Neighbours Worried About Langley Prairie Site

Langley City Council is asking the development community for proposals for a 4.17-acre property they own on Fraser Highway, near 200th Street. This was the site of the old Langley Prairie school, which was demolished by the City last year to the dismay of heritage buffs and neighbours.

Many of those neighbours are now worried about the possibility of a 24-storey tower being built on the site, according to the Langley Times. Times editor Frank Bucholtz is skeptical that there would be the ability or market to build such a tower, but urges neighbours to keep a close eye on the City's plan:

It seems unlikely that such a high-rise would be built on the site. Soil conditions in Langley City's downtown aren't too conducive to high-rises, although engineers undoubtedly can find a way to make it work.

What is more problematic for a high-rise is this - is there a market for such a project in Langley City? It doesn't seem so at this point in time. While condominiums are popular, most people who are interested in living in the City seem to have little interest in high-rises.

The best place for the first high-rises in Langley to be built would be along a major transportation corridor, such as 200 Street or Highway 1. Such a development also needs excellent transit service.

No such place exists in Langley today, although the bus service along Fraser Highway to the SkyTrain line in Surrey has improved.

City residents should not let the idea of the high-rise blind them to other proposals for the site. What happens there will set a tone for the City for years to come. They need to keep paying attention to the issue.

I have to completely disagree with Frank on the idea of high-rises along Highway 1. That doesn't make much sense from a livability point of view, as the regional town centre is centered on Willowbrook. Think about Highway 1 from Vancouver through Abbotsford--are there any high-rise residential towers along it? I can't think of any.

As for the Prairie site, I think mixed residential-commercial could work there, but topping out at six storeys for the reasons Frank has mentioned. It will be interesting to see what the City comes up with.