Title
Community Amenity Contributions for Increased Density via OCP Amendments
Recommended Action
Whereas:
1. The desire to live in the Township of Langley is driven by our numerous public amenities, parks and recreation facilities, such as the ACUCC, MAP, and LEC as just a few examples, along with many other completed, ongoing and anticipated infrastructure projects paid for by taxpaying residents, past and present;
2. Over the past many years, senior levels of government have continued to download additional costs to municipal governments without new municipal revenue tools to fund these costs;
3. Rezoning applications, subdivisions, and density increases that require Official Community Plan (OCP) or Neighbourhood Plan (NP) amendments for increased density over and above the adopted land use plans or applicable subdivision bylaws generate extraordinary land speculation profits for private sector speculators, profits largely due to market demand based on the Township of Langley's regional location and desirability;
4. Rising land costs due to land speculation activity places significant financial strain on the Township of Langley to provide new amenities for a growing population;
5. Extraordinary land speculation profits from these categories of development should be shared as they are essentially a transfer of wealth from Township of Langley taxpayers to private sector speculators;
Therefore be it resolved:
A. That staff be directed to report back and present to Council as soon as practical a new, draft, distinct Community Amenity Contributions policy for Council's consideration with recommendations reviewing:
a. mechanisms for the fair and reasonable capture of a portion of the significant wealth created by land rezonings and/or subdivisions with OCP and/or NP amendments for increased residential or commercial density that place additional, substantial burdens upon the municipality;
b. a fair and reasonable percentage of land speculation value increa...
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