Tuesday - Sept. 10, 2024 - Langley sets a new course for airport

⛅ High 21C

Good morning!

Pax, our new feline housemate, has been spending most of his time under my bed. And that means my kids are spending most of their time plastered to the floor, trying to tempt him out with treats, toys, and various other goods.

“Can I make him a restaurant? I think he would really like a restaurant.”

No, my dear. Cats, as a rule, do not like play food and dishes as much as children. But he is amenable to freeze-dried chicken, so maybe the next restaurant attempt will be more to his taste.

– Grace

This newsletter exists because of FVC Insider members (like those mentioned on the banner above). To support local journalism (and get your name on our masthead) click here.

Traffic & Weather

🌤 Local forecast: Langley | Chilliwack | Abbotsford | Hope (We have had to temporarily change our forecast links to the Weather Network due to a technical error.)

🚘 Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google, and find DriveBC’s latest updates.

🛣 Click here for links to road cameras across the Fraser Valley, including those for the Coquihalla, Highway 7, Hope-Princeton, Fraser Canyon, and Highway 1 in Langley and Abbotsford.

NEWS

The end of the eastern valley (apartment) discount?

Apartment prices in Chilliwack and Abbotsford have nearly reached parity, as the discount for living in the eastern valley seemingly disappears for at least one type of housing.

Abbotsford apartment prices haven’t budged for years—and have actually declined since the spring—while those in Chilliwack have risen steadily over the last 12 months.

The result is that a typical two-bedroom apartment (as defined by the two real estate boards that publish real estate statistics) now costs nearly the same price in each city. A year ago, the benchmark price for apartments in Abbotsford was $20,000 higher than those in Chilliwack. Today, that gap is just $3,000.

• Today, Tyler shares details on that change, and more, in our monthly look at the Fraser Valley’s housing market. We have compiled a dozen different custom charts to give readers a sense of prices in four different communities and three different home types.

Related

Need to Know

⛑ Search and rescue volunteers rescued a paraglider stranded near Agassiz last weekend [Agassiz Harrison Observer]

🚂 Billy Miner orchestrated his historic Fraser Valley train robbery 120 years ago this week [Chilliwack History Perspectives/Facebook]

🏫 The province is promising $306 million to build a new high school and middle school in Willoughby; the schools are expected to be open by 2027 [Langley Advance Times]

👟 The Terry Fox run will be back on its traditional route in Abbotsford this Sunday [Abbotsford News]

🚔 Police are asking for help finding two people alleged to have beaten another couple with a baseball bat in an ‘extreme case of road rage’ [Mission Record]

💔 A Langley man drowned in Cultus Lake over the weekend [Fraser Valley Today]

💬 Chilliwack business owners are hosting an all-candidates debate for the upcoming provincial election on Oct. 10 [Chilliwack Progress]

🎉 Hope’s Brigade Days saw a huge turnout for its 55th annual event [Hope Standard]

🦈 Very few sockeye have been able to get past the Chilcotin River landslide [CBC]

🌱 The Lower Mainland’s most popular seed company explains how it has stayed true to its roots while selling more than 3 million seed packets a year [The Tyee]

📚 Discover your university in your community. Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Career-Ready Programs are closer than you think. Explore endless opportunities across multiple Fraser Valley campuses.*

*Sponsored Listing

Enjoying our newsletter? Help us make it even better!

Become an Insider member and help keep local journalism and storytelling alive in the Fraser Valley.

SPONSORED BY YOU

Your ad can be here

Advertising in The Current is easier than ever and supports our journalism. Just shoot us an email to learn how you can advertise.

The Agenda

Langley developing a new plan for airport’s future

Langley’s nearly 100-year-old airport could soon have a new direction for its future.

The Township of Langley is developing a new strategic plan for the airport. They hope the plan will provide a “guiding vision” for the next 20 years. It will include a 15-year capital plan, looking at future facility upgrades, and a 20-year land-use plan for both the airspace and ground. It will also include a new set of priorities for the airport, and potential opportunities for new revenue streams.

Langley Airport is currently home to 55 aviation businesses, and has up to 100,000 take-offs and landings each year. The airport was purchased by the township in 1967. Although the township owns all the land, several lots and buildings are leased by private tenants. The strategic plan will look at the baseline condition of each building and facility, and then suggest the best future use of those assets. The plan is expected to cost $74,000 and all the work is expected to be complete by December. Langley council will get a say on its suggestions in January. (Council will also receive reports on the plan as it is underway.)

Share

You can share this newsletter by forwarding it or copy and pasting this link—https://fvcurrent.com/p/september-10-2024—into a social media post.

Community journalism needs the entire community for it to succeed.

Become a Current member today and join 1,200+ other local supporters who help keep our lights on.

As part of a membership, you get our special weekend roundup of all the things you might’ve missed each week!

🔓️ Become a Current Insider for 25% off today and get full access to this newsletter. Every Tuesday, members get exclusive information on events, food and drink, and local deals.

You’ll also get our weekly behind-the-scenes newsletter and roundup on Saturday. And most of all, your contribution will allow us to keep producing all the great journalism you already know and love.

Catch up

That’s it!

Thanks for reading Fraser Valley Current today ♥️ 

If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to another local.

And before you go, please let us know: