Fort Langley zoning — context and a draft framework

Section 1

Current state

• ◦The structural land-use document for Fort Langley is the Fort Langley Community Plan (FLCP), Bylaw No. 2527, adopted in 1987. It has been amended thirteen times but never comprehensively rewritten.
• ◦Most recent amendment: the 2025 Official Community Plan (OCP) Update, Bylaw 6200, adopted December 1, 2025. Earlier amendments include the Heritage Conservation Area (HCA) designation in 1993 (Bylaw 3204), the Fort Langley Building Façade Design Guidelines amendment in 2014 (Bylaw 5063), and a Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH) cross-reference in 2022 (Bylaw 5761).
• ◦The prevailing residential zone in the village core is R-1E: 930 m² (~10,010 sq ft) minimum lot, 22 m (~72 ft) minimum frontage, 25 m (~82 ft) depth. Smaller pockets are zoned R-1B, R-1C, R-1D (lot minimums 464.5–650 m², or ~5,000–7,000 sq ft). The rural-edge parcels carry Suburban Residential (SR-1, SR-2, SR-3) zoning.
• ◦R-1E permits one principal dwelling with one secondary suite OR one accessory dwelling unit (ADU). With BC's Bill 44 (Housing Statutes Amendment Act, 2023) in force, the same zone also permits an SSMUH development of three or four units — but only where the lot is “connected to both municipal water and sewer.”
• ◦Fort Langley sits inside an active Heritage Conservation Area (HCA, Bylaw 3204, 1993). The Fort Langley Building Façade Design Guidelines (Bylaw 5063, 2014) layer form-and-character review on the village core — practical envelope roughly 29 ft / two storeys / 60% lot coverage.
• ◦Bill 44 SSMUH was adopted by the Township via Bylaw 6020 on November 18, 2024. Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) parcels are excluded.
• ◦Per FLCP Section 3.2: residential properties north of the Canadian National Yale Subdivision railroad are on municipal sewer. The rest of the community — including most of the village core south of the tracks — is on private septic.

At the same June 10, 2024 motion, Council deferred the facilitation of any new SSMUH service connections or extensions until a comprehensive water and sewer capacity review completes. As of May 28, 2026 the review remains unpublished — the Township's own SSMUH page still directs readers to “check back with staff late 2025,” the engineering master plans cited in Council's March 24, 2025 information memorandum have not landed, and the April 2026 SSMUH design-permit bylaw did not lift the service-connection freeze.

The 2025 OCP Update further codified, at FLCP Section 3, that sewer or water extensions “must follow the Local Area Services Policy or Private Utility Extension Process … and the cost … is paid by the proponent.” No Township-funded sewer extension to Fort Langley is on the books.

FLCP Section 2.2, held over from 1987 through every amendment including the 2025 OCP Update:

Section 2

Septic and sewer

Septic

• ◦Fort Langley village soils: silt loam ≥50 cm deep over medium-to-fine sand (Monroe/Matsqui association, per BC Soils Bulletin 18). The silt-loam cap at 60–90 cm depth controls hydraulic loading. Per BC SPM V3, Table II-22: HLR 23 L/day/m² for Type 1, 70 L/day/m² for Type 3.
• ◦A P.Eng-designed Type 3 advanced-treatment system for four dwelling units (~5,000 L/day design flow) requires roughly 70–90 m² (~750–970 sq ft) of infiltrative area. With 100% reserve area and code-required setbacks, the total reserved-from- yard footprint is ~200–250 m² (~2,150–2,690 sq ft) on a 930 m² (~10,010 sq ft) R-1E lot.
• ◦Site-specific constraints: the Fraser River freshet raises groundwater within 1 m of surface in May–June on lower-terrace parcels (SPM V3 requires 60–120 cm vertical separation from seasonal-high water table); the shallow Fraser-alluvial groundwater is not protected by deep aquitards.
• ◦Cost. SFH Type 3 in BC: ~$40K–$65K installed (FVRD publishes $30K–$50K). Four-unit Type 3: estimated $80K–$140K (engineering judgment; no BC source publishes multi-unit pricing — P.Eng quote required for a precise figure). Borne on a single parcel.

Sewer extension

• ◦2025 OCP Update (FLCP Section 3): sewer or water extensions to currently-unserved Fort Langley parcels are proponent-paid, routed through the Township's Local Area Services (LAS) Policy or Private Utility Extension Process.
• ◦LAS Council Policy 05-007: owners along the benefiting frontage carry 75% of project cost (frontage-formula split); Township absorbs 25%; typically amortized over a 20-year LAS levy.
• ◦Industry-standard BC residential sewer extension: $1,500–$3,500 per linear metre. The Township's 2025 Capital Budget (p. 169) puts the Fire Hall sanitary extension at $750,000 for 320 m — about $2,344/m all-in (design, engineering, construction) — landing inside the industry range.
• ◦Worked example. Gay Street: ~350 m (~1,150 ft), south of the CN Yale Subdivision tracks, on septic (per FLCP §3.2 sewer-split and live MLS data). Extending municipal sewer the full length: ~$525,000–$1.2 million, before lateral hookups and any lift-station contributions.

