Varing Magazine - 2018 - Land is the New Gold

H O M E L I F E G L E N AY R E R E A LT Y C O M PA N Y LT D .

CORE VALUE:

NO. 3

PURSUE GREATNESS

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Letter from Joe Varing Hear from Joe himself— find out what this year holds for Varing Marketing Group.

08 VARING MAGAZINE 2018 ISSUE Publisher Gabriella Denizot gabriella@varinggroup.com

Market Review Get a quick breakdown of what’s happening with Fraser Valley development.

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What’s Ahead Get the inside scoop about Abbotsford’s future and OCP progress from city planner, Mark Neill.

Editor Tori Thistlethwaite Art Director Gabriella Denizot Photography Kassandra Poleshuk Contributors Mayor Jack Froese Ryan Jones Joe Varing Mark Neill Rick Gendemann Tori Thistlethwaite Printed by Glenmore Printers, Richmond BC Contents ©2018, Varing Marketing Group Varing Marketing Group Homelife Glenayre Realty Company Ltd. #360-3033 Immel St. Abbotsford, BC V2S 6S2 604.565.3478 WWW.WESELLDIRT.CA

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Real Estate+Finance Some tax tips from Rick Gendemann, partner at Manning Elliott LLP.

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Using a Land Specialist Selling? Five reasons why you might want to consider a land specialist.

Langley Development Jack Froese, Mayor of the Township of Langley, shares his thoughts on the updated Brookswood development plan.

Community Involvement in local community events and charities is one of Varing Group’s core values.

TO REACH Y O U R G R E AT E S T POTENTIAL YO U ’ L L H AV E TO FIGHT YOUR G R E AT E S T F E A R S .

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LETTER FROM JOE VARING With another successful year on the books, we’re excited to be publishing and providing you with the third edition of Varing Magazine. Last year, the magazine received such an incredible response, beyond what any of us were expecting. Because of this amazing feedback, we decided to dig deeper and shed even more light on the development industry and answer as many questions as we could in this edition.

In this issue, we are unpacking topics like future development areas as well as helping you navigate real estate questions and more. In order to provide you with an in-depth look at these sometimes complex topics, we reached out to many of our industry resources to get their expert opinions. Utilizing their knowledge, we were able to compile a series of featured articles that tackle some of your most common questions.

This issue’s industry influencer, Ryan Jones of Qualico Communities BC, shared his experiences as one of the industry’s largest players in a personal Q&A. To further build on the interest in our city’s activities, similar to last year’s article with Don Luymes at the City of Surrey, we met with Mark Neill at the City of Abbotsford office to get the latest details about their surging development activity and how they are approaching long-term growth, especially since the implementation of their OCP. To provide you with the most accurate and informative advice, we rely heavily on our relationships with industry leaders. In this issue, we’ve partnered with Chartered

Professional Accountant, Manning Elliott LLP, to share with you some helpful insight regarding real estate taxes and more.

Born, raised, and headquartered in the Lower Mainland, the Varing team has the privilege of residing in one of Canada’s most celebrated locations and most exciting real estate markets. BC’s Fraser Valley encompasses communities fueled by progressive, business-driven provincial and municipal governments, and their drive has primed Surrey, Langley, Maple Ridge, and surrounding areas for continued rapid growth over the next decade. Our team at Varing Marketing Group is exceptionally fortunate to play a part in this growth through our sales of development land. We hope you enjoy this year’s issue and we look forward to continued success and opportunities in the future.

Best Regards, Joe Varing

2017

2017 was another record-breaking year in terms of sales volume, as well as price. After the Foreign Buyers Tax, implemented in August 2016, caused only short-term relief, investors and home buyers continued their buying spree through the first half of 2017. With the Canadian Economy growing at a torrid pace, the Bank of Canada raised interest rates by 0.25% in both July and September, setting the new benchmark interest rate at 1%. While other major real estate markets saw drastic effects from the rate hikes, the Fraser Valley proved once again to be an anomaly in Canadian real estate, showing slowed but continued growth through the rest of 2017. November and December saw a 17% increase in mortgage applications, caused primarily by buyers looking to avoid new regulations implemented in early 2018.

