Editor: Fort Langley is an increasingly popular visitor destination. The records we keep at the CN Station site and the Fort Langley Community Hall information kiosk show increasing numbers of visitors looking for recreation, heritage sites and museums and good restaurants — all of which we have in abundance.
There are so few places left for the increasing population to experience what Fort Langley has to offer to families and guests — the Fort, heritage and history, good food, fresh air and beautiful walks or cycles.
The village owes much to the dedicated people who spent many hours working with the Township on the Official Community Plan. Decisions were made with the help of architects, planners and historians regarding the facades, colours and building heights of special significance to this place and time.
It would certainly seem a retrograde step to ignore these ideas which have evidently “paid off” for our tourists. Visitor numbers are increasing daily. It would also seem advisable from an economic point of view to keep to the original OCP and see more benefits for our special sites, specialty shops and restaurants, rather than to change the building heights or zoning bylaws which will change the face of Fort Langley.
Not only is Fort Langley “the Birthplace of B.C.,” but it is also the first village in B.C. to have overhead wires and lightposts. This is because Charles Hope had our village hooked up to the first B.C. Electric wires in the Fraser Valley.
To replace these wires and poles with underground wiring will impact heavily on the merchants involved (a la Cambie Street) and the huge cost of replacement would seem better spent on other necessary Township infrastructure, or schools.
It is hoped by many of us that the Township council and staff will retain the present guidelines and thus maintain the historic atmosphere of Fort Langley .
Bays and Bob Blackhall,
Langley