Place:

Council Chambers
Richmond City Hall
6911 No. 3 Road

Present:

Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie
Councillor Linda Barnes
Councillor Cynthia Chen

Councillor Evelina Halsey-Brandt
Councillor Sue Halsey-Brandt
Councillor Rob Howard
Councillor Bill McNulty
Councillor Harold Steves

Gail Johnson, Acting Corporate Officer

Absent:

Councillor Derek Dang

Call to Order:

Mayor Brodie opened the proceedings at 7:00 p.m.

1.

Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8235 (RZ 07-355977)

(9351 and 9391 Ferndale Road; Applicant:  Ferndale No. 3 Holdings Ltd.)

Applicant’s Comments:

The applicant was available to answer questions.

Written Submissions:

None.

Submissions from the floor:

Jerry Cox, 9360 Westminster Hwy, spoke about the negative impact to his property resulting from the construction currently underway by the same developer on a site located to the east. He noted that a right-of-way and a sewer connection that he believed had been a requirement by the developer, had not been provided, and stated that the developer did not address his concerns regarding damage to his property and hedge, inadequate parking, flat tires due to nails, and a lack of public consultation.

Mr. Cox also spoke about traffic congestion and difficulties accessing central Richmond from roads in this area, and concluded by expressing his belief that considerable effort is put forth for new residents, but the previous residents seem to be forgotten.

In answer to a query, Mr. Cox clarified that he had voiced his concerns regarding damage to his property to the contractors.

In response to several questions, staff provided the following advice:

§      

a sewer connection is to be provided as part of the servicing agreement, but there is no confirmation that it has been completed;

§      

the present half road to East Alder will be a full road in the future, providing relief to some of the traffic congestion;

§      

completion of the development at 9351 and 9391 Ferndale Road will provide frontage to Ferndale Road; and

§      

hedges over 20 cm in diameter are addressed in the City’s Tree Bylaw.

The developer, Thomas Leung, advised that Mr. Cox had been to his office once, and had not made any complaints regarding damages to his property. Mr. Leung also stated that Mr. Cox should have contacted him instead of the contractors, and indicated that he will take action to address his concerns.

Mr. Leung further advised that in order to address concerns of another neighbour, a new fence had been constructed for that resident. He concluded by stating that completion of the development and the two new roads will provide relief to the traffic congestion problems.

Speaking for a second time, Mr. Cox requested confirmation of a right-of-way and sewer connection to his property from the site currently under construction.

Wayne Craig, Acting Director of Development advised that staff will investigate the previous servicing agreement, and discuss issues regarding traffic concerns with Mr. Cox.

Joe Erceg, General Manager, Planning and Development concluded by indicating that there is a very well developed road network plan being implemented via developments, and that staff will be available to meet with Mr. Cox to review details of this plan.

PH07/9-1

It was moved and seconded

That Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8235 be given second and third readings.

CARRIED

2.

Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8244 (Floor Area Ratio Exemption for Basic Universal Housing Features)

(All of Richmond; Applicant:  City of Richmond)

Applicant’s Comments:

City staff were available to answer questions.

Written Submissions:

None.

Submissions from the floor:

None.

PH07/9-2

It was moved and seconded

That Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8244 be given second and third readings.

CARRIED

PH07/9-3

It was moved and seconded

That Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8244 be adopted.

CARRIED

3.

Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8265 (RZ 07-370956)

(8500 Francis Road; Applicant:  Khalid Hasan)

Applicant’s Comments:

The applicant was not present.

Written Submissions:

None.

Submissions from the floor:

None.

PH07/9-4

It was moved and seconded

That Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8265 be given second and third readings.

CARRIED

4.

Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8266 (RZ 07-366381)

(10520 Williams Road; Applicant:  Parm Dhinjal)

Applicant’s Comments:

The applicant was not present.

Written Submissions:

None.

Submissions from the floor:

None.

PH07/9-5

It was moved and seconded

That Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8266 be given second and third readings.

CARRIED

5.

Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8268 (RZ 07-365245)

(2491 & 2631 Westminster Highway; Applicant:  City of Richmond)

Applicant’s Comments:

City staff were available to answer questions.

Written Submissions:

None.

Submissions from the floor:

None.

PH07/9-6

It was moved and seconded

That Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8268 be given second and third readings.

CARRIED

6.

Official Community Plan Amendment Bylaw 8270 and Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8271 (RZ 07-362690)

(12200 Steveston Hwy; Applicant:  Ventana Construction Corporation)

Applicant’s Comments:

The applicant was available to answer questions.

Written Submissions:

None.

Submissions from the floor:

Bob Light, 10751 Palmberg Road spoke in opposition to the proposal, and the amendment to the Official Community Plan (OCP). He felt that this was an inappropriate location for a car dealership, as signage and vehicles would be facing the freeway. He also noted that the rezoning sign on the property has disappeared.

