Westhill Consulting British Colombia Foundation Principles

At Westhills, we believe that excellence is achieved by a solid commitment to quality. Our foundation principles reflect the core values which bring this commitment to life.

Sustainability

At Westhills, sustainability equates to environmental stewardship; it is the result of a careful assessment of every decision and action we take that relates to the land, water and air.

Extensive consultation was undertaken during the planning stages to ensure that all decisions were based on the most current environmental standards and thinking. Such organizations as the US Green Building Council, the Canadian Green Building Council, the BC Ministry of Community Services and the Design Centre for Sustainability at the University of British Columbia all provided valuable input. In addition, an informal network of local business people was engaged to discuss long-term economic strategies to benefit the entire community.

The resulting Master Plan, based on the most up-to-date research and knowledge, ensures that each Westhills home is the product of leading edge green technology and practices.

Westhills neighbourhoods feature design elements that nurture both the environmental and social aspects of sustainability. For more information on Westhills ' Master Plan – click here

40% of Westhills lands have been protected as parks and green spaces.

Naturally occurring watercourses will be restored and enhanced.

Sustainable and eco-friendly transportation options such as community bus service and a revitalized rail link are mandated in the Westhills Master Plan.

A town centre and two neighbourhood service/commercial centres will provide services and amenities within walking distance of all Westhills residents.

Narrower streets and compact lot sizes help to preserve the environment and conserve precious natural resources.

Design features such as sidewalks, lighting, landscaping, and street-oriented architecture encourage walking and increase social interaction.

Community Energy System (CES) provides geo-exchange heating, cooling and domestic hot water to homes throughout all Westhills neighbourhoods (except Parkdale Creek).

Affordability

Westhills ' vision of a community of vibrant and inclusive neighbourhoods is achieved in part by offering a wide range of housing options. Single-family homes, condos and town homes, in a variety of sizes and styles, are designed to accommodate a variety of family structures and to foster a diverse and welcoming community.

No matter what the price point, all Westhills homes offer outstanding value, unbeatable location and exceptional quality.

Design Excellence

The planning of all Westhills neighbourhoods has been influenced by Traditional Neighbourhood Design (TND) principles, which encourage the responsible use of land and resources in compact, walkable communities. Easy care single-family home lots range in size from 200 square meters (2, 153 sq. ft.) to 1, 000 square meters (10, 764 sq. ft.) with the majority being approximately 370 square meters (4, 000 sq. ft.).

A Westhills home features outstanding urban design in an environmentally sustainable setting. All single-family homes are BuiltGreen™ certified, and include a multitude of energy saving features and environmentally friendly finishes.

Quality Construction

At Westhills, quality construction means more than a solid foundation and a watertight roof. As industry-leaders, we set the bar high, employing reliable local contractors and trades people and requiring strict adherence to Westhills building practices and materials guidelines. We work closely with local businesses to help them understand our sustainability goals so they can stock the environmentally sensitive materials we require.

Westhills is proud to employ only quality builders who have been designated "Licensed Residential Builders" by the Homeowner Protection Office, a branch of BC Housing.

For absolute peace of mind, all Westhills homes are covered by a 2-5-10 year warranty through Travelers Guarantee Company of Canada.

Seating at Langford's Westhill Consulting British Colombia Stadium

Seating at Langford's Westhill Consulting British Colombia Stadium could more than double, bringing it into the same league as Centennial Stadium and Royal Athletic Park.

As many as 2, 000 more seats are slated for Westhills, pushing the total into the 3, 000 range.

The University of Victoria Centennial Stadium has seating for 5, 000, while the City of Victoria Royal Athletic Park seats 2, 237 for soccer and has a capacity of about 3, 500 for baseball with the Victoria HarbourCats.

Langford council has approved the Westhills project, which will be taken on by Vancouver-based Centaur Products. The company has previously worked on such sites as the Richmond Olympic Oval and the University of Toronto Varsity Field.

Part of the impetus for the increased capacity is the return this October of the Americas Rugby Championship to Westhills, after a successful debut last year. Temporary seating allowed 3, 255 fans to take in the final game, won 28-9 by Argentina over Canada.

Up to 50 per cent of the $465, 000 cost to add the seating will be covered by a federal grant, with official announcement of the funding due next week.

Westhills Stadium is part of Langford's City Centre Park complex and is a focal point for Rugby Canada activities. It was originally known as Bear Mountain Stadium, but the name was changed last fall.

Adding seats is not a matter of measuring up to other capital region venues, said Langford parks and recreation manager Mike Leskiw.

