The Most Expensive Way to Build a Pool
A land swap that solves nothing while adding millions in debt
The Township of Langley just signed a Memorandum of Understanding with School District 35 and the Province to swap land and build a new elementary school. The deal gives the Township the current Willoughby Elementary site at 208th Street and 80th Avenue to build a long-awaited community centre, while the Township pays to construct a replacement school next to the Tennis Centre.
Mayor Woodward is celebrating this as solving multiple problems at once: an aging school gets replaced, Willoughby finally gets its community centre, and the corner of 208th and 80th becomes a vibrant hub with public plaza and green space.
There’s just one catch: this is the most expensive possible solution to a problem the Township created for itself. The “solution” does not actually solve anything. It simply moves the problem while adding tens of millions in debt.
The Problem They Created
At the heart of the land swap deal is a simple fact: the Willoughby Elementary site is not great for kids. 208 Street is becoming 6 lanes wide and 80th Ave is becoming 4 lanes wide. The nexus point for 10 lanes of traffic is a problem we all recognize.
This was not inevitable. If the only objective is moving cars as quickly as possible, then expanding these roads makes sense. For people like me who see a city as more than a series of roads, the tradeoffs haven’t been worth it. 80th could have stayed 2 lanes and 208th could have stayed 4 lanes. The elementary school site would still be viable today.
The ironic part is if you read Eric’s post on LangleyToday he leans heavily into the notion that this community centre will be surrounded by a public plaza and greenspace. The same factors that now make this site unsuitable for an elementary school, noise, exhaust, and safety risk, also make it a poor setting for a public plaza. No one is going to hang out in a parking lot next to a busy road.
By prioritizing traffic flow, the Township has effectively poisoned the well for the very community space they claim to be creating.
“ThE dEvElOpErS wIlL pAy”
Eric has been on his Facebook loudly telling anyone who will listen to not worry about the cost of the school because developers will pay. It’s important people understand what the MOU says.
The Township will pay for design, construction, furnishings, cost overruns, taxes, and demolition of the existing school. In short, the Township will pay for everything. The recently completed Josette Dandurand Elementary was $52M, it is reasonable to expect this project to approach or exceed $60M. There are no reserves identified for this, which means debt financing.
It’s curious to see Mayor Woodward on Facebook assuring people developers will pay for it, because what he is promising is specifically not allowed. Developers pay for amenities in two ways: DCCs (Development Cost Charges) and ACCs (Amenity Cost Charges). Both these programs are tightly controlled by the Province. Crucially, neither of these programs allow municipalities to build schools with developer fees. The structure the mayor is proposing will almost certainly result in developers suing the Township if they try to proceed with it.
Delivering Amenities Without Going Broke
There’s a better way. Here is what we should do instead:
Right Size 80th
First, we must stop building the problem. We need to right-size 80th Avenue by removing its arterial designation. Instead of tearing down amenities to fit a road map, we should turn the outside lanes into street parking. This slows traffic, protects pedestrians, and makes the road fit the houses and schools already there. Yes, congestion may increase. That is a reasonable trade for a livable neighborhood.
Willoughby Rec Centre at LEC
Reopen the Willoughby Rec Centre at the Langley Events Centre immediately. This facility was shuttered during COVID and never returned to the public. Rumors suggest it was traded away as part of a deal for Vancouver FC, but a professional soccer team shouldn’t come at the expense of local families. We don’t need to spend millions to recreate a space we already own, we just need to open the doors.
Open the Cancelled Library
There was supposed to be a large central library in a recently completed mixed used building in Willoughby Town Centre. The library was cancelled in favor of ‘centralization’. Why wait years for a mega-project when we could have a functioning library right now in the heart of Willoughby Town Centre integrated into the existing community? Incrementalism instead of centralism.
Build a Community Sized Community Centre
We don’t need a Taj Mahal for 100,000 people; we need a community centre that works. By removing the redundant gym and library from the 208th Street plan, we can fit the remaining amenities on the existing park site. This eliminates the need for massive underground parking which can cost over $100,000 per stall. Building a right-sized facility, similar to the Clayton Community Centre, saves enough money to build additional amenities in other corners of Willoughby.
Langley Tomorrow
The current plan is the most expensive path possible. The mayor and his slate are treating tax dollars as if they’re an infinite resource provided by someone else. After three years of secrecy and promising to release a financial plan we’ve never seen, the bill is coming due. Let’s stop the mindset that every amenity requires a massive parking lot and a 10-lane road. Let’s build for the community we have, not the traffic we’re afraid of.
This Article is Cross Posted to my website www.langleytomorrow.com
There also was a gym at the Tol civic building . Willowbrook Rec centre. It closed during covid and never returned. So 2 gyms taken away from a community that needs them