(New information added April 1, 2017) A company registered as the Chinese Cooperation Community of North America Ltd. has bought the YMCA endowment lands in Langdale, eight lots with a total of 227 acres.
The sole director of the company is Xuanwen Yang, who also owns the North America Royal Aristocratic Castle in Langdale, which sits on 61 acres. The former YMCA lands and the “Castle” lot border each other.
Yang and the company’s total landholding in Langdale is 288 acres, all adjoining.
The lots are on the north, west, and south sides of Langdale Elementary School. Four lots border the school grounds.
Plans for the property are unknown. In the summer of 2016, billboards on the road near the driveway to the “Aristocratic Castle” showed a so-called “Chinese village” in Langdale with high-rises, condos, and apartments. The boards were taken down last year.
Ian Winn, regional director for Area F, said Thursday that he had heard about plans for a high-density village in Langdale. To date, the SCRD has received no development applications.
The current zoning of the lots is residential A, rural residential, and agricultural A. A large part is in the Agricultural Land Reserve.
The OCP allows for “Comprehensive Residential Development” in the Langdale Heights neighbourhood. including a village centre with some commercial activity. The Langdale Heights neighbourhood area includes part of the company’s holdings.
The YMCA endowment lands in Langdale were owned by the YMCA endowment fund which provides grants to support YMCA activities. Camp Elphinstone, which has operated in the same Langdale location since 1936, sits on land that continues to be owned by the YMCA property foundation. The YMCA activities will continue.
Xuanwen Yang has owned the “Aristocratic Castle” since 2015.
The Chinese Cooperation Community of North America Ltd. (sole director Xuanwen Yang) owns the eight lots listed below. On the maps, the square yellow block in the middle is the school. The parcels have the following PID (Parcel Identifier) numbers:
Title Number Parcel Identifier (PID)
CA5544701 011-456-558
CA5544708 012-061-271
CA5544707 007-001-681
CA5544706 007-001-657
CA5544705 007-001-631
CA5544704 011-456-582
CA5544703 011-456-574
CA5544703 011-456-566
That’s insane.