Date:

Monday, July 16, 2012

Place:

Anderson Room

Richmond City Hall

Present:

Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie, Chair

Councillor Chak Au

Councillor Linda Barnes

Councillor Derek Dang

Councillor Evelina Halsey-Brandt

Councillor Ken Johnston

Councillor Bill McNulty

Councillor Linda McPhail

Councillor Harold Steves

Call to Order:

The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:04 p.m.

MINUTES

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee held on Monday, July 3, 2012, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

FINANCE & CORPORATE SERVICES DEPARTMENT

1.

CEILI'S IRISH PUB (RICHMOND) LTD. 5991 ALDERBRIDGE WAY

(File Ref. No. 12-8275-30-001) (REDMS No. 3552264 v. 2)

It was moved and seconded

That a letter be sent to the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch advising that:

(1)

the application by Ceili’s Irish Pub (Richmond) Ltd., to amend their hours of liquor service from Monday through Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. and Friday through Sunday Noon to 2:00 a.m. to Monday through Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m., be supported;

(2)

Council comments on the prescribed considerations are:

(a)

there is little potential for additional noise if the application is approved; and

(b)

the amendment would not pose a negative impact on the community based on the lack of comments received from the public;

(3)

Council comments on the view of residents were gathered as follows:

(a)

property owners and businesses within a 50 metre radius of the subject property were contacted by letter detailing the application and provided with instructions on how community concerns could be submitted; and

(b)

signage was posted at the subject property and three public notices were published in a local newspaper.  The signage and notice provided information on the application and instructions on how community comments or concerns could be submitted; and

(4)

based on the lack of negative responses from residents and businesses in the nearby area, save for one letter received, and the lack of responses received from the community through notifications, Council considers that the application is acceptable to a majority of residents.

CARRIED

2.

Permissive Tax Exemption Policy and Administrative Procedure Amendments

(File Ref. No. 03-0925-02-01) (REDMS No. 3541127 v.12)

Ivy Wong, Manager, Revenue, provided an overview of the proposed amendments to the Permissive Tax Exemption Policy and Administrative Procedure.  Ms. Wong spoke about one property that would need to make changes to its operation in order to continue being eligible for the exemption, as it has been operating a commercial restaurant.

Discussion then ensued about: (i) the continued need for affordable childcare in Richmond, and how many religious organizations lease space for daycare operations; (ii) how only the portion of a place of worship that has been leased for activities other than those listed in the Property Tax Exemption Guidelines Administrative Procedure will not qualify for permissive exemption; and (iii) the need for many places of worship to rent/lease space or provide fund-raising activities due to an overall decline in congregations and donations collected to support the operational costs of the facilities.

It was moved and seconded

That Property Tax Exemption Policy 3561 and Property Tax Exemptions – Guidelines Administrative Procedure 3561.01 be amended, as set out in Attachment 2 of the staff report dated June 27, 2012 from the General Manager, Finance and Corporate Services titled Permissive Tax Exemption Policy and Administrative Procedure Amendments, with a further amendment to Section 2(c) of the Property Tax Exemptions – Guidelines Administrative Procedure 3561.01 to read as “land or halls held by the religious organization and used for fund raising events which are managed by the organization and the funds raised are applied to the organization”.

CARRIED

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT

3.

Semi-Annual Report from City Representatives to the Vancouver International Airport Aeronautical Noise Management Committee (YVR ANMC)

(File Ref. No. 01-0153-04-01) (REDMS No. 3459945 v.4)

Victor Wei, Director, Transportation, recognized the staff liaisons to the Richmond Airport Noise Citizens Advisory Task Force for having done an excellent job of overseeing the Task Force and advancing the Task Force’s initiatives.

In answer to a question about whether any issues identified by the Task Force remained outstanding, Mr. Wei advised that the matter of determining the path by which aircrafts will take off and land was currently being investigated by NAV Canada, and that the matter may take years to resolve.  Mr. Wei also spoke about the Control Zone Procedures Review Working Group which seeks opportunities to reduce aircraft related noise, and is formed of members from the Vancouver Airport Authority (VAA), Transport Canada and NAV Canada.