Section 3

Recent council decisions affecting Fort Langley

• 2024-06-10Council adopted Report 24-114 (Provincial Housing Legislation), codifying the Township's SSMUH framework and the 22% Fort Langley eligibility figure. The same motion deferred new SSMUH service connections pending the capacity review.
• 2024-11-18Bylaw 6020 (Zoning Amendment for SSMUH) adopted, amending Zoning Bylaw 2500 to permit SSMUH on eligible lots.
• 2025-05-12Council approved a variance for the Township's first SSMUH application — 8813 Glover Road, the 1912 George Towle House — a heritage retention with a triplex added behind, four units total. Vote 8-1.
• 2025-06-24Council approved a 76-unit mixed-use rezoning at the Glover-Mary-Church block in the village core. Vote 4-3.
• 2025-12-01Public hearing and adoption of Bylaw 6200 (2025 OCP Update). Incorporated draft Fort Langley provisions for heritage design, small-scale housing, and parking strategies. No FL-specific carve-out for SSMUH on septic.
• 2026-03-13Council passed unanimous first and second reading of SSMUH development-permit guidelines. These are Township-wide form-and-character rules, not Fort Langley-specific. The mayor spoke against the fourplex form at the meeting.

Section 4

BC precedents and legal framework

• ✦Ladner Village (Delta) HC2: duplexes exist by right inside a BC heritage conservation area; the Ladner Area Plan frames density as “an incentive for the restoration of historic structures.”
• ✦RDOS Heritage Hills (Sept 2024): Minister of Housing approved a Bill 44 compliance extension to December 30, 2030 for Heritage Hills / Lakeshore Highlands / Vintage Views, pending community sewer and water upgrades.
• ✦Murrayville Five Corners HCA: 21528 Old Yale Road had an SSMUH duplex application accepted under heritage review in 2024 — inside the Township.
• ✦Heritage Revitalization Agreements: under Local Government Act (LGA) Part 27, local governments may “vary or supplement the provisions of any bylaw” in exchange for heritage protection. The Township currently uses HRAs on 35 of its 51 Heritage Register sites.
• ✦Bill 44 exemptions: heritage-protected and non-sewered lands are exempt from the mandatory SSMUH framework.

Section 5

The proposed framework

A working draft only — specific enough to debate, not yet shovel-ready bylaw text. Calibrated against BC Reg 326/2004 and the BC SPM V3 on the assumption of P.Eng-designed Type 3 advanced-treatment septic.

Where this differs from the Bill 44 default

Core principles

• →Density. Up to four units per Fort Langley septic-only parcel — duplex (two principal dwellings) plus one accessory unit per side, the owner's choice of secondary suite OR coach house but not both. Adding a second accessory unit later requires re-permitting under the Township-wide SSMUH framework once the parcel is on municipal sewer.
• →Parking. Two stalls per principal dwelling, plus one covered stall per accessory unit (secondary suite or coach house). All on-parcel — no street-parking reliance for added density.
• →Form and facade. Each duplex side mirrors the other in width, depth, roof line, and front facade; the streetfront reads as one SFH-style frontage rather than two visibly attached units, matching the envelope of the newest single-family homes in the village core. All forms conform to the existing Fort Langley Building Façade Design Guidelines (Bylaw 5063, 2014), the 29 ft / two-storey / 60% lot coverage envelope, and Heritage Advisory Committee review.
• →Septic. Engineered by a Professional Engineer, filed with Fraser Health under BC Reg 326/2004 before construction. No on-site septic feasibility, no permit.
• →Exclusions. ALR parcels excluded (provincial restriction unchanged). Heritage Register-designated parcels review through a Heritage Revitalization Agreement (HRA) under LGA Part 27 rather than through the standard framework.
• →Sewer arrival. On municipal sewer connection, the parcel may graduate to the Township-wide SSMUH form. The septic-density framework is a bridge, not a permanent cap.

Reference photos

Front-loaded heritage-character duplexes that read as a single SFH from the street are uncommon in BC — most urban BC duplexes assume rear-lane access. Two reference points anchor the form range:

• ◦Leisure Homes & Sleek Designs — Richmond farmhouse duplex: modern farmhouse aesthetic (metal roof, black accents, natural wood, symmetric gables), front-loaded for a lane-less Richmond lot. The closest direct stylistic match for the form Fort Langley is built around.
• ◦Alair Homes — Puget Drive luxury duplex (West Side Vancouver): a contemporary multi-generational duplex (1,900 sq ft per unit, two garages), designed by Jason Skladan. Built on a wider West-Side lot — useful as a wide-lot reference, illustrating the parking and form options that open up on the larger Fort Langley parcels where rear or side-loaded garages can sit behind the streetfront without lane access.

Possible implementation paths

Two mechanisms exist under current BC law that could carry the framework into practice. Either could be pursued on its own; they are not mutually exclusive.

1. AA new Fort Langley zone within Zoning Bylaw 2500Zoning Bylaw 2500 would be amended to add a new “R-1E-FL” zone covering Fort Langley. Once written into the bylaw, every eligible parcel would gain access to the framework as of right. Process: staff report, two readings, public hearing, adoption. Slow and permanent.
2. BA standing Fort Langley HRA template under LGA Part 27A pre-approved set of conditions under LGA Part 27 — a Heritage Revitalization Agreement template — that any Fort Langley property owner could apply against. In exchange for committing to the heritage form, the parcel would gain the density. No new bylaw needed, because HRAs already allow Council to vary any existing provision. Faster to put in place; works parcel-by-parcel rather than all at once.