Where every party stands on housing
2 of the 2 parties on the October 17 ballot have published something on housing and zoning. Here they are side by side, each with its source.
BEFORE YOU COMPARE
Who actually decides this
Section 479 of the Local Government Act lets a local government, by bylaw, divide the municipality into zones and regulate the use and density of land, buildings and other structures within each zone. In Langley Township, Council adopts those bylaws.
Read the commitments below against that. Where a party proposes something the city cannot do on its own, the commitment carries a line naming who holds the power. That is not a criticism of the promise. A council can lobby, fund and argue, and saying so plainly is more useful than pretending the limit does not exist.
WHAT THE COMPARISON SHOWS
Reading this ballot on housing
2 of the 2 parties have published something here, and between them they have made 8 separate commitments. Langley Strong has published the most, with 5.
Not one of these commitments carries a dollar figure, a count or a percentage. They set a direction, which means there is nothing here to check against a budget later.
SIDE BY SIDE
Every published position on housing
| Party | Published position | Commitments |
|---|---|---|
| Langley Strong | Langley Strong's platform promises to champion housing options young families and seniors can afford, to speed up approvals and keep needless costs off new homes, to encourage multi-generational housing where appropriate, and to move the Township's housing society and the $177 million borrowed through it to an established non-profit housing provider once its buildings are full. It promises complete communities with services built alongside homes. It names no number of homes. | 5 |
| Progress for Langley | Progress for Langley's plan promised to slow the Township's growth rate, to catch up on infrastructure, and to make growth pay for growth through developer contributions. Its site says the Township Housing Trust it set up aims for 10 per cent of new housing to be rental or below market, with 330 units under construction with the Province. It promised to protect farmland with the same rules for everyone and to update the Rural Community Plan. It names no number of homes beyond the trust. | 3 |
LANGLEY STRONG
Homes young families can afford, faster approvals and the housing society's debt moved off the books
Langley Strong's platform promises to champion housing options young families and seniors can afford, to speed up approvals and keep needless costs off new homes, to encourage multi-generational housing where appropriate, and to move the Township's housing society and the $177 million borrowed through it to an established non-profit housing provider once its buildings are full. It promises complete communities with services built alongside homes. It names no number of homes.
- Champion housing young families can afford, with faster approvals
- Move the housing society and its $177 million of debt to a non-profit provider
- End the tenant protection exemption for the Township's housing
- Complete communities with services built alongside homes
PROGRESS FOR LANGLEY
Slower growth, growth paying for growth, and a Township housing trust
Progress for Langley's plan promised to slow the Township's growth rate, to catch up on infrastructure, and to make growth pay for growth through developer contributions. Its site says the Township Housing Trust it set up aims for 10 per cent of new housing to be rental or below market, with 330 units under construction with the Province. It promised to protect farmland with the same rules for everyone and to update the Rural Community Plan. It names no number of homes beyond the trust.
- Slow the growth rate and make growth pay for growth
- Keep and grow the Langley Housing Trust
- Protect farmland with the same rules for everyone