New Approach to Affordable Housing and Community Amenities

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Housing & Amenities in Langford

The City of Langford is working on two major initiatives to help deliver housing and community amenities, such as public spaces and facilities, that make our city livable and inclusive. Community input is an important part of this process, and we want to hear from you!

These initiatives include:

  • Langford’s first-ever Housing Strategy.

  • New bylaws to support the delivery of affordable housing and community amenities.

Together, they will help ensure that housing and community amenities keep pace with growth.

Housing Strategy

Langford is developing its first comprehensive Housing Strategy to guide how the City can enable the type of housing needed most in the city. It will cover all types of housing and price points, including ownership, rental, and social housing.

The goal is to ensure that safe, secure, and affordable housing options are available to people of all ages, incomes, and abilities.

The strategy will build on the direction set in the Official Community Plan (OCP) by identifying clear, practical actions the City can take to improve housing choice and remove barriers that may limit the construction of the types of housing most needed in our city. While some factors such as the development of social housing are outside municipal control, the City can still play a key role in enabling a wider range of housing options.

New Bylaws for Housing and Amenities

Alongside the Housing Strategy, the City is developing two new bylaws to support “density done well.” This is a key principle of the OCP that enables new growth and development that incorporates high-quality design and livability elements, and contributes to overall community benefits. These new bylaws will ensure that new development contributes to both affordable housing and community amenities.

Inclusionary Zoning Bylaw

This bylaw would require all new residential developments to include a minimum number of affordable housing units and/or a contribution to the City’s Affordable Housing Reserve Fund, which in turn supports the delivery of affordable housing in Langford.

Amenity Cost Charge Bylaw

This bylaw would require new development to contribute funding toward community amenities such as:

  • Libraries

  • Recreation centres

  • Childcare facilities

  • Plazas, squares and transformed streets

  • Community gardens

  • Public art

Together, these tools will support growth, so affordable housing and community amenities expand with new development.

The Housing Strategy and new bylaws will work together to:

  • Address housing needs across the continuum (see below).

  • Support a diverse range of housing options.

  • Ensure community amenities keep pace with population growth.

Understanding the Housing Continuum

  • The “housing continuum” describes the range of housing options people may need throughout their lives as their circumstances change. This includes everything from supportive and subsidized housing to market rental and homeownership.

This means planning for “complete communities” where residents can easily access daily needs, recreation, and mobility options.

It’s important to note that core infrastructure, such as roads, water, sewer, parks and emergency services is funded through separate Development Cost Charge (DCC) bylaws and will be addressed through a future project.

Project Background

The City’s Official Community Plan (OCP) sets the foundation for growth by identifying key housing objectives and targets. These include:

  • Expanding housing choice for all residents.

  • Supporting a range of housing types, including ownership, rental, non-profit, co-housing, and cooperative housing.

  • Ensuring that new homes are livable and well-connected to transportation options, amenities, and services.

The Housing Strategy builds on this vision by identifying concrete actions to help achieve these goals.

Updating How We Fund Amenities and Affordable Housing

Recent changes to provincial legislation mean that municipalities must review and update how they collect contributions for affordable housing and community amenities from new development. Affordable housing will now be secured through an “Inclusionary Zoning Bylaw” and community amenities will now be secured through an “Amenity Cost Charge Bylaw.”

Under the new system:

  • The City must adopt a bylaw that clearly defines the amenities the funds will support.

  • Funds can only be used for the capital costs of the amenities identified in a bylaw.

  • Affordable or Attainable housing may be required in all new residential development, either as on-site units or in some cases, as a cash contribution in-lieu.

  • Financial testing must be completed to ensure the required contributions don’t undermine the viability of new development.

This replaces the previous approach, where contributions were provided in exchange for increased building density and could be used more broadly.

What’s Changing

Currently, the City uses Attainable Housing and Amenity Contribution policies to guide contributions secured as a condition of rezoning. These may include:

  • Cash contributions (General Amenity and Affordable Housing Reserve Funds).

  • Attainable housing units provided by developers.

The new Inclusionary Zoning and Amenity Cost Charge bylaws will formalize and standardize this process. They will:

  • Align with provincial legislation.

  • Provide greater clarity and consistency on what contributions are required, and how those contributions will be used.

  • Build on the City’s existing approach to securing affordable housing and amenities.

Public Feedback Survey

Langford community members are invited to share their perspectives on housing and community amenities by completing a short survey. The survey takes about 10 minutes and will help the City understand local housing experiences, expectations for community amenities, and priorities and challenges with growth.

Your feedback will help inform the actions and objectives included in the Housing Strategy and associated bylaws.

Take the survey to share your thoughts. It takes about 10 minutes to complete.

Housing & Amenities in Langford

The City of Langford is working on two major initiatives to help deliver housing and community amenities, such as public spaces and facilities, that make our city livable and inclusive. Community input is an important part of this process, and we want to hear from you!

These initiatives include:

  • Langford’s first-ever Housing Strategy.

  • New bylaws to support the delivery of affordable housing and community amenities.

Together, they will help ensure that housing and community amenities keep pace with growth.

Housing Strategy

Langford is developing its first comprehensive Housing Strategy to guide how the City can enable the type of housing needed most in the city. It will cover all types of housing and price points, including ownership, rental, and social housing.