2018

MARKET REVIEW

As of Jan. 1, 2018, most Canadians getting, renewing, or refinancing a mortgage have to show that they would be able to cope with interest rates substantially higher than their contract rate. These new rules by the Federal Government mean that even borrowers with a down payment of 20% or more will now face a stress test, as has been the case since January of 2017 for applicants with smaller down payments who require mortgage insurance.

This new stress test, coupled with rising interest rates, an increased foreign buyers tax to 20%, and updated property transfer taxes seem to indicate an impending slow in the market.

Although many of these measures were introduced in the 2018 Provincial Budget to cool an overheated market, it’s important to note that Fraser Valley real estate prices have historically been quite resistant to regulatory changes.

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LANGLEY The Township of Langley has seen much of the same growth in multi-family developments as it has since 2016, with Willoughby Heights accounting for nearly 70% of all development activity in the Township. Highlights for 2017 included the release of the Smith NCP, which saw a drastic price increase as well as the adoption of the Brookswood Plan, which was met with a mixed response from the development community. With areas like the Williams NCP in Willoughby Heights finally beginning construction, the Township is poised for continued rapid growth.

SURREY It’s easy to glance over important storylines when things are moving ahead as quickly as they are in Grandview Heights.

The proposed LRT project has been gaining traction and seems to be moving ahead nicely, with a push being made for full-scale roll out in one phase rather than in two as originally anticipated. Grandview Heights #3 NCP was started in 2017, as well as the #4 NCP to be released in Spring 2018, which will see even more interest generated for Grandview.

Two areas with a significant increase in developer driven acquisitions were West Clayton and also the Anniedale Tynehead NCP, primarily on the Eastern side of Highway 15 (176th). With West Clayton progressing nicely, North Clayton is beginning to draw some interest from developers which may initiate the planning process.

MAPLE RIDGE Maple Ridge has slowly grown into one of the more interesting areas in the Fraser Valley. With the obvious rapidly growing areas such as Silver Valley, many larger developers are also beginning to cross the Golden Ears to invest in lesser known Albion and even the Thornhill Urban Land Reserve, which has yet to see a planning process initiated.

With low land prices and relatively large parcels, both sub-areas are poised for growth in the next 8-12 years. The city’s progressive Government, world-class amenities, and stunning mountain views have neighbouring cities taking note. It’s clear Maple Ridge is ready to grow.

WHAT’S AHEAD

Q & A INSIGHT INTO ABBOTSFORD’S BRIGHT FUTURE FROM DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY PLANNING, MARK NEILL.

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WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ABOUT YOUR JOB? Communication is one of the most important attributes of a planner. Our job is to provide Council with recommendations and consult the public on plans, strategies and development proposals. Conveying a clear message enables the public to understand the information and provide meaningful feedback and it enables Council to make an informed decision on these important projects.

ARE THERE ANY CHALLENGES THAT YOU’VE BEEN FACED WITH WHILE IMPLEMENTING THE OCP? When we began the OCP update, the number one goal was to undertake a diverse and inclusive public engagement process. We made every effort to ensure people were aware of the project and invited them to participate in the conversation in shaping Abbotsford’s future. In doing so, Council adopted a plan that captures the vision and priorities of the community as we grow to a population of 200,000. We do, however, encounter challenges with implementation as we transition to a new way of doing business and new perspectives on growth. Historically, we have been on outward growing community consisting primarily of single-family homes.

While this opportunity still exists, the majority of our growth is anticipated to be through redevelopment of the City Centre, Urban Centres, and other existing neighbourhoods. When this opportunity becomes a real development proposal, concerns are raised about densification, lack of parking, congestion and loss of privacy.

DUE TO SHORTAGE OF RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT LAND, IS THE CITY OF ABBOTSFORD PLANNING ANY ALR EXCLUSIONS? Having a clear vision of how and where the city will grow in the future is vitally important in understanding the need for land. The OCP has established a growth plan for a city of 200,000 people without the need to exclude land from the ALR for residential growth. The OCP does, however, highlight a number of Special Study Areas for Industrial growth and additional park space on ALR land to accommodate employment and amenities for a city of 200,000 people.

HOW IS ABBOTSFORD TACKLING HOUSING AFFORDABILITY AS WE SEE MORE LAND OWNERS MOVING EAST? While Abbotsford offers a diverse range of housing options, the need for affordable and attainable housing continues to grow in our community. A spectrum of housing options is required to support our growing community.

