Langford is a giant construction zone.
In all corners of one of the province’s fastest-growing cities, residents can hear a chorus of saws and nail guns, rock blasts and crushing operations and the mind-numbing beep-beep-beep of heavy machinery.
After a growing number of complaints, Langford council is dusting off its 40-year-old noise bylaws in an attempt to give weary residents some reprieve amid the building boom.
Council had asked city staff to work with the development community to come up with recommendations for a compromise, noting in a report that the construction industry provides “well-paying jobs” and “much-needed housing.”
Several callers to Monday’s council meeting said the effects of constant construction noise range from “irritating” to “unbearable.”
One woman who lives near a new development on McCallum Road near Costco said the noise of blasting and rock crushing is taking a toll on her physical and mental health after two years of working from home. Another caller said she hears hammering until 10 or 11 at night and wakes to the beeping of heavy equipment backing up.
Another resident urged developers to install noise-suppression devices on equipment and build noise-mitigation fences around projects.
Most agreed construction is important to the growth and vibrancy of Langford, but said there should be tighter restrictions on when the work is done to give residents a few hours of peace and quiet each day.
Mayor Stew Young said Langford is one of the few Greater Victoria municipalities building affordable homes.
“We’re in the middle of a housing crisis and the only way to get out of this is to create a supply,” said Young. “Yes, there will be noise, but it’s creating jobs, creating livability.”
The mayor interrupted one caller, saying: “We don’t want blasting, nobody does, but it’s a necessary evil to create jobs [and] create economic viability to our city.”
The Noise Suppression Bylaw currently allows construction noise between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. or sunset, whichever is later, seven days a week, including all statutory holidays.
A later amendment set out restrictions to blasting and rock coring and drilling, with prohibitions against blasting on Sundays and statutory holidays.
The staff report before council is proposing changes to limit the times of day and days of the week when construction can occur.
The proposal also includes the ability for the city to issue permits to allow construction noise outside of these windows when necessary.
Ron Coutre, president of the WestShore Developers Association, said the group has worked with the mayor and council in finding a compromise.
“The proposal is not an increase … it’s a reduction on a weekly basis,” he said.
Council considered new time frames by the type of construction as set out in the proposal:
Building Construction
• 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday
• Between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturdays
• 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays, with work limited to inside a building with doors and windows installed and closed.
• Except with a permit, work not permitted on statutory holidays
• No loud music or obscene language permitted at any time.
• Work outside a building on Sunday or work inside or outside a building on a statutory holiday subject to a permit issued by the city.
Site Preparation/Grading/Servicing
• 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday
• 8 a.m to 4 p.m. Saturday
• Work on a Sunday or on a statutory holiday subject to a permit issued by the city.
Blasting
• 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday
• 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday
• Work on a Sunday or on a statutory holiday subject to a permit
Rock Breaking/Rock Drilling/Rock Crushing
• 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday
• Work on a Saturday, Sunday or statutory holiday subject to a permit
Council was supportive of the new noise limits— although there were questions about when developers would need permits to do work — and sent the report back to staff to develop bylaw amendments for council’s review in the coming weeks.
Jacqueline Gintaut, who lives on Ravensview Drive near a construction project, said while she recognizes the importance of consulting with the development community, she wonders why input was not gathered from the “city’s most important stakeholders, which are the residents of Langford.”
Gintaut wants amendments to the new bylaw, saying building construction should end by 6 p.m., so residents “can fully enjoy the evening hours.”
And she said permits should be issued only for extenuating circumstances. “Without clear wording around the issuing of permits, they could easily be provided, just because they were asked for.”
Coun. Matt Sahlstrom said he sympathizes with residents concerned about noise. “I’ve lived in a construction zone for 15 years,” he said.
dkloster@timescolonist.com
