Willoughby and Walnut Grove: Two Township of Langley Neighbourhoods

Willoughby and Walnut Grove are both in the northwest of the Township of Langley: Willoughby is still filling in with townhouses, apartments and new schools, while Walnut Grove, planned since 1979, is a settled residential neighbourhood. Here is how the two compare, how to get around, and what to check before you buy in either one.

The short version

Township, not City

Willoughby and Walnut Grove are communities in the Township of Langley, a separate municipality from the City of Langley, with its own council, taxes and zoning. In the 2021 Census, the Township had 132,603 people on about 307 km² of land, up 13.1% from 2016, while the City had 28,963 people on about 10 km². Addresses in both often just say Langley, so check the property tax notice to see which one a home is in. I compare the two in City of Langley or Township of Langley?

Willoughby

The Township describes Willoughby-Willowbrook, in its northwest, as home to the Township's Civic Facility and the Langley Events Centre, with new neighbourhoods, parks and shopping. Its September 2025 background report estimated Willoughby's current population at 53,659, a Township figure rather than a census count, with 53% of its developable land built out and about 87,000 to 107,000 residents expected at build-out.

• How it was planned. The Willoughby Community Plan, adopted in 1998, divided the area into 10 sub-neighbourhoods, each typically centred on an elementary school and a park. Neighbourhood plans followed, from Southwest Gordon Estates in 2000 and Yorkson and Routley in 2001 to Smith in 2024.
• The 2026 update. On June 15, 2026, Council adopted an updated Willoughby Community Plan, a new Willoughby Transit Corridor Plan and a Gordon Neighbourhood Plan, which together replace seven older neighbourhood plans, including Carvolth, Latimer and Routley. The Yorkson, Smith and Williams plans stay, with updates completed in December 2025.
• Along 200 Street. The transit corridor plan guides growth around five proposed bus rapid transit stations on 200 Street, each planned as a neighbourhood hub with more intensive mixed-use development.
• The homes. Willoughby has single-family homes, suites, townhouses and condos, and the Township's 2019 community profile described it as mostly medium-density multi-family housing.

Walnut Grove

The Township describes Walnut Grove, in northwest Langley, as a residential neighbourhood with the Walnut Grove Community Centre, movie theatres and shops. Its community plan, adopted in November 1979, generally places single-family homes and duplexes inside its neighbourhoods, townhouses on their edges next to arterial roads, and low-rise apartments near the commercial centre.

• The community centre. At 8889 Walnut Grove Drive, with a 50 m pool, a leisure pool with a waterslide, diving boards, a fitness centre, a gymnasium and a branch of the Fraser Valley Regional Library.
• The park next door. The Township's 2019 community profile lists a skateboard park, a spray park, playing fields, courts, a playground and picnic shelters in the adjoining park.
• Across the river. The Golden Ears Bridge, owned and operated by TransLink, connects Walnut Grove with communities north of the Fraser River, and it has been toll-free since September 1, 2017.

Getting around

• Highway 1. Both neighbourhoods have quick access to the Trans-Canada. In September 2020, the Province finished widening it to six lanes between 202 Street and 216 Street, with HOV lanes running all the way from Vancouver, and opened the 216 Street interchange. The Province has also been widening the next 10 km, to 264 Street.
• Carvolth Exchange. This bus exchange on 202 Street has route 555 to Lougheed Station in Burnaby, by way of Highway 1, and BC Transit's Fraser Valley Express to Abbotsford and Chilliwack.
• SkyTrain. The Surrey Langley SkyTrain will run 16 km, mostly along Fraser Highway, from King George Station in Surrey to Langley City Centre Station, near 203 Street and Industrial Avenue in the City of Langley. Willowbrook Station, at 196 Street and Fraser Highway, sits where Surrey, the Township and the City meet. By May 2026, all eight stations were under construction, and the line is expected to open in late 2029.
• Bus rapid transit. TransLink is planning bus rapid transit between the Township and Maple Ridge along 200 Street. TransLink estimates a route can open within three years of being fully funded.

Schools

The Langley School District (School District 35) serves both the City and the Township, with about 27,300 students at 46 school sites, and offers French Immersion, Fundamental and Alternate programs. Programs of choice take registrations, Kindergarten places are given out by lottery, and choice students generally aren't eligible for school bus service. The district's school locator shows the catchment schools for an address.

The district started the 2025 to 2026 school year with 700 more students, many of them in Willoughby, and it says nearly all schools on the Willoughby Slope have high enrolment and are at capacity. New space is on the way:

• A new elementary school. Josette Dandurand Elementary, a 555-seat school in the Latimer area of Willoughby, opened in September 2025.
• The Smith campus. A new middle and secondary school campus in the Smith neighbourhood, with 2,800 student spaces, is expected to open in fall 2027.
• A secondary addition. R.E. Mountain Secondary is getting a 300-seat addition, expected to be ready for students in late 2028.
• Catchment changes. New middle and secondary school catchments on the Willoughby Slope take effect in September 2027.

Parks, recreation and health care

• Langley Events Centre. At 7888 200 Street in Willoughby, a venue for college and professional sports teams.
• Derby Reach Regional Park. A Metro Vancouver park on the Fraser River, with forest and riverfront trails, including the 4 km Houston Trail loop and the Fort-to-Fort Trail to Fort Langley, and the Edgewater Bar campground, where the park's 38 campsites are open March 1 to October 31.
• Health care. Langley Memorial Hospital, a Fraser Health community hospital at 22051 Fraser Highway, has a 24/7 emergency department, general surgery and maternity care.

Before you buy

• Construction. Nearly half of Willoughby's developable land is still to be built, so expect new buildings and road work nearby for years. Check the plan maps to see what is planned around a home, especially near 200 Street.
• School capacity. A catchment school may be full or about to change. Confirm the catchment with the district before you remove subjects.
• Farmland edges. About 75% of the Township is in the Agricultural Land Reserve, and half of all the farms in Metro Vancouver are in the Township. If a home backs onto farmland, ask about farm activity nearby, and remember that ALR land can generally have only one home per parcel unless it qualifies for an additional residence.
• Near the SkyTrain. Township land within 800 m of Willowbrook Station is a transit-oriented area. Land isn't rezoned automatically, but the Township can't turn down a rezoning on height or density alone, up to limits the Province sets, and it can't require parking for new homes there, apart from accessible parking. Logan Creek and the federal Langley Airport Zoning Regulations also affect parts of the area and can limit what is allowed.
• More homes per lot. Since November 18, 2024, eligible lots inside the Township's urban containment boundary can have three units, or four on lots of 280 m² to 4,050 m². I explain the rules in More Homes per Lot.

Questions buyers often ask me

Are Willoughby and Walnut Grove in the City of Langley?

No. Both are in the Township of Langley, a separate municipality with its own council, taxes and zoning. The City of Langley is the smaller urban centre, with 28,963 people in 2021.

Will SkyTrain reach Willoughby?

None of the eight new stations is in Willoughby itself. The nearest will be Willowbrook Station, at 196 Street and Fraser Highway, in the neighbouring Willowbrook area where Surrey and both Langleys meet, and the line will end at Langley City Centre, in the City. It is expected to open in late 2029, and bus rapid transit is planned along 200 Street.

How big will Willoughby get?

The Township's September 2025 background report estimated its current population at 53,659 (not a census count) and expects about 87,000 to 107,000 residents at build-out, with growth focused along 200 Street.

How do I find my catchment school?

Use the Langley School District's school locator. On the Willoughby Slope, new middle and secondary school catchments take effect in September 2027.

How do I get across the Fraser River from Walnut Grove?

The Golden Ears Bridge, toll-free since September 1, 2017, connects Walnut Grove with communities north of the river. By transit, route 555 runs from Carvolth Exchange to Lougheed Station in Burnaby.

Browse homes for sale in Langley, and if you are looking at a townhouse or condo, see which strata documents to read first.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Population figures are from the 2021 Census and the Township of Langley, and other details are from the Township, the Langley School District, TransLink, BC Transit, Metro Vancouver, Fraser Health, the Agricultural Land Commission and the Province at the time of writing. For the Township's plans, see community and neighbourhood plans.