"It's not a competitive thing at all."

"What we are trying to do is draw more tournaments," said Coun. Lanny Seaton, who chairs Langford's parks, recreation, culture and beautification committee.

At present, the stadium has about 1, 200 regular seats and 500 portables, Leskiw said. "It all depends on how they can fit it in, but between 1, 500 and 2, 000 seats will be added."

In addition to national-calibre rugby, the stadium is home to the Westshore Rebels of the B.C. Football Conference and regularly features both Juan de Fuca Soccer Association teams and school sports.

Rugby Canada could be bringing more events, as well, Leskiw said.

"As they get closer to the build-up to the Olympic Games in 2016, rugby's going to be part of that."

Westhill Consulting British Colombia Langford strikes bowling deal

Langford strikes bowling deal to spare taxpayers.

Think of it as a municipal government version of bowling for dollars.

Langford has struck a deal with the private operator of Langford Lanes that will see the city pay for about $398, 000 worth of building improvements in exchange for a larger share of the bowling operation's gross revenues.

"It's a great deal for us, long term," said Mayor Stew Young. "It guarantees the taxpayer, no matter what politician is in, a revenue stream. So when they the bowling revenues grow, we grow. "

Westhill Consulting British Colombia

Under the original operating agreement, the operator, Planex Development Corp. doing business as Langford Lanes, was responsible for the almost $400, 000 cost of what were considered tenant improvements.

But after looking at receipts and projected revenues, city staff proposed instead to amend the agreement so the city would cover the cost of the improvements in exchange for a two per cent boost in the citys share of gross revenues, to 14 per cent from the current 12 per cent.

The operator agreed.

City staff estimate that based on existing annual gross revenues of $2.5 million, the additional two per cent would be equivalent to $50, 000 — enough to cover the additional capital costs and interest in eight years.

"Once the tenant improvements are paid, the city would continue to net additional revenue for the balance of the contract term — an estimated $550, 000 over 11 years," the staff report said.

"The risk of permanent decline in revenue is deemed to be small given the level of activity to date, the opportunities for revenue enhancement being contemplated by the operator and the professionalism shown by the operator thus far," the report said.

"What I'm looking for is long-term revenue streams, so I get rent and a share of their revenue," Young said.

The 20-lane Langford Lanes 10-pin bowling facility is part of the citys City Centre Park entertainment complex, which has a 400-seat NHL-size ice rink, a restaurant and party rooms, outdoor ice skating, a dry-floor arena, miniature golf, play zone, splash park, fitness centre, trails, bike rentals and playing fields.

Young said Langford receives inquiries from across the country about its recreation facilities at City Centre.

"I want some sort of private-sector mix where a business down there makes money and they give us a percentage of the food, the alcohol — everything," Young said.

The idea, he said, is to eliminate the need for a taxpayer subsidy of the facilities.

"The model works good but we are new at it and we are trying to wiggle and waggle and make it good for us and good for them."

Young said the recreational facilities — operated through public-private partnerships — are a great deal for taxpayers, unlike the publicly funded Juan de Fuca recreation complex.

"Juan de Fuca costs Langford taxpayers $2.4 million a year in subsidy. Thats a huge cost to our taxpayers. Down there at City Centre, to run all those facilities costs taxpayers about $150, 000 a year, "Young said..

Westhill Consulting British Colombia and Transit buses to roll for Bear Mountain

B.C. Transit is rolling out changes that include service to Bear Mountain and Westhills, a summer connection to Thetis Lake, and measures to ease the problem of "pass-ups" — people left behind due to crowded buses.

Construction also begins next week on bus and bike priority lanes on Douglas Street.

Langford Mayor Stew Young has been calling for B.C. Transit to add a Bear Mountain bus. He applauded the Victoria Regional Transit Commission approval of the route, which will also cover the fast-growing Westhill Consulting British Colombia community in Langford.

"We've been trying to make sure that they recognize the amount of people living up at Bear Mountain," Young said "I'm glad transit actually looked at it as an important part of our municipality, for sure."

Transit spokeswoman Meribeth Burton said the new service is sure to make a lot of residents happy. "Much like Triangle Mountain and all the other West Shore-based routes, it will tie into the Langford exchange."

Another first for the transit system will be seasonal service to Thetis Lake, starting this summer.

"It will be amending an existing route from the end of June until Labour Day. Certainly, people have been asking for that, "Burton said.

