Daniel Greenhalgh Responds to Historic Land Use Challenge

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(Newswire.net — August 1, 2018) Langley, BC —

A recent article in Western Investor highlights the historic challenges of land use in the Lower Mainland that developers are currently facing. The geographic constrictions of being hemmed in by the mountains and ocean are compounded by the addition of 45,000 newcomers each year to the Metro area.

Developers and city planners are scrambling to create strategies to adequately and affordably house these newcomers while already in the midst of a drastic housing crisis. The prevailing idea has been to corral most of them into already-dense regional town centres and transit hubs. This serves to reduce both urban sprawl and the need to encroach on ALR-zoned land.

But this high density means much more demand on small parcels of land. It stretches infrastructure to near the breaking point and creates more pushback from locals who already feel the pressure of overpopulation.

Daniel Greenhalgh, ENM’s co-founder, believes that it’s time to reevaluate the use of ALR-zoned land in the Lower Mainland.

“Some of this land is long past being used to alleviate food shortages in BC as the ALR intended.  Why not take 20 or 30 acres of this ALR land on the highway, let it be purchased for the ALR rate, convert it overnight and give the profit to the end user for social housing costs?  Developers could have a balanced partnership with the government to build new affordable houses here.”

The opposition to this idea is predictable, especially with an NPD-led provincial government. But radical changes need to be considered when facing the crisis of housing supply that burdens BC residents.

There is also opposition to pursuing infill development within the Metro area, which includes building laneways, additional wings, duplexes and triplexes. The permitting times are unnecessarily long and the fees can become astronomical. But this kind of development would substantially ease the strain on supply. Fully two-thirds of land in the Lower Mainland is occupied by single-family housing, and there’s clearly a need to expand the capacity of this land to address the ballooning population. A recent study showed that Langley Township ranked 2nd among Metro municipalities as best poised to implement infill housing policies. We at ENM hope that elected officials in Langley will take a serious look at expediting and expanding the Township’s infill development capabilities.

About ENM Construction

ENM Construction Management is the brainchild of Daniel Greenhalgh and Colin Lacey. The firm specializes in construction and development management of purpose-built rental housing since 2008. It is a recognized member of the Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VCRA), serving communities in Greater Vancouver Area, including Langley, Surrey, Abbotsford, Coquitlam, and Fraser Valley. developments.

ENM Construction

#302 – 19950 – 88th Ave East
Langley, BC V1M 0A5
Canada
604-371-3663
info@enmconstruction.ca
http://www.enmconstruction.ca