The City of Langley’s final public hearing on its comprehensive plan update will have a bigger venue than originally expected.

The meeting is set for 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 30 at Langley United Methodist Church in Fellowship Hall. It will be led by the Planning Advisory Board.

The meeting was originally going to be held at city hall, but members of the Langley Association of Neighbors Downtown (LAND) requested it be moved to a bigger venue to accommodate a large crowd that is anticipated to attend.

City Planner Brigid Reynolds opted to accommodate the request to ensure attendees are provided with enough room.

“If we don’t get a big crowd, fine, but if we do, then we’re prepared,” Reynolds said.

It will cap a public process that began in 2014 and has included a “considerable” amount of community, Planning Advisory Board and Langley City Council meetings and discussions. Reynolds said.

The comprehensive plan is a policy document that will help guide growth in the city over the next 20 years and includes development regulations.

Eight parcels are being recommended for rezoning, including parcels on Wharf Street, the Highlands, Woodsong Lane, DeBruyn Avenue and Second and Third streets. The proposed rezoning includes public use, mixed residential and neighborhood business.

Reynolds said she is unsure why the meeting is expected to be highly attended, but theorized that people may be coming in a “little late in the process.”

She also added that it is a policy document and not city code, meaning the contents of the comprehensive plan will be phased in over time with the consent of the city council.

Kathryn Stevens, a member of LAND, said she is attending the event because she is concerned about the rezoning proposals. Since they are long-term plans, she feels it’s important to have a say in them.

After the hearing, the board will consider public comments and the plan in its entirety and issue a recommendation to the city council for approval, approval with conditions, or denial of the draft Comprehensive Plan and development regulations, according to a public notice.

A quorum of city council members will be present at the meeting, according to a special notice released by the city.

Verbal and written testimony can be provided to the city prior to the meeting. They must be submitted to city hall prior to 4 p.m. on Jan. 29.