Development Potential in Langford

These tiers apply in Langford's Restricted Zones, the zones that as of December 2023 permitted only single family homes or duplexes and their suites. If your concept is not one of the listed forms, it is a rezoning conversation.

A prescribed stop is one served at least every 15 minutes from 7am to 7pm on weekdays. Confirm with the City that your lot is within 400 metres of one before you price six units.

Off street parking requirements are eliminated on Restricted Zone lots within 400 metres of a prescribed stop. Further away, these projects need one space per dwelling unit. The general suite regulations still call for an additional space for a suite, so confirm with the City how the two rules apply to your project.

The sixth unit near transit is subject to Langford's Amenity Contribution Policy. It is the only unit in the tiers the City can seek an amenity contribution for, and it is a cost line most people forget to carry. Development Cost Charges apply to every unit, and development permits and building permits are still required.

Bylaw 2183 removed the minimum lot size and the maximum floor area for secondary suites inside a single family home. A secondary suite must be completely contained within the home it belongs to.

There may be only one suite per lot unless the zone specifically permits more. The owner must occupy either the principal dwelling or the suite. The suite and the principal dwelling must stay a single real estate entity, and strata titling is not permitted.

Garden suites are permitted only on lots over 400 square metres, and garden and carriage suites need a lot at least 11 metres wide and 29 metres deep. A garden suite sits behind the rear building line of the home, with a gross floor area of no more than 65 square metres and a height of no more than 4.5 metres. Garden and carriage suites must be completely contained in a detached accessory building, are not permitted on lots within the City Centre designation, and cannot have a rooftop patio. Carriage suites need a lot over 1,000 square metres.

The Langford Exchange is a designated transit oriented area under provincial rules. Within 200 metres of it, the City cannot refuse a rezoning on density or height grounds for a proposal up to 3.5 FSR and 10 storeys. Between 200 and 400 metres, the figures are 2.5 FSR and 6 storeys. That density still takes a rezoning.

A lot inside a designated transit oriented area is governed by those rules rather than the small scale multi unit rules, and the two do not stack. If your lot is near the exchange, check which framework applies before anything else.

Zoning is only half the answer. The provincial policy manual states that existing section 219 covenants are not affected by the small scale multi unit housing legislation, and that a valid statutory building scheme registered on title limiting a property to one dwelling unit takes precedence over the density the zoning permits. Order a title search on the PID before you price density into an offer.

There is a full post on what a covenant or building scheme does to your density.