New opportunities exist in the OCP for further densification of existing neighbourhoods, including the Infill designation.

This designation is intended to provide opportunities to maintain the character of the neighbourhood and allow gentle densification through the creation of compact lots, and allow suites and/or detached units in the backyard.

Also, the City recently embarked on creating an Affordable Housing Strategy. The strategy will explore the current and future housing demands and needs in our community.

The update will also provide information to aid the City in its decision making and partnerships with all levels of Government, Private Sector and Non-Profit partners to facilitate affordable housing development.

CAN YOU EXPLAIN ABBOTSFORD’S DIM PROCESS AND HOW IT HAS IMPACTED THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS? Development Inquiry Meetings (DIM’s), also known as pre-applications, is a common practice for Local Government related to prospective development proposals as a means to provide high-level early feedback.

Abbotsford is no different in that regard, for decades we have had pre-application meetings. However, up until 2014 there was not an overarching system that managed how the meeting was set up, who attended, what minutes were taken, and a tracking of how many and what type of meetings were held. Since that time, a robust and well

managed system has been developed, including an online meeting request, and as a result the frequency of the meetings has increased significantly, and the feedback we regularly receive is extremely positive in terms of the ‘value add’ nature of the meeting to our customers. The collaborative feedback staff provide at the meetings has allowed our customers to get a much better sense of how their proposal does or does not comply with existing City Bylaws and Policies, often even before they purchase a property.

The numbers tell the story of the value our customers see in the meeting as demand for them has substantially increased year after year. In 2014 we facilitated 111 DIM’s, in Q1-Q3 2017 we facilitated 343 sessions with our customers.

Overall, our DIM system has refined and improved the quality of the subsequent development applications we receive, saving everyone valuable time and money through the review process. The net result of this initiative has become an organizational alignment success story, and excellence in customer service for our prospective applicants, where all City departments and various levels within the organization (including Mayor & Council) are familiar with the term Development Inquiry Meeting (DIM) and the general process and are directing inquiries towards it to provide a much more systematic, consistent, and repeatable level of service.

WHICH RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS DO YOU THINK WE’LL SEE THE MOST GROWTH IN THE NEXT COUPLE YEARS? Most of the planned growth is within the City Centre and the urban centres, such as the U-District and Historic Downtown. Neighbourhood planning processes are underway for these areas and we are experiencing development interest as developers see the benefit of investing in neighbourhoods that have an outcome in mind. This allows each development to be marketed towards a broader neighbourhood vision that includes services, amenities and frequent transit.

WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP FOR ABBOTSFORD’S FUTURE? We are now focused on creating a number of Neighbourhood Plans for key growth areas of the city.

We are near completion of the U-District Neighbourhood Plan and are currently working on the City Centre and Historic Downtown. The plans are intended to enhance the OCP by providing greater detail and certainty of the neighbourhood’s unique vision, growth aspirations, opportunities for amenities and servicing needs. These plans have the potential to be the catalyst in the transformation of these urban areas, spurring development in a way where each project helps achieve a common vision. ▼

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REAL ESTATE + FINANCE WRITTEN BY RICK GENDEMANN OF MANNING ELLIOTT LLP

Planning to Minimize Future Application of B.C. Property Purchase Tax Costs When purchasing real estate in B.C. one needs to be mindful of the cost of Property Transfer Tax (“PTT”) not only at the time of purchase but also down the road.

Currently, PTT applies to transfers of property when a change of ownership title is registered with the Land Title office.

Current tax rates applicable are as follows: »» 1% of the value of the property for the first $200,000 »» 2% of the value of the property for amounts between $200,000 to $2million, and »» 3% of the value of the property in excess of $2million. »» A further 2% on the portion of the value greater than $3million if the property is residential.

Given the recent real estate boom that has occurred, this PTT can be an expensive cost and hurdle to effective tax planning for real estate ownership.

A common planning structure that can be used to mitigate the multiple application of this PTT every time ownership of the property changes is through the use of a “bare trustee” corporation to hold registered ownership of the property.

This structure is used to set out that registered title of the property is being held solely for the beneficial ownership of another person. During the period of ownership, the bare trustee’s name remains on title and this entity may only act on instructions it receives from the beneficial owner.

Looking forward, given that future beneficial ownership of the property may change, PTT can be avoided where

the beneficial interest in the property is transferred without registering a transfer of legal title.

For future planning purposes, the ability to move the beneficial ownership of a property amongst your own family or within your corporate group without triggering the PTT can save significant dollars.

Also consider the opportunity to enhance the value you may receive on a future sale of the property. If a buyer can acquire future beneficial ownership of the property, including purchase of the bare trustee corporation shares, PTT can be avoided. As the buyer is not incurring the PTT, their effective cost of purchase is less than a situation where PTT would have otherwise applied.

This overall saving to the buyer could be factored into the negotiation of the final selling price of the property.

There is talk that changes may be implemented to the treatment and exclusion of PTT from such planning structures. But until that time, bare trust planning remains an important and useful tool in real estate ownership structuring.

Structuring Your Real Estate Development Activities When considering the future development and sale of real estate, it is important to address how this activity should be structured from a business and tax perspective. Common ownership forms of real estate development and sale include: joint ventures, partnerships and corporations. The income earned under each form of ownership has differing income tax treatment that needs to be considered.

In the case of joint ventures and partnerships, income earned from the development activity is effectively allocated out to the partner or venturer, and taxed in that person’s hands. As a result, any profits from the development activity are taxed on a flow through basis and taxed at the rates in effect for each partner or venturer.

In the case of a corporation, profits are initially taxed inside the company.

If funds are paid out of the company, these are distributed as dividends to the shareholders and taxed in their hands for the tax year in which the dividend is paid. Under current tax rules, using a corporation may allow you to have the development profits taxed initially at lower effective tax rates. If you plan to delay distribution of the funds from the company to the shareholders, you can then defer the tax that would otherwise be payable on a dividend distribution. For example, if you were looking to reinvest your development activity profits going forward, deferring taxes payable would allow for a greater pool of funds available for reinvestment inside the corporation.

In determining which form of ownership structure to

implement, you need to consider some key aspects of the development activities as follows: »» What is the expected size and magnitude of the proposed development? »» How many partners or owners will be involved in the development? »» What is the expected profits to be realized from the development? »» What is the level of financing that may be needed for the development? »» What are your plans for the utilization of the profits realized?

Careful consideration and planning in structuring your real estate development activities can provide for significant tax deferral and overall tax savings down the road.

Purchasing Property to be Used in a Commercial Activity When looking at acquiring real estate you need to consider the GST implications of that purchase. Generally speaking, most real estate purchases will be subject to GST at closing unless you are acquiring a used residential complex. Given the current GST rate of 5% this cost can represent a significant amount of funds that would be required to complete the purchase on closing.

One can avoid this GST closing cost by registering the purchaser for GST purposes with the Canada Revenue Agency (“CRA”) prior to closing. When a purchaser is a GST registrant at the time of closing, they can provide their GST number to the vendor which removes the requirement for the vendor to collect the GST otherwise payable.

The purchaser is then required to self-assess the GST that would have been payable, but they are eligible to claim the GST payable as an offsetting GST input tax credit. The net effect to the purchaser is that no net GST is payable on closing thereby eliminating the requirement to initially pay the GST and then file for a subsequent recovery as a GST input tax credit. Given the potential GST cost on a real estate purchase, this offset reporting ability can be very beneficial from a cash flow management perspective.

It is important that this self-assessment reporting is properly filed with CRA in conjunction with the purchaser’s first GST return to be filed after the acquisition date.

Planning to Make Home Mortgage Interest Tax Deductible Generally, when you have or take on a mortgage or loan to acquire your residence, the interest is not deductible for tax purposes as the funds were not used to acquire an asset for income earning purposes. The funds, in this case, were used to acquire a personal use asset that does not generate any investment return for income tax purposes.

However, there are ways to restructure your current mortgage or loan to allow for an interest deduction going forward. If you are a business owner and your company has a shareholder’s loan payable to you, it may be possible to restructure your affairs to create the eligible interest deduction. Let’s assume you have a tax paid shareholders loan in your company of $200,000. You would arrange to have this loan repaid on a short-term basis with the funds being used to reduce the balance of your outstanding mortgage or loan balance. As part of this process, you would have arranged a secondary loan facility on your home of $200,000. Immediately concurrent with the initial repayment, you would then draw on the secondary loan facility to advance the funds back to the company as a shareholder loan advance. As you are now able to demonstrate that borrowed funds have been used to invest in your company, the interest payable on this loan will now be tax deductible.

need to borrow funds based on your current equity in your home for the initial down payment of $200,000. Let’s say your home has a value of $800,000 and an outstanding mortgage balance of $300,000. After this purchase, you would have total debt of $500,000 secured by your residence.

In most situations, you should be able to obtain a combined mortgage/homeowner line of credit up to 75% of the value of your residence ($600,000 in our example). The original home credit facility would total $500,000, and this amount would be tracked in two pools. In one pool, the non-deductible debt would equal $300,000 (your current mortgage balance). The second pool, the tax deduction pool, would be $200,000. When you make your monthly payments under the combined loan facility, the principal portion of your payments are directed to reduce the balance of the non-deductible debt pool. No principal payments would be applied to reduce the tax deduction pool until you have fully retired the non-deductible debt pool.

By restructuring your total debt financing in this fashion, over time you can indefinitely retain a full tax deduction for interest paid on the tax deduction pool which can be claimed to offset the rental income you are reporting. As your principal payments are only being applied to reduce the non-deductible pool balance, you will be able to retire this portion of the loan facility quicker to reduce the overall cost of non-tax deductible interest you will pay over the term of your loan facility.

Here is another often used strategy when looking to borrow for investment purposes. You are planning to purchase a rental property to provide for future upside return, and you

Rick Gendemann, CPA, CA is a Partner with Manning Elliott LLP. Rick has developed an extensive background providing accounting, tax, business advisory, estate and succession planning services for privately held businesses. His practice focuses on businesses operating in the manufacturing and food processing, agriculture, real estate development, wholesale, distribution and R & D industry sectors. Rick’s practice also includes a focus on delivering income tax consulting and tax planning services to owner-managed businesses and their shareholders.

Rick can be reached at (604) 557-5760 or rickg@manningelliott.com.

The above content is believed to be accurate as of the date of posting. Tax laws are complex and are subject to frequent changes. Professional advice should be sought before implementing any tax planning. Manning Elliott LLP cannot accept any liability for the tax consequences that may result from acting based on the information contained herein.

Accounting Assurance Business Advisory Estate Planning Succession Planning Tax “From the time the shovel hits the dirt, to the eventual sale, we’re with you every step of the way”

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THE BENEFITS OF USING A LAND SPECIALIST. With land prices at an all-time high, working with someone who specializes in land might be your best option.

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MARKET KNOWLEDGE A good Realtor who is specialized in land is consistently meeting with clients and city officials in regards to properties and areas that are ripe for development which allows them to acquire a vast market knowledge from an insider perspective. This information can then be compiled to strategically market properties and contact developers and investors that are actively purchasing in specific areas.

Everyone has an opinion in regards to real estate but few can hear the latest news directly from the source, whether it be a developer, city official, construction contact, Realtors gather an abundance of information to help inform you regarding your property.

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PRICING EXPERTISE Real estate agents are immersed in the market on a daily basis and are able to evaluate your property’s value as accurately as possible. By reviewing surrounding parcels, analyzing your property’s potential and comparing recent sales, a Realtor can establish an asking price that will attract buyers and get the highest selling price. A reputable Realtor will also advise you regarding the best time to sell. We often find ourselves telling clients they should wait a year or two in order to get the highest possible value.

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QUALIFIED BUYERS When a Realtor is in the industry for multiple years and selling consistently, their database grows exponentially. Within the development land segment, most large investors will purchase properties on a regular basis and soon become repeat clients. A Realtor can determine the quality of a buyer based on their reliability and trustworthiness during the contractual portion of sales. There is nothing more discouraging to a land owner than accepting an offer only to have it fall through due to financing issues or lack of research.

5 LIABILITY Selling and buying real estate requires multiple legal documents throughout the process and it can take just one oversight to bring on negative legal issues.

