City likely to continue moratorium

The city of Langley will likely continue its moratorium on building in its residential zones, city officials said today.

It’s been nearly one year since the council enacted a moratorium that prevents people from subdividing properties to build new homes in Langley. In early June, city officials must decide if they want to continue the building ban or lift the moratorium.

Wednesday night, the three council members in attendance - Bob Waterman, Rene Neff and Robert Gilman - said they were interested in extending the moratorium for six months.

“The sense that we got from the council and the community is yes, it should stay in place,” said Langley Planning Director Larry Cort. More work must be wrapped up that's related to the update of the city's growth plan, he said.

The city council had voted for the original moratorium in part because they feared new construction in town could conflict with changes made in Langley's long-range growth plan.

The city has not yet completed code or zoning changes resulting from the rewrite, however. Cort said the city expects to finish that work in December.

Contact South Whidbey Record Langley Michaela Marx Wheatley at mmarxwheatley@southwhidbeyrecord.com or (360) 221-5300.

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