The City of Langford is creating a new six-acre park in its downtown, but it will result in the eviction of dozens of people from a long-operating trailer park.
The city agreed in December to buy the Woodlands Park property for $9.8 million, more than $8 million less than its assessed value. Owners, who retire, will receive a gift credit of $8.325 million to make up the difference.
Park residents have five years to stay, after which the city says it will purchase their manufactured homes for their assessed value, plus 10 percent. Residents who wish to leave early will receive the same offer.
John Davies, who lives in one of 40 manufactured homes on the property, said the sale was no surprise.
He believes the city’s offer is “pretty reasonable” but said several of his neighbors expressed “quite a bit of stress” during a meeting Thursday night.
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“I’m not sure any developer would have given us what we’re getting from the city,” he said.
“There are people here who are just getting by right now, and if you have to move and get into something a little more expensive, that could be a problem.”
The city says the plan goes beyond the requirements of B.C.’s Manufactured Home Park Tenancy Act.
“This once-in-a-generation initiative will transform downtown Langford by adding much-needed green spaces, trails and gardens while preserving biodiversity and mature tree cover for residents to enjoy,” said Langford Mayor, Scott Goodmanson, in a press release.
Langford County. Colby Harder praised the property’s owners for agreeing to sell to the city at below market value.
“Their long-term vision was to ensure that this park remained protected and ultimately transformed into a public park for all to enjoy, so that really reflects in the purchase price, in their legacy and in their vision,” she said.
The city says the property includes mature trees, botanical flower beds and “meandering, quiet pathways.”
Harder said the city hopes to build a “beautiful green oasis” and suburban Victoria’s answer to one of the world’s most famous urban parks.
“I compared it to the visual of Central Park in New York,” she said. “Imagine New York without Central Park.”
Harder said the city will spend the next five years working with residents to ensure they are treated with dignity and respect.
“Any time a private landowner decides to sell, there is always some uncertainty for existing tenants,” Harder said.
“So while we don’t have a crystal ball to predict where they will end up, we hope that we will be able to support them in whatever decision they choose to make.”
Davies, who has lived in Langford since 1968, said he had not yet decided what to do next.
He said finding a place to move the mobile home would be both expensive and difficult.
“That means finding a new place to live in the next five years,” he said. “But you never know, at my age I might be in a home by then.”
The city is funding $7 million of the purchase through the provincial Community Growth Fund grant it received in 2023 and is budgeting $1 million per year between 2025 and 2029 for tenant support. The remaining cost of the purchase will come from a property tax increase of approximately 1.75 percent in 2029.