MINUTES

1.

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee held on Monday, April 2^nd, 2007, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

COUNCIL/SCHOOL BOARD LIAISON COMMITTEE

2.

COUNCIL/SCHOOL BOARD LIAISON COMMITTEE – REFERRAL FROM RICHMOND CITY COUNCIL

(Minutes of March 27, 2007)  (File No.:  0100-20-CSBLI-03)

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That the amended draft Terms of Reference for the Council/School Board Liaison Committee be adopted by Richmond City Council, and returned to the next meeting of the Council/School Board Liaison Committee on May 8^th, 2007.

(2)

That City Council and the School Board meet no later than the end of May to have a visioning exercise to discuss communication and consultation processes.

(3)

That subsequent to the visioning exercise, a meeting be convened between City Council and the School Board at a date to be determined, to discuss the City Centre area plan.

(Councillor Derek Dang entered the meeting at 4:04 p.m.)

The question on the motion was not called, as Councillor Linda Barnes, a member of the Council/School Board Liaison Committee, referred to the proposed terms of reference and commented on the amendments which had been made. 

A brief discussion ensued, during which the suggestion was made that the principle entitled ‘Cooperative Planning’ should also be included in the section entitled ‘Scope’.

The question on the motion was then called, and it was CARRIED.

PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT

3.

West Cambie Area Plan - Financing for Required Off-Site Services(Report:  April 11, 2007, File No.:  4045-20-11-WE) (REDMS No. 2169728)

Cllr. Dang, in accordance with Section 100 of the Community Charter, declared himself to be in a conflict of interest because he owned property in the area, and he then left the meeting – 4:06 p.m.

The Director of Development, Jean Lamontagne, in response to questions about Option 2, provided an explanation on (i) how the interest costs of financing the off-site works would be addressed, and (ii) the proposed partnership agreement to be entered into with Polygon Homes Ltd.  Also addressed briefly was the matter of the source of funding for the project.

Scott Baldwin, Polygon Homes Ltd., provided information on the history of the project, noting that the $10 Million cost had been thought to be too risky by financial institutions as many of the land assemblies were incomplete and development applications had not yet been submitted to the City.  Mr. Baldwin spoke in support of the proposal, stating that the result would be a win-win situation for the City and the developers.

Dana Westermark, Oris Development, commended Polygon Homes Ltd. for taking such a bold step, adding that the proposal, if approved, would allow the construction of an affordable housing project which had been unable to proceed because of the lack of a servicing agreement.  He stated that the construction of these units should be completed prior to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Discussion then took place among Committee members and the delegation, during which in response to questions, information was provided that:

·            

if the City did not support the proposal, development of the West Cambie Area could be difficult because a single developer could not justify providing the entire amount of $10 Million for servicing costs; as to whether the area would take years to develop was difficult to say, however, there would be no development taking place in the area in the short term if the proposal was not approved

·            

approval of the proposal would ‘break the log jam’, and with the City’s approval of funding in the area for affordable housing, the construction of the affordable housing and other projects would generate revenue which could be used to finance other affordable housing projects

·            

developers had been reluctant to come forward with projects because of the uncertainty about servicing of the area, and now that the servicing issues had been addressed, there would be a great deal more certainty and developers would now be able to approach their financial institutions for funding.

During the discussion, Polygon Homes Ltd. was thanked for their efforts in creating an innovative concept which would allow development to proceed in the West Cambie area, and City staff were thanked for their due diligence.

Discussion continued briefly with comments being made about the need for ‘green’ roofs and environmentally sustainable buildings, etc. to form part of any developments proposed for the West Cambie area.

It was moved and seconded

That City staff develop a partnership agreement with Polygon Homes Ltd., for the design and construction of off-site works and services required to implement the West Cambie Area Plan (as outlined in Option 2 of the report dated April 11, 2007, from the Director of Development).

CARRIED

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:22 p.m.).

CARRIED

Certified a true and correct copy of the Minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee of the Council of the City of Richmond held on Monday, April 16^th, 2007.

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Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie
Chair

Fran J. Ashton
Executive Assistant, City Clerk’s Office