Margot Spronk, City of Richmond Representative to the YVR ANMC, advised that the VAA has been very attentive to issues brought forth by the YVR ANMC.  A discussion then ensued about:  

·         

the success of the Ground Run Up Enclosure (GRE);

·         

the beneficial effect on noise in the community as a result of the increased altitudes for floatplanes; 

·         

the difficulties associated with determining accurate statistics related to noise complaints.  It was noted that often there are situations where one or several individuals complain repeatedly, resulting in a distortion of noise complaint statistics;

·         

the complexities associated with mitigating aircraft noise by changing flight paths.  It was noted that changing flight paths may result in aircraft noise in areas that previously did not experience such noise.

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That the staff report dated June 27, 2012 from the Director, Transportation and the memorandum dated June 26, 2012 from the City of Richmond citizen representatives to the YVR ANMC be received for information;

(2)

That the City explore with the Vancouver Airport Authority the opportunity to partner on the presentation of its “Fly Quiet Awards;”

(3)

That having fulfilled their mandate, the members of the Richmond Airport Noise Citizens Advisory Task Force be thanked by the City for their contributions.

The question on the motion was not called, as a brief discussion ensued about the proposed partnership between the City and VAA for the presentation of the “Fly Quiet Awards”.  Mr. Wei indicated that the VAA would be the main presenter of the awards, and that further details would be available in the near future. 

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

4.

City Response: Vancouver Airport Authority (YVR) Proposed Russ Baker Way Shopping Mall

(File Ref. No.:  ) (REDMS No. 3574630)

Brian Jackson, Director of Development, provided background information related to the YVR proposed development.  He stated that the proposed mall would be one of the “gateways” to Richmond and the airport.  Mr. Jackson identified concerns related to: (i) the economic fit of the proposed luxury retail outlet centre; (ii) traffic concerns on Russ Baker Way; and (iii) the urban design of the mall and provisions for signage.

A discussion ensued about:

·         

the City’s proposal to enter into a protocol agreement with YVR to better clarify the City’s role and scope within YVR’s development approval process.  It was noted that discussion with YVR has indicated that YVR is not in support of such an agreement;

·         

concerns related to the existing traffic volumes along Russ Baker Way, and the potential impact from additional vehicles travelling to and from the proposed mall;

·         

improvements and upgrades to the dyke along River Road, as well as the development of a trail system that are proposed as part of the development; 

·         

a letter from Metro Vancouver, in which concerns are expressed about the proposed mall in terms of: (i) consistency with objectives set out in the Metro Vancouver Regional Growth Strategy; (ii) consistency with YVR’s Land Management Guidelines and 2027 Master Plan; (iii) transportation impacts; (iv) environmental impacts; and (v) whether a major retail outlet centre falls within YVR’s mandate;

·         

concerns about the impact the proposed mall may have on the Burkeville residential neighbourhood;

·         

concerns about the proposed service road which would go around the entire exterior of the mall;

·         

concerns about how the location of the proposed mall would not support the Canada Line; and

·         

the impact of the proposed mall on the BCIT parking lot.

It was moved and seconded

That:

(1)

the Vancouver Airport Authority Board be advised that the City of Richmond is opposed to this use of land for reasons set out in the staff report titled City Response: Vancouver Airport Authority (YVR) Proposed Russ Baker Way Shopping Mall, and the letter from Metro Vancouver;

(2)

staff obtain a legal opinion regarding YVR’s mandate to approve such use of land;

(3)

a meeting be set up for Council and City staff to speak to the Vancouver Airport Authority Board regarding the City’s opposition to the proposed development;

(4)

letters with copies of the staff report and correspondence from Metro Vancouver be sent to the local MPs and the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure regarding the situation, and that requests be made that the local MPs and the Minister meet with members of City Council on this issue; and

(5)

copies of the letters be sent to Metro Vancouver.

CARRIED

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (5:11 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, July 16, 2012.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie

Chair

Shanan Dhaliwal

Executive Assistant

City Clerk’s Office