November 16, 2022 - Minutes

Time:

3:30 p.m.

Place:

Remote (Zoom) Meeting

Present:

Milton Chan, Director, Engineering, Acting Chair
Peter Russell, Director, Sustainability and District Energy
Jason Kita, Director, Intergovernmental Relations and Corporate and Strategic Planning

MINUTES

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Development Permit Panel held on October 20, 2022, be adopted.

CARRIED

1.

DEVELOPMENT VARIANCE PERMIT 22-015216

(REDMS No. 6961743)

APPLICANT:

Randhill Construction Ltd.

PROPERTY LOCATION:

11251 Clipper Court

INTENT OF PERMIT:

Vary the provisions of Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500 to reduce the minimum required rear yard setback under the “Single Detached (RS1/B)” zone for a portion of the first storey from 6.79 m (22.3 ft.) to 5.95 m (19.5 ft.) and the second story from 8.5 m (27.9 ft.) to 5.27 m (17.3 ft.) to permit the retention of an existing addition at 11251 Clipper Court.

Applicant’s Comments

Randy Montroy, Randhill Construction Ltd., with the aid of a visual presentation (attached to and forming part of these minutes as Schedule 1), provided background information on the subject development variance permit application, highlighting the following:

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the owner purchased the property  in 2016 for their family including children and aging parents;

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at the time of purchase, the owner was not aware that there was an unpermitted addition on the ground floor on the west and north sides of the home (including a games room, den and sunroom) as the real estate agent provided a document indicating that there were no alterations made to the house without the required permits;

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a contractor was hired by the homeowner in 2019 to repair the roof leak above the unpermitted addition and subsequent to the repair, a second storey deck was installed above the roof that was fixed;

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no application for Building Permit was made for the work done by the contractor at the time of construction; however, there was an intention to do so at a later time as the contractor was anticipating more work to be done on the house;

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prior to the application for a Building Permit, a complaint was received by the City and an inspection was conducted by City staff which determined that certain previous and new additions required Building Permits and it was found that they encroached into the required ground floor and second storey rear setbacks;

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City staff advised that the owner would need to obtain a Development Variance Permit to comply with the City’s zoning bylaw in order to obtain the required Building Permits;

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the applicant is therefore requesting for a rear setback variance for a portion of the first and second storeys in order to retain the unpermitted structure on the ground floor and the second storey deck which they deem important to the family, particularly for aging in place purposes;

§   

the owner’s immediate neighbours provided letters of support for the retention of the unpermitted structures; and

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the existing first storey structure and second storey deck are screened from adjacent neighbours and the City of Richmond/Trail area by existing tall trees in the rear yard.

Staff Comments

Wayne Craig, Director, Development, noted that (i) should the subject Development Variance Permit application be endorsed by the Panel and approved by Council, it would facilitate the issuance of the required building permits to legitimize the existing unpermitted additions, (ii) the required Building Permit applications are currently under review by the City, (iii) the requested rear setback variance will not impact on-site vegetation, and (iv) the owner’s efforts to reach out to their neighbours to obtain their support for the subject development variance permit application are appreciated.  

Panel Discussion

In reply to queries from the Panel, the applicant noted that (i) the deck on the second floor is fully screened from adjacent properties by existing trees in the rear yard except in winter, and (ii) the applicant was not aware that there were encroachments to the rear yard setback as a result of the unpermitted additions.

Correspondence

None.

Gallery Comments

None.

Panel Discussion

The Chair advised that for future constructions, the applicant needs to check with the City to ensure compliance with the City’s requirements.   

Panel Decision

It was moved and seconded

That a Development Variance Permit be issued which would vary the provisions of Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500 to reduce the minimum required rear yard setback under the “Single Detached (RS1/B)” zone for a portion of the first storey from 6.79 m (22.3 ft.) to 5.95 m (19.5 ft.) and the second story from 8.5 m (27.9 ft.) to 5.27 m (17.3 ft.) to permit the retention of an existing addition at 11251 Clipper Court.

CARRIED

2.

New Business

It was moved and seconded

That the Development Permit Panel meeting tentatively scheduled on Wednesday, November 30, 2022 be cancelled.

CARRIED

3.

Date of Next Meeting:   December 14, 2022

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (3:47 p.m.).

CARRIED

Certified a true and correct copy of the Minutes of the meeting of the Development Permit Panel of the Council of the City of Richmond held on Wednesday, November 16, 2022.

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Milton Chan
Acting Chair

Rustico Agawin
Committee Clerk