Mr. Light’s main concern was the disastrous traffic situation at No. 5 Road and Steveston Highway, including the congestion of large semi-trailer trucks, and other traffic on the Steveston Highway overpass. He suggested acquisition of more land to widen the roads in the area, implementation of a clover leaf traffic pattern design to improve traffic flow, re-routing of truck traffic from the freeway to turn onto Rice Mill Road by constructing an off-ramp, and implementation of a direct freeway access from Williams Road. Mr. Light concluded by expressing his belief that if this development is approved without acquiring land to widen the existing traffic lanes, this area will not be improved.

In response to several questions, staff provided the following advice:

§      

the applicant is required to provide confirmation of a rezoning sign with a photograph of the sign, and that has been satisfied;

§      

the agricultural zoning designation in the OCP is an historical aspect, and this area has been designated for the intent of developing business and industry for several years. The proposal for the dealership is slightly different, and requires commercial rezoning;

§      

changing the OCP from industrial to commercial may assist with the traffic congestion, as commercial zoning generally has different peak activity times than business and industry;

§      

if this proposal is approved, the City will have more control over the signage for the business;

§      

access to the site is from Featherstone Way, not Steveston Highway or No. 5 Road;

§      

the development will have landscaping, including a creek along the frontage, however, a hydro right-of-way limits the type of landscaping. A detailed landscape plan is subject to the development permit, and a visual buffer from the freeway will be in place.

§      

future upgrades to the general area including the overpass are tied into a study of the Blundell Road area, and discussions are ongoing with The Ministry of Transportation (MOT). There is no detailed information regarding possible re-configuration available at this time;

§      

The Ministry of Transportation has reviewed this proposal and given it’s preliminary approval; and

§      

staff will contact the Ministry of Transportation regarding the interim use of Rice Mill Road as an alternative route for traffic, particularly truck traffic.

PH07/9-7

It was moved and seconded

That Official Community Plan Amendment Bylaw 8270 and Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8271 each be given second and third readings.

CARRIED

PH07/9-8

It was moved and seconded

That staff prepare strategies to alleviate the line ups and traffic congestion at the Steveston Highway & No. 5 Road interchange, taking into consideration the feasibility of implementing restrictions for access to the Massey tunnel via No. 6 Road and Sidaway Road during peak rush hour traffic times, and forward these strategies to Council and the Ministry of Transportation for review and comment.

The question on the motion was not called, as discussion took place about Council implementing and following a traffic related area plan.

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

Further discussion took place about implementation of changes to the current area plan, resulting in the introduction of the following referral motion:

PH07/9-9

It was moved and seconded

That staff review the area plans in the vicinity of No. 5 Road and Steveston Highway (Shellmont Area - Ironwood Sub-Area Plan), including the Riverport Entertainment Precinct, and provide an analysis of the current area plan and whether there is a need for any revisions to the plan.

CARRIED

OPPOSED:

Cllrs. Barnes McNulty

Steves

7.

Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8272 (RZ 07-370649)

(9571 Williams Road; Applicant:  Vincent Wan)

Applicant’s Comments:

The applicant was available to answer questions.

Written Submissions:

None.

Submissions from the floor:

None.

PH07/9-10

It was moved and seconded

That Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8272 be given second and third readings.

CARRIED

8.

Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8273 (RZ 07-372806)

(8360 Ruskin Road; Applicant:  Kulwinder Heer)

Applicant’s Comments:

The applicant was not present.

Written Submissions:

None.

Submissions from the floor:

None.

PH07/11

It was moved and seconded

That Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8273 be given second and third readings.

CARRIED

9.

Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8274 (RZ 06-330060)

(12751 Rice Mill Road; Applicant:  Watson and Barnard, BC Land Surveyors)

Applicant’s Comments:

Warren E. Barnard, spoke about the Riparian Areas Regulation requirements for this application, and provided information that the property owner is proposing to dedicate some land as Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA). He stated that consultation with a Civil Engineer and Environmental Consultant has resulted in a proposal to run storm water through bio filters, for the purpose of recharging and enhancing the ESA on the adjoining site. Mr. Barnard concluded by requesting Council to take into consideration development cost charges, as this process will be fairly costly to the developer.

Mr. Erceg advised the applicant to meet with City staff to discuss the issue of development cost charges.

Written Submissions:

None.

Submissions from the floor:

A speaker indicated she was representing the owner of the property at 11800 No. 5 Road, and sought answers to questions related to properties along Rice Mill Road and along No. 5 Road. In addition, she expressed concerns regarding the traffic congestion in the area, and inquired about the proposed timeline for completion of the development.

In response, Wayne Craig provided the following information:

§      

there is an existing servicing agreement for a right-of-way along Rice Mill Road to increase the pavement width to a minimum of 13.25 meters;

§      

the entrance to the proposed subdivision will be located on Rice Mill Road, not No. 5 Road;

§      

the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) has indicated that the two identified properties should be removed from the ALR, however no applications have been submitted; and

§      

there is an outstanding development permit requirement regarding the environmentally sensitive areas. The actual timeframe for the development will depend upon the time it takes to process the development permit.