The goal is to ensure that safe, secure, and affordable housing options are available to people of all ages, incomes, and abilities.

The strategy will build on the direction set in the Official Community Plan (OCP) by identifying clear, practical actions the City can take to improve housing choice and remove barriers that may limit the construction of the types of housing most needed in our city. While some factors such as the development of social housing are outside municipal control, the City can still play a key role in enabling a wider range of housing options.

New Bylaws for Housing and Amenities

Alongside the Housing Strategy, the City is developing two new bylaws to support “density done well.” This is a key principle of the OCP that enables new growth and development that incorporates high-quality design and livability elements, and contributes to overall community benefits. These new bylaws will ensure that new development contributes to both affordable housing and community amenities.

Inclusionary Zoning Bylaw

This bylaw would require all new residential developments to include a minimum number of affordable housing units and/or a contribution to the City’s Affordable Housing Reserve Fund, which in turn supports the delivery of affordable housing in Langford.

Amenity Cost Charge Bylaw

This bylaw would require new development to contribute funding toward community amenities such as:

  • Libraries

  • Recreation centres

  • Childcare facilities

  • Plazas, squares and transformed streets

  • Community gardens

  • Public art

Together, these tools will support growth, so affordable housing and community amenities expand with new development.

The Housing Strategy and new bylaws will work together to:

  • Address housing needs across the continuum (see below).

  • Support a diverse range of housing options.

  • Ensure community amenities keep pace with population growth.

Understanding the Housing Continuum

  • The “housing continuum” describes the range of housing options people may need throughout their lives as their circumstances change. This includes everything from supportive and subsidized housing to market rental and homeownership.

This means planning for “complete communities” where residents can easily access daily needs, recreation, and mobility options.

It’s important to note that core infrastructure, such as roads, water, sewer, parks and emergency services is funded through separate Development Cost Charge (DCC) bylaws and will be addressed through a future project.

Project Background

The City’s Official Community Plan (OCP) sets the foundation for growth by identifying key housing objectives and targets. These include:

  • Expanding housing choice for all residents.

  • Supporting a range of housing types, including ownership, rental, non-profit, co-housing, and cooperative housing.

  • Ensuring that new homes are livable and well-connected to transportation options, amenities, and services.

The Housing Strategy builds on this vision by identifying concrete actions to help achieve these goals.

Updating How We Fund Amenities and Affordable Housing

Recent changes to provincial legislation mean that municipalities must review and update how they collect contributions for affordable housing and community amenities from new development. Affordable housing will now be secured through an “Inclusionary Zoning Bylaw” and community amenities will now be secured through an “Amenity Cost Charge Bylaw.”

Under the new system:

  • The City must adopt a bylaw that clearly defines the amenities the funds will support.

  • Funds can only be used for the capital costs of the amenities identified in a bylaw.

  • Affordable or Attainable housing may be required in all new residential development, either as on-site units or in some cases, as a cash contribution in-lieu.

  • Financial testing must be completed to ensure the required contributions don’t undermine the viability of new development.

This replaces the previous approach, where contributions were provided in exchange for increased building density and could be used more broadly.

What’s Changing

Currently, the City uses Attainable Housing and Amenity Contribution policies to guide contributions secured as a condition of rezoning. These may include:

  • Cash contributions (General Amenity and Affordable Housing Reserve Funds).

  • Attainable housing units provided by developers.

The new Inclusionary Zoning and Amenity Cost Charge bylaws will formalize and standardize this process. They will:

  • Align with provincial legislation.

  • Provide greater clarity and consistency on what contributions are required, and how those contributions will be used.

  • Build on the City’s existing approach to securing affordable housing and amenities.

Public Feedback Survey

Langford community members are invited to share their perspectives on housing and community amenities by completing a short survey. The survey takes about 10 minutes and will help the City understand local housing experiences, expectations for community amenities, and priorities and challenges with growth.

Your feedback will help inform the actions and objectives included in the Housing Strategy and associated bylaws.

Take the survey to share your thoughts. It takes about 10 minutes to complete.

  • Housing Strategy Survey

    The City of Langford is making a plan to address housing challenges in the community. At the same time, the City is updating how it secures contributions from developers toward affordable housing and community amenities like recreational facilities, public plazas, libraries, and daycares so the requirements apply to all new development, and the rules match new provincial legislation. 

    Your feedback will help the City understand: 

    • Which community amenities are the most important to build as the community grows. 
    • The community’s priorities for new housing. 
    • The types of housing people need most (for example, apartments, larger family-homes, seniors’ housing, or affordable rental housing). 
    • Which people or groups don’t have enough good housing options right now.  

    Survey closes end of day, May 3, 2026.

    Personal information requested regarding the City of Langford Housing Strategy, Inclusionary Zoning, and Amenity Cost Charge Bylaws:  

    Public Feedback Survey is collected under the authority of Section 26 of the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 165, as amended. Unless otherwise specified, the information gathered will be used by the City of Langford with regard to the administration of the City of Langford Housing Strategy, Inclusionary Zoning, and Amenity Cost Charge Bylaws: Public Feedback Survey. Questions about the collection, use, and disclosure of this information should be directed to planning@langford.ca. 

    Take Survey
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Page last updated: 14 Apr 2026, 08:57 AM