As mentioned in previous updates, on January 27th, Council gave third and final reading to the bylaw that amends the Brookswood-Fernridge Community Plan, Booth Neighbourhood Plan and Fernridge Neighbourhood Plan by amending: 

Booth Neighbourhood Plan: 

• properties located at 19980 - 28 Avenue and the 200 Street portion of 2759 - 200 Street from “SSMUH 3” (minimum lot size of 465 m2 or 5,000 ft2) to “Rowhouse/Townhouse”  

Fernridge Neighbourhood Plan: 

• 37 properties on Fernridge Crescent from “Low Density Residential” (minimum lot size 1 acre) to “Fernridge Crescent Area” (minimum lot size 929 m2 or 10,000 ft2)  
• property located at 2030 - 200 Street from “Low Density Residential” (minimum lot size 1 acre) to “SSMUH 3” (minimum lot size 465 m2 or 5,000 ft2)  
• properties located at 2013 - 200 Street and adjacent property PID 013-224-859 from “SSMUH 2” (minimum lot size 650 m2 or 7,000 ft2) to “SSMUH 3” (minimum lot size 465 m2 or 5,000 ft2)  
• property located at 19677 - 24 Avenue from “Park and Open Space” to “Employment” 

The Brookswood-Fernridge Greenway Amenity Policy and Brookswood-Fernridge Arterial Road Completion Amenity Policy were also adopted as amended to include the Fernridge Crescent developable area.  

Additional information can be found in full report by Township staff.  

December 3rd, 2024 

At their meeting on November 18th, Council gave first and second reading to the proposed amendment to the Brookswood-Fernridge Neighbourhood plan that proposes to increase the density of 38 properties in the Fernridge Crescent area from a minimum lot size of 1.0 acre to 10,000 ft2. The Brookswood-Fernridge Greenway Amenity Policy and Brookswood-Fernridge Arterial Road Completion Amenity Policy have been revised to include the Fernridge Crescent developable area.  

Additionally, Council also passed the following motions:  

• That 19677 24th Ave be updated from park & open space designation to employment, as originally proposed in the draft Fernridge Neighbourhood plan.  
• That the land use designations for 2030 - 200 Street, 2013 - 200 Street and adjacent property PID 013-224-859 be updated to SSMUH 3.  
• That the land use designations for 19980 - 28 Avenue and the 200 Street portion of 2759 - 200 Street be updated to Rowhouse/Townhouse. 
• That staff report to Council with draft bylaw amendments to the Booth Neighbourhood Plan Bylaw to remove the duplication of the Proposed Semiahmoo Trail along 196 Avenue and improve the ultimate transition from SSMUH 2 to School/Park Site on 32 Avenue, potentially reduced in size to a total of 10 acres. 

Additional information can be found in the  full report by Township staff.  

May 21st, 2024

At their May 13th meeting, Council gave second reading to the Booth, Fernridge and Rinn Neighbourhood Plans, incorporating a total of 13 amendments.  

Some of the notable amendments include:  

• Update Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH) designations 2 and 3 to favor more affordable attached housing types like rowhomes, duplexes, and triplexes, aligning with similar projected densities. 
• Increase the maximum density for townhouse developments to 20 Units Per Hectare from the previous 18. 
• Review residential land use designations at the intersection of 28th Ave and 200th Street for potential additional density. 
• Change land use designations in specific areas within the Booth and Fernridge neighborhood plans to SSMUH 3, particularly those north of special housing designation in Booth and west of 200th street in Fernridge. 
• Reduce permitted building envelopes for single-family lots to allow for additional mature tree preservation planting spaces and pervious surface areas. 
• Update employment land use policies encouraging pedestrian-friendly frontages along borders with future Fernridge nature park lands. 

The amendments discussed can be reviewed in the Council meeting video and additional information can be found in the full staff report.  

May 7th, 2024

At their meeting on April 29th, Council gave first reading to the Booth, Fernridge, and Rinn Neighbourhood Plans. The Neighbourhood Plans (NPs) have been revised and presented in the proposed bylaws based on the new provincial requirements and Council principles. As a result, the total buildout population of the entire Brookswood-Fernridge community would be approximately 59,900, which represents no change between the existing plans and the revised plans, as opposed to a higher population projection if the NPs remained the same. In addition, staff have proposed a revised CAC Policy, Brookswood-Fernridge Greenway Amenity Policy, and Brookswood-Fernridge Arterial Road Completion Amenity Policy. 

The proposed next steps are as follows: 

• Public Open House - May 9, 2024 
• Council Meeting - May 13, 2024 (To consider second reading and direct staff to proceed with a Public Hearing) 
• Public Hearing - May 27, 2024 
• Council Meeting - June 10, 2024 (To consider third (and final) reading) 
• Council Meeting - June 24, 2024 (To consider final reading, if not given on June 10, 2024)   

Additional information can be found in the full staff report. 

April 9th, 2024

On March 25th, Council provided a notice of motion relating to the Booth, Fernridge, and Rinn Neighbourhood Plans. Following Council’s endorsement of a further revision to the plans on January 29th, Council proposed the following additional principles for the upcoming revisions: 

• Additional environmental preservation and pervious area setbacks in addition to minimum SPEA requirements for Little Campbell River and/or other important waterways, subject to the removal of previously lower density housing forms with lower percentages of impervious services that local government no longer controls and can no longer ensure; 
• Exploration of employment land options, including area(s) located adjacent to Campbell Heights; 
• The potential establishment of Special Study Areas for subarea(s) for which residential development of the forms still controlled by local government are potentially inappropriate to designate; 
• The potential expansion of trail connections between Campbell Valley Regional Park and the developed areas of Brookswood, including, but not necessarily limited to, the Derek Doubleday Arboretum, if possible; 
• Additional preservation or park space(s) within the lands known as “Horne Pit”; and 
• Ensuring quality urban planning for upcoming urban areas in South Langley that generally maintains projected, reasonable, and established residential densities despite the inability to now create lower-density residential single-family subdivisions with certainty. 

More information can be found in the full report from Township staff from January. 

February 13th, 2024
 

As mentioned in previous updates, on January 29th, Council directed staff to update the Booth, Fernridge and Rinn Neighbourhood Plans by revising or altering any plan components or policies that do not align with the Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH) Provincial legislation. Council passed a motion directing staff to bring the updated plans back for Third Reading and final adoption within Q2 of 2024, as to provide certainty in a rapid revision.

This option essentially repeals the three Neighbourhood Plans (NPs) through a comprehensive update and refers them back to staff for revision to align with the SSMUH requirements under Bill 44. The revisions will consider land uses/densities and update the recently completed Engineering Servicing Plan for the Brookswood-Fernridge community.

More information can be found in the full report by Township staff. 
 

January 16th, 2024
 

On December 4th, 2023, a Council motion was passed to direct staff to initiate the process of repealing the Booth, Rinn, and Fernridge Neighbourhood Plans as soon as it is confirmed that the Township of Langley has not been granted an exemption from the implementation of Bill 44 (2023) via legislation or regulations for developing areas within the Urban Containment Boundary.

Based on discussions during the Council meeting, staff and Council are currently waiting for the regulations for further details on the exemption application process. Once information on the process to apply for an exemption is released over the next few weeks, the Township will follow the process to submit for an exemption. If an exemption is not granted, Township staff will bring the repeal of the Booth, Rinn, and Fernridge Neighbourhood Plans to Council for consideration. The repeal of the plans will include a public hearing process.

For more information, see the full Council discussion.