Project gets thumbs up
A Township debate over style came to an end with changes to plans for a Fort office building
The new version of the Fort Langley Professional Campus, above, contrasts with the original re-design proposed below.
Photograph by: Langley Township , graphic
A building project in Fort Langley that was criticized by the Township council last month has been approved with a new design.
Architect Gordon Klassen showed changes to the Fort Langley Professional Campus, an office and clinic for doctors on 96th Avenue near Glover Road.
The office has been in place for years, but a major re-design was proposed, then kiboshed by the council.
The newest designs emphasize a heritage-industrial style, with different windows, the front of the building more broken up and with heritage style facades, and added bay windows.
Councillor Charlie Fox liked the changes.
"I was probably one of the more vocal people at the initial presentation of this building," Fox noted of his previous opposition.
"You've done an amazing job here, and in a way I'm very gratified that I challenged you," Fox said.
The main criticisms levelled by Fox and several other councillors were that the building didn't fit in with the heritage character of Fort Langley.
Councillors worried that the building stood out and wouldn't be a good "gateway" to the historic downtown area on Glover Road.
Other councillors noted that there had been no objection from the committees that look over heritage design standards in the Fort.
The permit for the new version of the building was passed unanimously.