PH07/12

It was moved and seconded

That Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8274 be given second and third readings.

CARRIED

10 A.

Proposed Amendment to Single-Family Lot Size Policy 5428

(Properties contained in Section 30-4-6)

10 B.

Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8275 (RZ 06-334710)

(6340 Francis Road and 6351 Martyniuk Place; Applicant:  Goertzen Contracting Ltd.)

Applicant’s Comments:

The applicant was not present.

Written Submissions:

Ted Danyluk, 2943 Killarney Drive, Prince George (Schedule 1)

Sunil Narayan Kale, 6026 Martyniuk Place (Schedule 2)

Submissions from the floor:

Larry Danyluck, 6220 Francis Road, addressed Council and read a letter written by his brother Ted Danyluk, expressing support for the application, which had been submitted to the City Clerk’s Office prior to the Public Hearing (Schedule 1).

Blaine Powell, 6360 Martyniuk Place, spoke in opposition to the proposal to amend the lot size policy for the subject property. He made reference to a petition that had been submitted on June 27, 2007 which formed part of the report for this application which supported retention of the R1/E designation by a clear majority of residents on Martyniuk Place. Mr. Powell believed that this proposed development would fundamentally change the character of the neighbourhood, and negatively impact property values. He expressed concern regarding development of two new houses and driveways on the lot on Martyniuk Place which has a frontage of only 21 feet. He also gave examples of parking issues that already exist as a result of inadequate on-street parking. He stressed his preference to see only one house built on this lot.

Discussion ensued amongst staff and Council members and the following points were raised:

§      

subdivision of the lot on Martynuik Place would result in two lots of approximately 560m², each having a minimum frontage of at least 6 m;

§      

the subject site would have smaller frontages than the rest of the neighbourhood, thus not conforming to the “look” of the neighbourhood;

§      

the area currently accommodates only single family housing, with one house per lot;

§      

the driveways for the subject site on Martyniuk Place would not be typical widths;

§      

more cars in the neighbourhood would only add to the parking problems that currently exist;

§      

staff are not aware of any separate public consultation process conducted by the developer;

§      

the developer had been provided with a copy of the report which contained the petition;

§      

a similar application has been turned down in the past, however it was for coach homes;

§      

precedents with similar frontages as the subject site do exist in the area;

§      

this area is well suited for single family housing developments, not multi-housing forms.

PH07/13

It was moved and seconded

That Single-Family Lot Size Policy 5428 for the properties contained in Section 30-4-6, be amended to permit the southerly 36.24 m (118.9 ft.) of 6340 Francis Road to subdivide in accordance with Single-Family Housing District, Subdivision Area B (R1/B).

DEFEATED ON A TIE VOTE

OPPOSED:

Cllrs. Chen

E. Halsey-Brandt

S. Halsey-Brandt

McNulty

Following the defeat of the  motion regarding the Single-Family Lot Size Policy Amendment, Council did not take any action on second and third readings of Bylaw 8275.

Discussion continued on the matter during which the rationale of introducing a large asphalt driveway in a neighbourhood where the surrounding homes have greenery and landscaping was questioned. Other forms of housing were discussed that would provide a better “fit” into the existing neighbourhood, and it would be beneficial to vary the setbacks to better accommodate two homes and two driveways. Asking the developer to dedicate road in the cul-de-sac from the two properties for the purpose of “squaring” off the frontages to be similar to other properties in the cul-de-sac was also a suggestion. As a result of the discussion, the following referral motion was introduced:

It was moved and seconded

PH07/9-14

That staff reassess the rezoning application for 6340 Francis Road and 6351 Martyniuk Place with a view to recommending other forms of single family housing development, taking into consideration maximization of lot space, better design of the triangular lots, the feasibility of the applicant dedicating road in the cul-de-sac to increase the proposed lot frontages, and varying the setbacks if needed to accommodate the two houses to provide a better fit with the look of the existing neighbourhood.

CARRIED

11.

Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8276 (RZ 07-370928)

(8151 No. 3 Road; Applicant:  William Uy)

Applicant’s Comments:

The applicant was not available.

Written Submissions:

Peake, 8211 No. 3 Road (Schedule 3)

Submissions from the floor:

None.

PH07/9-15

It was moved and seconded

That Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8276 be given second and third readings.

CARRIED

ADJOURNMENT

PH07/9-16

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (8:36 p.m.).

CARRIED

Certified a true and correct copy of the Minutes of the Regular Meeting for Public Hearings of the City of Richmond held on Wednesday, September 5, 2007.

Mayor (Malcolm D. Brodie)

Acting Corporate Officer,

City Clerk’s Office
(Gail Johnson)