Some residents worried it was adding too much density to an area that is mostly single-family housing and museums.

There were eighteen letters received by the Township about the development, most of them expression either concerns or outright opposition to the development including an 11-signature petition from King Street residents who worried about density and traffic issues.

The development would also result in the closure of a portion of Royal Avenue, which was brought up by several of the speakers and letter writers.

The Township bought the lots now proposed for the townhouses in the 1970s, and developing them was proposed several years ago to financially support the redevelopment of the museum.

A spokesperson for the developer, Michelle Sotomayor, said the townhouses will have side-by-side parking and there will be 10 visitor parking stalls. Traffic engineer Greg Vlieg said the development is expected to produce just 26 additional vehicles in the area compared to the previous homes on the sites.

PREVIOUSLY: Fort Langley townhouse project up for public comment Monday