Real estate agents and their conveyancing team work with the same contracts and requirements on a regular basis. Their ability to edit contracts with terms and conditions to protect you is a valuable asset considering the alternative costs that you could incur if a legal issue arises. Realtors are bound by a strict code of ethics to look out for your best financial interests. An experienced real estate agent will do everything in their power to protect you, provide advice, and help avoid any legal headaches.

MANAGING COMMUNICATION Real estate professionals have an abundance of methods in which they can market a listing to ensure your property gets the most exposure. With all of the outgoing communication, there is a lot of inbound communication which also needs to be managed. Most buyers require due diligence work and documents to be presented prior to presenting an offer which can be time-consuming and sometimes complicated. Realtors are able to complete this work on your behalf and also field calls to decipher the serious buyers from the noise. Real estate agents are also able to communicate back and forth with buyers to negotiate terms and prices that best suit your goals, all while keeping you in the loop. Having an experienced, unbiased third party involved can make the process more manageable and help with some of the emotions that come along with a big decision such as selling your property.

THE BOT TOM LINE Buying or selling development land is quite complex and often requires industry connections in order to find the best buyer and to ensure the property is priced appropriately. More often than not, real estate transactions are the largest we encounter in life. This is why we strongly encourage buyers or sellers to do their research, meet with a few different Realtors, gather their opinions, and then decide the most appropriate avenue for your situation.

MAYOR FROESE ENGAGES BROOKSWOOD Community. It’s the area you live in. It’s the people you see every day. It’s the place you call home.

Mayor Jack Froese is proud to have called Langley home for 38 years and is a fierce advocate for the people of the Township of Langley, for the six unique communities he oversees, and for the future of the Township.

During his two terms in office, Mayor Froese has demonstrated an unfailing ability to champion the interests of the community, offer support and a voice to the people of Langley Township, and pursue action on their behalf.

It has not always been an easy, smooth, or popular road, but part of being Mayor is looking beyond today, seeing 30 to 50 years from now, and establishing a plan that lays a foundation for the future. And that is precisely what Mayor Froese has done.

Being mayor is mainly about people, bylaws, and policy--with a heavy focus on people. People drive change, demand answers, and want to hear from local government, and Mayor Froese believes the most important part of his job is hearing from the community:

People have questions about policy and what is going on in their community, as well as concerns when projects and other plans don’t go through, and the role of Mayor is all about responding and answering their questions. It’s about sitting down and meeting with them, and really listening and doing your best to facilitate their needs.

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In addition to dealing with local government, Mayor Froese is also involved in regional issues, and often has to look at the bigger picture and think about more than just what is best for the Township: “As Mayor, you have to think what’s best for the region, and by doing so, something good will happen for Langley Township in return. If every city is only thinking about what is best for them, nothing will be accomplished. I’m an advocate for the Township of Langley, but I have to work with everyone. We all have the same needs, and we have to build the infrastructure together.”

City planning takes time. Development takes time. Building the infrastructure to accommodate a growing population takes time. And all three require regional support, not to mention the support of Council and the people of Langley Township. The process is long and challenging, and Mayor Froese has been advocating for an updated community plan for the Brookswood-Fernridge area of the Township of Langley for several years.

Despite several failed attempts and a series of workshops,

open houses, public hearings, and amendments, the updated Brookswood-Fernridge Community Plan was passed on October 23rd, 2017, and the result was mixed emotions and a surge of public of interest. While there are still concerns regarding the development of Brookswood, Mayor Froese has done his best to reach people, involve them in the community plan, and make them feel heard.

After the 2014 plan was shot down, the Mayor zeroed in on public engagement.

“We kept asking ourselves what we did wrong. And then at one of the public hearings, I had several people come up to me and tell me that this was the first time they had heard of the proposal. That they had received a yellow postcard in the mail and that was it. It made me think-couldn’t we have a plan to reach people better? It’s not that staff did a poor job in public engagement, they did a great job, but times have changed, and we needed to change too.”

Before the current Brookswood-Fernridge Community Plan was developed, Mayor Froese implemented a public engagement initiative and formed a task force to inform the community better. When asked about the details of the initiative, Mayor Froese reflects on the process and

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“ THINK NO T OF WH AT YOUR COMMUNIT Y CA N DO F OR YOU, BUT WH AT YOU CA N DO F OR YOUR COMMUNIT Y.”

says “we hired a consultant and went through a nine month development strategy with the committee, reaching out to the public and even holding public engagement open houses for public engagement.” The result was something entirely new for the Township of Langley, and the task force helped create a strategy to help improve public engagement events for the newly adopted community plan and all future planning processes.

