[Sheba]

NDP housing bill ‘undermines 10 years of urban planning’: Langley Township mayor

A Metro Vancouver municipality is pushing back against one of the BC NDP’s signature housing bills, warning it threatens to undermine a decade of urban planning.

At issue is the NDP government’s proposed Bill 44, which would force cities to allow up to four units on a standard residential lot.

The measure is part of a package of proposed housing legislation aimed at addressing the housing crisis and currently making its way through the legislature poised to fundamentally reshape how B.C. cities grow.

But the bill represents a “one-size-fits-all” approach out of step with long-established community plans, according to Township of Langley Mayor Eric Woodward.

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Without the necessary infrastructure in place, he said those numbers are not realistic, and that he’ll ask council to scrap the neighbourhood plans at an upcoming meeting.

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But Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon splashed cold water Tuesday on any exemptions for the municipality.

“(The Township of Langley) doesn’t need to make those changes — Metro Vancouver in their own reports have highlighted that building medium density is actually more cost effective for the infrastructure that already exists, so this will allow housing to be built with less investments needed for infrastructure,” he said.

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