New plan re-envisions Fort Langley waterfront

For nearly two decades, the Township of Langley has been trying to figure out what to do with its portion of the Fort Langley waterfront.

Over the years, the three-acre plot of land has been subject to various redesign schemes that have aimed to turn its modest boardwalk, parking lot, and boat launch into a riverside destination. So far, none of the plans have stuck. But the municipality and others keep trying, and for a good reason.

Fort Langley’s riverside park is one of the only municipally-owned developable waterfronts in all of the Fraser Valley. (The other is in Mission, where the city has its own plans to capitalize on its riverfront.) And now the Township has developed a new plan featuring a plaza, amphitheatre, and treetop walkway that it hopes will turn the area into a major attraction.

The Township of Langley released its new waterfront concept at an open house in mid-May. Fort Langley Marina Park is a three-acre collection of parcels that are owned by the municipality, and bordered by the Bedford Channel, the CN railway, Glover Road, and Parks Canada lands to the east.

The centrepiece of the waterfront plans is the restoration of the 116-year-old Haldi House. The house was built by William Harvey Brown, one of the leading Langley builders of the time, was subsequently used as a restaurant, and has most recently been rented by Trinity Western University. 

The $4 million Haldi House restoration was approved by council in April. The revitalized heritage building would form the anchor for a new plaza at the western edge of the property.

The plaza is proposed as an “activated” community space. Conceptual drawings of the area show some outdoor patio seating, whether for a restaurant or cafe, as well as people walking through the plaza. It would include two new buildings alongside the Haldi House, which would be home to businesses of one type or another. 

Those buildings would be either one- or two-storeys tall, and built without removing the nearby sequoia trees. The parking lot that currently makes up the plaza space would be moved underground, with 56 parking spaces in total. It could also potentially include a washroom, change room, and amenity spaces—and open out directly onto the waterfront pathway.

Aside from the plaza, a small grassed amphitheatre would be built, with tiered seating built into a small hill. The plaza and amphitheatre would be divided by Church Street, which currently connects Mavis Avenue to the parking lot at the park. (Existing businesses fronting Mavis Avenue, including the antique mall, would not be affected by the park changes.)

The existing docks and boat launch are included in the plan, although the Township also hopes to add a raised walkway that would extend over the river and serve as a viewpoint. New steps down to the water, and a more natural beach, could also be added. 

An elevated treetop walkway would lead pedestrians from the plaza’s lawn area to a new pedestrian overpass that would connect the site to the rest of Fort Langley. The walkway would go over woodland-inspired playgrounds. 

The plan is ambitious. But so were the three other waterfront plans that have collected dust since their creation. 

In 2007, Township staff workshopped four options for enhancing the waterfront with members of the community. Although it received funding from the province to develop a “spirit square” at the waterfront, the municipality ultimately opened a small public space beside the Fort Langley Community Hall with the funding instead. 

Another concept was created by the Township a decade later, after Bedford Landing had been built and that portion of the waterfront redeveloped. That concept suggested building an overpass over the railway, moving Haldi House, and creating a small floating stage. (The township created fly-over and walk-through videos to illustrate what the changes could look like.) It was part of a larger series of plans, including one to create a new museum elsewhere in Fort Langley. Although that museum, in the form of salishan Place, has been built and may open next year (The Current wrote about its opening delays in early June), the rest of the waterfront plan never did. 

In 2021, developer and then-councillor Eric Woodward released his own design for the waterfront through his arms-length Fort Langley Project. 

Woodward, who is now Langley Township’s mayor, owns nearly half the commercial properties in Fort Langley—but notably not the Fort Langley Marina Park. His concept included a three-storey commercial building where the Haldi House currently sits, a large spiral floating theatre, and a swimming pool. It also suggested moving the boat launch to an undefined location to the east. 

Even though Woodward became mayor, the Fort Langley Project’s concept never turned into concrete action. Elements like the skatepark, pool, and floating stage are missing from the Township’s current vision, as is the three-storey building complex where the Haldi House currently sits. (The plaza and smaller buildings in the current concept are where that development would have been. Woodward’s plan envisioned a space similar to the Coulter Berry Building on the corner of Glover and Mavis.) 

The various plans demonstrate the waterfront’s potential—or at least locals’ imagining of that potential. Andy Schildhorn and the Fort Langley Community Association certainly think it’s a place worth dreaming about. 

“It's the only waterfront that is really publicly available for all of Langley,” Schildhorn, the Fort Langley Community Association’s former chair, told The Current. “It is very, very important.”

(Schildhorn stepped down from his role several weeks after The Current interviewed him about the waterfront.)

In 2022, the Fort Langley Community Association and other local groups formed a committee tasked with figuring out what Fort Langley residents wanted to see along the waterfront. A subsequent survey suggested locals wanted to preserve green space and the heritage character of the area, while adding some community amenities like picnic areas and maintaining waterfront sport facilities. 

The township, meanwhile, created its own survey that came up with similar results. It suggested that residents primarily wanted facilities for watersports and public access to the river, along with shade trees and cycling links. 

Now that the Township’s plan has been released, it is once again asking for the public’s feedback, both online and in public events. 

At the recent open house, attendees were asked to use sticky notes to respond to various questions. 

The notes showed many open house visitors did not want to limit waterfront amenities in order to increase parking options. They also were largely opposed to increasing building developments or selling parts of the waterfront to pay for the project. 

The preliminary plans did not include a projected cost for the project. The township is still considering input before returning to council with more detailed designs. 

More details on the project, as well as links to past survey results, are available on the Township’s website. Anyone with specific questions about the waterfront plans can email [email protected].