The road leading to the Brookswood-Fernridge Community Plan has been a long one for Mayor Froese, and for the people of the Township of Langley, but public engagement initiatives have ushered in a new way of doing things and changed government for the better. The community is now more involved than ever, and Mayor Froese remarks “there were maps on the floor you could walk on, there were notes where you could write what you thought on and stick it on the board. There were different ways for people to communicate what they wanted because, as you know we all communicate differently.”

Now that the community plan has been approved, a lot of landowners living in future development zones have questions about their future and are looking for answers.

The key, Mayor Froese believes, is asking questions and

education. “Landowners need to understand what they have, where they are, and know what environmental factors, like a stream running through their property, are present.”

Furthermore, the Mayor stresses how important it is for property owners to know what their rights are. For interested parties, there are several sources available, such as GeoSource and the Township of Langley website, as well as consultants who can tell people the value of their property, whether or not they end up selling. Mayor Froese highly recommends working with a consultant, as they can “weave through the layers of policy that aren’t that easy to find and can tell you exactly what you have.”

The Brookswood-Fernridge Community Plan is an update Mayor Froese inherited but grew to believe in passionately.

The people of the Township of Langley are asking for more amenities, shorter emergency room wait times, and more schools, but local government can’t make these changes alone. To build this kind of infrastructure, the Mayor, his regional partners, and the provincial government have to work together, and that all starts with a plan. Throughout this entire process, the Mayor has been guided by a twist on a famous JFK quote: “Think not of what your community can do for you, but what you can do for your community.” ▼

COMMITTED TO COMMUNITY It’s not only our success that brings us gratification, it’s the pleasure of knowing that clients have been served well. In turn, we’re able to give back to the communities that support us.

At Varing Marketing Group, we are fortunate to work with outstanding individuals who keep us inspired and humble. Alongside our daily business activities, is a genuine interest in giving to and participating in programs supporting youth in education and health. Our future as a company excites us and we want to ensure the kids in our community share that same excitement about their futures.

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SUPPORTING OUR COMMUNITIES In an effort to consciously help our communities, Varing Marketing Group makes donations to these organizations on a regular basis. We are constantly looking to add more causes to our list with the intention that as we grow as a company, we will be able to further support our communities.

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Pacific Land Group is an established multidisciplinary land development consulting firm specializing in strategic planning, surveying, civil and environmental engineering and environmental services.

Our Services Cover: • • • • • • • • • • •

Comprehensive Land Use Planning Site Planning, Subdivision & Urban Design Development Application Management Government Agency Approvals Environmental Assessments & Monitoring Sensitive Ecosystem Development Plans & Permit Applications Streamside Protection & Compensation Remediation / Reclamation Legal & Topographic Survey Civil Engineering Erosion & Sediment Control and Sediment Control Products

“You truly represented our interests and needs and took a proactive approach in resolving the challenging issues that arose during the subdivision and environmental agencies approvals.”

- George Brandon, Manager Shaw Industries Ltd.

Contact Us Today!

Tel: 604.501.1624 www.pacificlandgroup.ca • info@pacificlandgroup.ca PLANNING • ENGINEERING • SURVEY ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES VANCOUVER • SURREY 212 – 12992 76 Avenue, Surrey, B.C., V3W 2V6

3 + 4 BEDROOM FAMILY TOWNHOMES

‘CAUSE LIFE IS A FAMILY AFFAIR. A collection of 3 and 4-bedroom townhomes designed for today’s family.

Ridgemont’s purposeful design is second only to its spectacular surroundings.

Bordered by protected parkland and lofty treetops, reputable Fraser Valley builder, Nordel Homes, has combined their passion for West Coast architecture with elements inspired by the community’s natural setting.

NOW SELLING BY APPOINTMENT

RidgemontTownhomes.com

Availability, pricing and incentives subject to change without notice. E.&O.E. Sales and Marketing provided by Fifth Avenue Real Estate Marketing Ltd.

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VISION?

604.565.DIRT WESELLDIRT.CA (3478)