Langford Comes of Age

City of Lanford Parks & Rec

Langford’s transformation from a sleepy bedroom community to a progressive, thriving city with a national reputation for innovation has been achieved at lightning speed. The city, incorporated in 1992, is situated in the Western Communities, 30 km west of Victoria, the capital city of British Columbia, Canada. Prior to incorporation, Langford was seen to some degree as a neglected stepchild governed by the Capital Regional District, which oversees the 13 municipalities that comprise greater Victoria.

When Stew Young was elected mayor in 1993, Langford set about transforming itself from a suburb where people had to travel to Victoria for shopping, entertainment and amenities, to becoming a community where the best of everything was close at hand.

One of the biggest changes to take place has been beautification initiatives, a long-standing vision of the mayor and councilors to improve streetscapes and parks via tax revenues from new development. The advent of big box stores and national chains that moved to Langford in the 1990s and drew criticism from some, increased Langford’s commercial tax base dramatically, paving the way to finance many improvements Langford residents now enjoy without impacting residential taxes. Langford continues to have some of the lowest tax rates in the region.

A full bouquet of nature’s summer perennials (day lilies, stonecrop and lavender) have softened the rough edges of an area known for its “grittiness.”

Langford Council’s ability to work with the development and business community has enabled the city to increase its park space by 400 percent since incorporation, and has accelerated the completion of recreation and family-oriented projects such as City Centre Park and the new indoor Sportsplex, a five-minute drive from Goldstream Village. Work is also underway on a new cycle and pedestrian network, a green pedestrian highway that will link Langford’s award-winning trails, parks, neighbourhoods and attractions with Goldstream Village in the downtown core.

The crosswalks have 6 x 12 concrete pavers (‘California’) without grooves, ‘Shadow’ color and a shot-blast finish (produces subtle colors and a slightly textured surface). The roundabout slows traffic to a pedestrian pace. People enjoy walking and bicycling here, exploring the shops and cafes, and having the option of a ride on the free trolley bus.

Goldstream Village
Langford residents take great pride in their many tree-lined streets, especially, Goldstream Avenue. Goldstream Village has undergone major revitalization and was pushed forward during the recession. Streetscape improvements include new sidewalks, street furnishings, signage, banners, hanging baskets and decorative street lighting. Two more recent additions to Goldstream Village include a landscaped roundabout with a fountain that plays music, in the centre of the avenue, and a large feature archway announcing the entrance to Goldstream Village.

In 2009 a special committee was formed to take on transforming this central section of Goldstream Avenue. The improvements have made downtown Langford a family-oriented downtown core and central gathering place, as evidenced by the popularity of the Goldstream Station Market. Through increased streetscape landscaping, the removal of vehicle lanes, parking nodes were created and wide welcoming sidewalks and brick laid crosswalks were added, as well as a roundabout that slows traffic to a pedestrian pace. The roundabout feature includes a large fountain, palm trees, lighting and music. The surrounding commercial hub offers boutique shopping, sidewalk cafes, a Saturday street market and public library.

“We wanted to make something special, a fun, family-oriented area,” explains Langford Mayor Stew Young. “Fountains, dancing water and music are things that people of all ages can relate to. It adds vitality to our downtown core, and encourages people to get out of their cars, have a coffee at one of the cafes and check out the unique boutiques, shops and stores along Goldstream Avenue. The style we went with is inspired by what works well in many other cities.”

In the foreground of a magnificent arbutus, another statuary piece from the Art Forms Sculpture Studio renders a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman RCMP Officer helping a girl.

Mayor Young believes the new downtown Goldstream Village promotes a green, cyclist and pedestrian-friendly, less car-reliant option that people are looking for, and highlights Langford’s efforts to become a premier tourist and recreation centre on Vancouver Island. Mainland British Columbians have traveled to the island historically as a recreational getaway, but now more than ever by bicycle. In addition to the existing enticing mix of flowering trees, shrubs and annuals, public benches and bike racks, information kiosks highlighting Langford’s attractions with community message boards are being added to the streetscape area. A new, colourful flag feature in the central median at Goldstream Avenue and Veterans Memorial Parkway is also complete.

Public art with historical references is an important component of the Goldstream Avenue ambiance. This art piece (Art Forms Sculpture Studio) in Veterans Memorial Park depicts a veteran holding a poppy and explaining its meaning to a young man. In Commonwealth countries like Canada, the poppy signifies Remembrance Day (Veterans Day), observed Nov. 11, the day of the WWI armistice.

Renowned architect and urbanist, Avi Friedman, who teaches at McGill University, has lauded Langford’s approach to planning and creating a sense of place in the downtown core as a role model for other cities to follow.

Streetscape Elements
The Goldstream Avenue streetscape furniture was custom designed and fabricated by Achinbach Foundry, a local metal fabricator. Burgundy was selected as the downtown theme color to powder coat all of the furniture, including the decorative light standards. Street furniture items include benches, garbage receptacles, bike racks and decorative lampposts. The burgundy theme color is also included on the large entry archway on the steel truss and hefty timber posts. The burgundy theme has been reflected in the red “Legend” paving stones used in the sidewalks as well.

Langford is a young, bustling community of over 25,000 nestled in the foothills of Mount Finlayson on the southern end of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Langford has plans to build the first Canadian community based on LEED standards.

Consultants / Contractors / Suppliers:
Roadway Design:
1st Team Consultants, Stewart Parkinson, P.Eng, Dennis Desjardins, AScT

Landscape Design:
Cloghesy + Doak Landscape Architects, Michelle Cloghesy, BCSLA, Jason Parks, BCSLA, Jane Waters, BLA

Insite Landscape Architects, Langford Parks Dept., 1st Team Consultants-Gene Mazza BCSLA), City of Langford Parks Dept.

Landscape Contractors:
Victoria Contracting & Municipal Maintenance Corp., Mike Gibbins

Fountain
Musical Fountain: Atlantic Fountains Ltd.
Fountain Audio Music: Pacific Audio Works 102.7 FM
Fountain and Arch Plaques: Achinbach Industries and Foundry Ltd. (Jim Achinbach)
LED Lighting: Jim Thomson
Electrical: Capital Electric
Fog Machine: Fogco Systems Inc.
Planters: John Booth Enterprises
Streetscape Electrical: Raylec Electric

Site Amenities
• Archway Design: Robin Rooke
• Banners: Big Bold Beautiful Banners Inc.
• Benches, Bike Racks, Garbage Receptacles: Design/Fabrication by Achinbach Industries and Foundry Ltd.
• Bollards: Sanderson Concrete Inc.
• Concrete Brick Paving: Abbottsford Concrete Products. Installed by Bricklok Surfacing
• Concrete Work/Arch: Scansa Construction Ltd.
• Hanging Baskets: R+R Nurseries
• Luminaires: Lumca Prestige
• Public Art: Art Forms Sculpture Studio (Derek Rowe and Bill Johnson)
• Signage: Landmark Signs Ltd.
• Stonework (Fountain and Arch Pillars): Joe Thompson
• Streetscape Renderings: Ian Kirkpatrick
• Turf: ez-grass

Veteran’s Memorial Park on Goldstream Avenue includes memorial paving stones honoring veterans donated by local citizens.