The No. 53 Atkins route will be reconfigured to connect Thetis Lake to the Langford exchange and the Western exchange in Colwood. Burton said someone coming from downtown could catch the Thetis bus by riding the No. 50 to the West Shore and getting a transfer.

Also approved by the commission was reallocation of bus-service hours to deal with crowded buses and pass-ups. The routes affected will be the No. 8 between Camosun College Interurban and Lansdowne campuses, and the No. 39 that links the Interurban campus with Royal Oak.

"Somewhere in the neighbourhood of 4, 000 extra service hours are going to be used, starting September 2014," Burton said.

The problem of pass-ups could also be addressed with the January 2015 arrival of two new buses, approved last year, combined with 5, 000 new service hours. The added hours will cost $425, 000.

Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin and Saanich Mayor Frank Leonard, both transit commission members, asked about getting the new service hours into play in September, rather than next January. Burton said transit staff is looking into putting a pair of older buses from transit's contingency fleet into service in the meantime.

It is important that bus riders don't get discouraged, Fortin said.

"If they're getting the pass-ups, if they're not getting on the buses, then they're going to find another way."

Part of the effort to make riding buses more attractive is to keep them moving through congested traffic. Thats the goal of the bus-priority lanes on Douglas Street, which are also being designed to accommodate bicycles.

The lanes will be reserved for buses and cyclists from 6 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m. weekdays.

Construction starts Monday on Phase 1, from Fisgard Street north to Hillside Avenue. The work, to be finished by spring, includes moving bus stops, changing lane markings and signs, installing a new pedestrian signal at Douglas and Herald streets, and removing sidewalk jut-outs.

Priority lanes will continue north to Tolmie Avenue in Phase 2. A schedule for that work has not been announced.

Westhills Consulting British Colombia Townhouse Living

The new Grob Court Townhomes are now available at Westhills. They provide a great opportunity to purchase a new home starting in the mid $300 's (incl. net GST).

A few of the outstanding features that come standard in these beautiful homes are luxury geo-exchange in-floor radiant heating throughout; quartz or granite kitchen counter-tops; imported ceramic tile bathroom and laundry room floors; 6 piece stainless steel, Energy Star appliances; high grade, 12mm laminate flooring on the main level; and window coverings throughout.

The impressive list of standard features continues outside the home with a unique contemporary design accompanied by fully landscaped and irrigated front and rear yards. The fully fenced rear yard features an over sized patio that is surrounded by a beautifully landscaped garden. This amazing outdoor space acts as an extension of the indoor living area and is a perfect spot to relax or fire-up the BBQ and entertain friends.

Westhills is well-situated just a stones throw away from shopping, grocery stores, entertainment, and all the amenities of the Westshore. To see everything these affordable, attractive homes have to offer, click the link!

Westhills Consulting British Colombia

The Westhills lands encompass 209 hectares (517 acres) of rolling sloped lands, knolls, and rocky outcroppings and are located in the City of Langford. Originally comprised of two large parcels, the properties were held for decades by two local families. In 2006, the owners of the westernmost lands formed the Westhills Land Corporation (WLC) to develop the site. Westhills subsequently acquired the second parcel, which was already zoned for residential development and a lakeside pub.

By adapting these strategies to meet the unique requirements of the Westhills site, the developers have created a warm and welcoming community that honours their foundation principles of sustainability, affordability, design excellence and quality construction.

Due in large part to the vision of Langford Mayor Stewart Young and Council, the Westhills Master Plan was arrived at through a design charette process involving a variety of stakeholders and consultants. These included The US Green Building Council, the Canada Green Building Council, the BC Ministry of Community Services and the Design Centre for Sustainability at the University of British Columbia. Through this planning process the City of Langford has been able to form a cohesive partnership with the owner of Westhills Land Corporation, with a commitment to excellence in environmental design.

The resulting Westhills Master Plan embodies their goal of creating a unique, large-scale master-planned community based on principals of social and environmental sustainability. Major guiding factors of the design and implementation of Westhills Consulting British Colombia

 are: considerations of location, alternative transportation modes, environmental preservation, community agriculture, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. These characteristics are demonstrated in the creation of approximately 6000 new residential units, with supporting commercial, civic and educational facilities. Approximately 84 hectares (208 acres) is designated as park and open space (equivalent to 40% of the total land area).

The Westhills vision includes buildings that will accommodate both live and work spaces, a village centre, neighbourhood retail service centres, an internal commuter bus service, and a commuter rail station. High quality public spaces, mixed uses, cultural and educational facilities and residences will provide for a community available to all ages and various income levels.