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Nicomekl River District Neighbourhood Plan

Nicomekl River District Neighbourhood Plan

*November 2021 Update*: On November 22, 2021, the Nicomekl River District Neighbourhood Plan was adopted by Langley City Council as an appendix of the new Official Community Plan (OCP) and is now in effect.

Langley City is growing, and the Nexus of Community vision aspires to shape our community into a more walkable, livable, and sustainable place for all residents! To do this, the City has adopted a Nicomekl River District Neighbourhood Plan which will guide land use change, development, and public space improvements in the area.

Why the Nicomekl River?

Langley City is growing, and the Nexus of Community vision aspires to shape our community into a more walkable, livable, and sustainable place for all residents! To do this, we’re creating a Nicomekl River District Neighbourhood Plan which will guide land use change, development, and public space improvements in the area.

What is the Process?

We are following a 3 phase process to create the Nicomekl River District Neighbourhood Plan.

EXPLORE OPTIONS

Phase 1 is now complete! Over the course of this phase, we reached out to the community to hear what you have to say. We introduced key issues and trends and facilitated a workshop and open house to develop a collection of big ideas. These will help inform the neighbourhood plan as we move into Phase 2 where we’ll test the feasibility of the ideas and engage even more community members.

Thank you to all those who participated in the June 25th Design Workshop and June 26th Open House! 

To learn more about what we’ve accomplished so far, here are some key documents created during this phase:

Here are a few snapshots from the two days of engagement activities:

DEVELOP POLICY ITEMS

Phase 2 is a deep-dive phase, where we explore ideas, themes, and principles in more detail using a variety of engagement activities. Consensus starts to emerge on key topics to guide the development of a draft neighbourhood plan.

The Nicomekl River District is home to burgeoning neighbourhoods, rich cultural heritage and a thriving ecological playground. This place is our home, and as it changes, The Nexus of Community vision aims to build on current community strengths to enhance what we have and to integrate community feedback for a more vibrant, sustainable future.

Engagement at the March 2020 Open House revealed support for ecological restoration projects, including protecting salmon habitat, providing more trees and shade, and reducing and managing non-native reed canary grasses, to strengthen the resilience of the Nicomekl River floodplain.

Support was also noted for amenities such as a lookout tower, interpretive elements and signage, a walkway in the southwest of the floodplain, and a children’s adventure play area by Portage Park, as long as they don’t disturb wildlife habitat or cause privacy concerns for nearby properties.

View the open house boards and a summary of feedback from the open house!

 

FINALIZE THE PLAN

On November 22, 2021, the Nicomekl River District Neighbourhood Plan was adopted by Langley City Council as an appendix of the new Official Community Plan (OCP) and is now in effect. This final document was refined based on public engagement consisting of an open house and a survey held in February, 2021 along with additional technical analysis. It proposes a bold new direction for the future of the areas surrounding the Nicomekl River floodplain. It includes a clear vision and roadmap for a more complete, walkable, and ecologically sustainable neighbourhood that will gradually develop harmoniously with the City’s most significant natural asset, the Nicomekl River.

The February draft of the plan that was presented for community input can be viewed here. You can also watch the Virtual Open House that was held on February 10, 2021, from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm, where attendees spoke to planners about the process and the content of this transformative new plan for the neighbourhood surrounding the Nicomekl River!