LANGLEY – The Langley City Council unanimously voted Wednesday night to extend the moratorium on building for another six months — without exemptions.

The emergency ordinance was passed last night, exactly one year after the city passed a moratorium to bar taking applications for subdividing land for residential use.

The city council followed a recommendation from the lawyers of the city’s insurer, the Washington Cities Risk Pool, to not allow any exemptions.

Planning Director Larry Cort said creating exemptions would undercut the city’s claim that Langley leaders needed more time to wrap up work on growth planning issues.

The decision was bad news for a Langley couple who wants to subdivide their downtown Langley property.

Dave and Cathy Schmidt have been working with the city to get an exemption from the moratorium. The couple owns a 1.14-acre parcel on Third Street and they want to subdivide their property into three lots, with their home on one. Timing was important for the Schmidts, because the couple planned to sell the home.