The Langford community of Westhills celebrated the 1,000th home built in the neighbourhood.
Dozens stood outside a three-bedroom, two-bath home on Constellation Drive, not because they planned to buy it but to celebrate it. When the first homes were built in Westhills back in 2009, Westhills Land Corporation manager Ryan McKenzie envisioned reaching that 1,000th mark.
“It’s amazing how time flies,” said McKenzie.
As one of the fastest-growing municipalities in the country, McKenzie says he’s ready to reach the next milestone.
“It’s going to continue to grow. We’ve sort of halfway through in terms of the land that we have…we hope to be well over 2,000 residences,” said McKenzie.
Westhills is home to about 3,300 people, which developers say equals one in every 15 Langford residents. McKenzie hopes to have 10,000 to 15,000 residents in the community.
The homeowners weren’t present at the ceremony, but a relative accepted a $1,000 gift certificate on their behalf to purchase furniture.
READ ALSO: Langford continues to drive rental growth in Greater Victoria: CMHC
Langford continues to lead the West Shore area in purpose-built rentals, according to a 2024 report. The city’s mayor, Scott Goodmanson, says he’s planning on making Langford the new hub for the Capital Regional District.
“We’re growing at upwards of 3,500 people a year, and they need houses, and the province has said you have to build houses. We have the programs and procedures to get that done,” said Goodmanson.
McKenzie also credits the fast-growing community to two schools built in the area in the last decade.
“School District 62 built a new elementary and middle school two years ago, and they built Belmont school on a portion of Westhills about 10 years ago,” he said.
His next goal is to reach 2,000 units. McKenzie says future units will be a mixture of townhouses, condos, and rental apartments.
Oli Herrera
