Employment Lands Study

Study Objectives

• assess Langley’s employment trends within a larger context

• consider issues of industrial densification• recommend a mix of employment uses in

appropriate locations to meet future demand• determine an appropriate balance between

population and employment growth• recommend actions to build a strong economy

Goal

• a strong and diversified local economy, with a sufficient and varied supply of serviced employment lands, to achieve a balanced tax base and a higher job to labour force ratio

• consistent with Langley’s Sustainability Vision

The Economic Context

• recent overall global economic challenges from tight credit and market uncertainty

• relative to most other countries, Canada has been relatively stable

• slower economic growth in the short run, but BC economy will fair better than most provinces

• most BC growth occurs in Metro Vancouver

Langley Economy

• Langley is part of the Metro Vancouver gateway to the Pacific

• transportation and logistics are a large regional economic driver

• Metro office sector is smaller than other cities • Langley’s economy is reasonably resilient and

fairly well diversified• with recent and planned infrastructure

improvements & a good land base, Langley is well situated to expand employment

Demand for Employment Land

• demand for about 810 acres of employment lands over the 25-year period to 2031

• employment model used to convert 37,000 new jobs to floor space, then to acres for each area in each of the sectors

• about 33 acres/year; 50% increase to 2031• about 64% for industrial (37% of new jobs)• about 23% for commercial (29% of new jobs)• about 12% for institutional & office

Supply of Employment Lands

• Langley has 3rd highest supply of vacant industrial land in Metro (after Surrey & Richmond)

• 930 acres were identified throughout Langley for future employment growth (810 acres needed)

• the challenge is to ensure a match between available serviced land and the requirements of future demand, within an appropriate policy context

• future land use designations have to be managed so that the potential of all areas can be maximized

Broader Tax Base

• in 2008: – 83% of tax revenue came from residential– 13% from commercial– 3% from industrial

• this is typical of a suburban community• the strategy over time is to increase the % of

property taxes coming from non-residential land• this provides long term fiscal stability and health

Recommended Actions

1. conduct a consultative process on the suggested approach for employment lands: turn the study into planning policies

2. update the zoning bylaw to ensure the right tools are in place for implementation

3. create a new economic development strategy that emphasizes high employment uses, targets emerging markets, and builds on the diversity of its opportunities

4. maintenance of an employment lands data base to monitor trends, supply & demand

5. develop a high level servicing strategy to ensure that serviced lands are available in conjunction with residential growth

6. monitor and update community plans to ensure that employment lands are provided to support population growth

7. maintain future strategic long term options for expanding Gloucester and inclusion of employment lands in Brookswood/Fernridge

Discussion