Langley Township will take a “sober second look” at a land use bylaw that sparked a court action by a Langley-based film studio.
On Monday, Jan. 15, council voted to reconsider revisions to the Williams Neighbourhood Plan, which were originally adopted on Dec. 4 last year.
That may affect the petition to the B.C. Supreme Court launched earlier this month by Martini Film Studios (MFS) and its associated companies, which sought to have the most recent revisions to the Williams plan quashed.
The dispute centered on a change in the most recent version of the Williams plan that would have designated part of an area near 216th Street, north of 80th Avenue, for civic institutional use.
MFS has been planning for years to build a 735,000 square foot film facility, complete with 16 sound stages. If built, it will be one of the largest film studio sites in Western Canada. In their petition to the court, the company said they paid $190 million to buy all the land, and a further $26 million on re-development costs, including pre-loading the uneven ground of the site.
But the change in land use could have carved off a significant chunk of land, MFS argued, potentially eliminating six of the sound stages and impacting land intended for office space.
“These impacts risk derailing the MFS Campus project, and jeopardizing the resulting expected benefits to the local economy and the creation of at least 1,500 full time direct, indirect, and induced jobs,” the petition said.
MSF argued that the Township failed to fulfill its obligations to properly consult with people and organizations that would be affected by the new bylaw.
None of the claims in the petition have been tested in court.
The Township made the change because it’s been looking for a new site for another operations centre – the lots where civic governments store trucks, large equipment, road salt and sand and other heavy gear. The current site in Murrayville is cramped and has no room to expand.
READ MORE: Film studio takes Langley Township to court
“Given the very limited legal process timelines we had to work with, the court petition was our only option,” Gemma Martini, the studio’s CEO told the Langley Advance Times last week. “Prior to the mailing of a postcard two days before the meeting, we had no knowledge of the proposed changes. There was absolutely no consultation whatsoever.”
While Township Mayor Eric Woodward and staff say notifications did go out on schedule and there was time for consultation, the vote on Monday night will allow the Township to change course, if council chooses.
Council voted to rescind the third and final readings of the bylaws that were passed last December.
The neighbourhood plan was then referred back to Township staff for review and consideration on a host of issues. One of those is the location of the civic institutional use within the area where MFS plans to build its film studio.
Councillors who voted against the plan in December were critical of how the matter had been handled, noting there had been opposition on this issue at a public hearing.
“This was already something that we should have never done,” said Councillor Margaret Kunst.
As part of the referral, the Township will get legal advice on the matter.
The reconsideration by staff will almost certainly lead to another public hearing before any final plan can be adopted, noted Township chief administrative officer Mark Bakken.