Monday, March 17, 2008 - Minutes

The Public Hearing reconvened at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, March 17, 2008, in the Council Chambers, at Richmond City Hall, with all members present except Councillors Linda Barnes and Sue Halsey-Brandt.

The Acting Corporate Officer provided an update on the correspondence received on March 13, 14, and 17, 2008, which had been circulated to Council and form part of these minutes as Schedule 28.

Submissions from the floor continued:

Craig Jones, #8 – 13160 Princess Street, spoke in favour of the application noting that the proposed development has the potential to create a new community based on geo-thermal and sustainable principles which would include parks, green space and urban agricultural opportunities.

Jerry Heed spoke in opposition to the application offering that:

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the only community need for the Lands is for agricultural uses, a wild life habitat or natural green space;

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no business plan exists for the Lands; it is not economically viable and the land around the River Rock Casino would be better for the proposed uses, given the access to rapid transit;

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per capita, there is less use now for sports fields than there was in the 1970s because the demographics of Richmond have changed;

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the CLC and Musqueam are using the City of Richmond to obtain the Lands by having the City cite the community needs; and

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the Commission should reject this exclusion application for the second time given that global environmental issues are important and need to be addressed, and the Lands should be preserved for future generations.

A copy of Mr. Heed’s submission forms part of these minutes, and is attached as Schedule 29.

Derril Gudlaugson, 8351 Fairfax Place, spoke in opposition to the application noting that:

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a study prepared by William Logan concludes that it takes 1,000 years to build one centimetre of soil in a volcanic environment; the soil on the Lands is made of humis and this is a complex substance;

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Richmond has many areas which have already been excluded from the ALR, therefore it is imperative that Richmond retain its remaining agricultural land;

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this large block of viable land has been identified as suitable for cranberry and blueberry farming, which could be harvested at a profit;

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the establishment of an endowment fund is not useful when implemented as a condition of destroying agriculture;

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in 2008, UBC will close its farm fields to develop more housing; therefore, the Lands should be developed by Kwantlen College for an agricultural program;

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there is no supportable need for a Trade & Exhibition Centre; and

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the contents of the City’s brochure were disappointing and reflected wasteful spending.

A copy of Mr. Gudlaugson’s submission forms part of these minutes, and is attached as Schedule 30.

Steven Guthrie, 3480 Rosamond Avenue, spoke in opposition to the exclusion application citing that:

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the basic decision should be simple and should reflect the best legacy for future generations of Richmond;

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Council should be wary of the motivation of speakers, especially those purporting to give legal advice and those who provide veiled threats;

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Council should preserve the dwindling supply of farmland, green space and places for nature; and

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Council should be creating more opportunities for recreation and consider better utilizing school playgrounds.

A copy of Mr. Guthrie’s submission forms part of these minutes, and is attached as Schedule 31.

Chad Iverson, 12060 Woodhead Road, spoke in opposition to the application noting that:

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the preservation of land is essential to the well being of citizens of the Lower Mainland in general and development of the Lands conflicts with the City’s stated objectives;

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public interests have not been fully considered and citizens have not been fully consulted;

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aerial photographs of Richmond taken in 1954, 1963, 1976, 1984 and 1995 show that farm uses have diminished in all areas except southwest Richmond;

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it is important to maintain agricultural land close to urban areas, which reduces the need to transport food over long distances;

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what thought has been given to providing increased services such as hospitals, roads/bridges to meet the demands of increased density; and

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once these lands are developed, displaced water from the Bog will end up in the next closest place which is the DND Lands and Richmond Nature Park.  The damages to these areas needs to be considered in an environmental impact assessment and biological study.

A copy of Mr. Iverson’s submission forms part of these minutes, and is attached as Schedule 32.

John Massot, 16160 Westminster Highway, spoke in favour of the application noting that:

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the Lands are a small piece of the global farmland production; one cannot preserve every square foot of farmland on the planet;

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the location is poor for farming due to being surrounded on all sides by roads; and

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his support is conditional upon the City establishing permanent boundaries around all farmland located in the south and east of Richmond as promised to residents in 1986.

Yvonne Bell, 10431 Mortfield Road, spoke in opposition to the application believing the City should purchase the Lands from the Musqueam to keep it in the ALR, particularly considering the City has managed to fund the Speed Skating Oval.  She expressed her resentment that the City is asking for removal of the Lands for a second time.

Jon Pillsbury, #27 – 3555 Westminster Highway, spoke in opposition to the proposal.  He recalled green space in Richmond that has disappeared due to requirements for high-density housing and believed the City has not followed through with expected compensations for such removal of land.  Further, he noted that:

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there is a lack of detail and guarantees in this proposal for future development of the Lands;

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the issues of provisions for playgrounds, schools and municipal services for an expected increased population have not been properly addressed; and

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there is skewed statistical information being used on which to base decisions.  Councillors must sort out fact from fiction when making decisions and pass along correct information to the ALC.

A copy of Mr. Pillsbury’s submission forms part of these minutes, and is attached as Schedule 33.

Otto Langer, 6911 Dunsany Place, spoke in opposition to the application citing his concern that it is going forward for a second time.  He also commented that:

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food production land needs to be protected, particularly close to the city;

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the Agreement is a bad deal for Richmond and does not put the needs of Richmond first;

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negotiators should have used Vancouver’s Stanley Park as a precedent for a new Richmond park on this site;

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valid federal uses for the Lands should be identified and consideration given to renting it to Richmond as a natural estuary which meets biodiversity needs and complements the Richmond Nature Park and Burns Bog;

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keeping the Lands as open space will reduce global warming effects;

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First Nations have been using the area for 9,000 years and they have prior rights but Council must consider the unknown future of treaty claims;

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Richmond is old and settling at a rapid rate;

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development may aggravate the flood risk and affect future generations adversely; and

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Council should reject the exclusion application and do what is right for the City.

A copy of Mr. Langer’s submission forms part of these minutes, and is attached as Schedule 34.

Theresa Harding, #4 – 7460 Moffatt Road, spoke in opposition to the exclusion application, noting that:

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there is an unrealized potential for farming on the Lands and other uses could include community gardens, schools, and open green space;

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consideration should be given to collaboration between the Musqueam, Kwantlen College, and the City to integrate traditional knowledge and practices, and to demonstrate leadership in agricultural education; and

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keeping the Lands in the ALR will give Richmond homegrown solutions to food issues and reduce the carbon footprint.

A copy of Ms. Harding’s submission forms part of these minutes, and is attached as Schedule 35.

Roger Barnes, 7620 No 2 Road, spoke in favour of the application, believing that the only way the City can positively control the land is to own it.  He also noted that:

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a facility to support healthy lifestyles and wellness needs should be considered for the site;

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planning for this land is about imagining future needs for Richmond;

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the ALC exists to protect farmland but the Lands have never been farmed and indicators seem to show it never will be; and

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if the ALC decides community needs are a compelling reason to exclude the land then it should be used for parkland and sports.

Jim Lamond, 8820 Ash Road, expressed his support for the application adding that:

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the City of Richmond is more beautiful today because of Council’s decision 35 years ago to purchase the Minoru lands; and

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the people of Richmond need the Lands to build parks and recreational fields.  Agricultural land will only benefit a few – fields, trails and recreational spaces will benefit everyone.

Bill Jones, #605 – 6651 Minoru Blvd, spoke in favour of the application explaining that:

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he would support preservation of viable and arable farmland but the Lands do not fall into that category;

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not one farmer that he has spoken to would work these lands – the adverse cost to do so has to be acknowledged; and

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Council has an opportunity to acquire these lands and have control over it through the development process, enhancing our liveable city.

Arzeena Hamir, 8480 Dayton Court, spoke in opposition to the application noting that:

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food production is not just about economics – access to food is a human right;

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the Richmond Food Security Task Assessment found Richmond to be food insecure, therefore we need to save this viable farmland;

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not much land will be left for sports activities once all other uses are accounted for – mix physical activity with gardening;

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there are very few farmers under the age of 50 in Richmond, and young people cannot afford to buy farm land – this is concerning;

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the Lands have benefited all of Richmond by staying green and absorbing our carbon footprint;

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her photograph was used on the City’s brochure without her permission, this needs to be addressed in future; and

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the ALC should not approve this application.

In conclusion, Ms. Hamir submitted a petition* containing approximately 468 signatures in support of retaining the Lands in the ALR.  A copy of Ms. Hamir’s submission forms part of these minutes, and is attached as Schedule 36.

*See Schedule 37 which includes a copy of this petition.

PH08/3-8

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting be extended beyond 11:00 p.m. to allow two more speakers to be heard.

DEFEATED

OPPOSED: Councillors Chen, Dang, E. Halsey-Brandt, and Steves. 

David Reay, 4340 Steveston Highway, referenced the exclusion application noting that:

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the Public Hearing process should be improved to ensure more people can speak and to ensure that the analysis of correspondence and information gathered isn’t ambiguous;

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the City Centre Plan did not include the Lands, therefore, schools and parks are under-represented;

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there are many parts of the process that rely on the goodwill of the CLC and that is asking too much; and

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there seems to be a lot of over-commitment for future use of this space.

PH08/3-9

It was moved and seconded

That the Public Hearing be extended past 11:00 p.m. to allow Mr. Reay to conclude his submission.

CARRIED

In conclusion Mr. Reay noted that he is a food security proponent and he believed it is important to have farmland as part of the downtown area.

PH08/3-10

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting be recessed and be reconvened on Tuesday March 18, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers, Richmond City Hall.

CARRIED

RECESSED – 11:15 p.m..