Place:

Council Chambers
Richmond City Hall
6911 No. 3 Road

Present:

Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie
Councillor Linda Barnes
Councillor Cynthia Chen

Councillor Derek Dang
Councillor Sue Halsey-Brandt
Councillor Rob Howard
Councillor Bill McNulty
Councillor Harold Steves

David Weber, Corporate Officer

Absent:

Councillor Evelina Halsey-Brandt

Call to Order:

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

1.

Proposed Single-Family Lot Size Policy (Sections 21-4-7 & 22-4-7)

(Applicant:  City of Richmond)

Applicant’s Comments:

The Director of Development, Brian Jackson, representing the City, indicated that he was available to respond to questions.

Written Submissions:

Bob and Nan Carkner, 8500 Fairway Road (Schedule 1)

Jennifer Bazett, 8300 Fairbrook Crescent (Schedule 2)

Vernon Yonemoto, 8520 Fairway Road (Schedule 3)

Doug Quan, 8160 Dalemore Road (Schedule 4)

S. Libbrecht, 8731 Bairdmore Crescent (Schedule 5)  (Please note that the 834 page attachment to Mr. Libbrecht’s submission is on file in the City Clerk’s Office.)

Submissions from the floor:

None.

PH08/6-1

It was moved and seconded

That the following new Single-Family Lot Size Policy be adopted:

That properties within the area generally bounded by Blundell Road, No. 1 Road, Francis Road, and West Dyke Trail in Section 21-4-7 and 22-4-7 (shown on Attachment 8 to the report dated March 3, 2008, from the Director of Development), be restricted to rezoning and subdivision in accordance with the provisions of “Single-Family Housing District, Subdivision Area E (R1/E)” with the exception of existing duplex lots which may be subdivided into two (2) lots.

CARRIED

2A.

Proposed Amendment to Single-Family Lot Size Policy 5428 (Section 30-4-6)

2B.

Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8275 (RZ 06-334710)

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

Applicant’s Comments:

Sean Lawsen, 6463 Dyke Road, representing the applicant, circulated material to Council which detailed the improvements which had been made to the original design of the Martyniuk Place property in response to direction given by Council previously to readdress the design to maximize the lot space more efficiently.  (A copy of this material is on file in the City Clerk’s Office.)  He explained that as a result, (i) the proposed home had been redesigned to place the garages together in the middle of the property with a shared driveway; (ii) the amount of green space around the garages had been increased; (iii) the setback of the two homes had been increased from 20 feet to 30 feet which resulted in additional frontage; and (iv) a professional landscape plan had been prepared for both properties.

Mr. Lawson then responded to questions from Council regarding the project, and in particular, on such issues as the status of the public walkway/easement located adjacent to the subject property and the shared driveway.

Written Submissions:

None.

Submissions from the floor:

Wayne Chao and April Chao, 6360 Martyniuk Place, gave a PowerPoint presentation to provide examples of shared driveways located within Richmond to highlight issues relating to the proposed design and the use of a shared driveway, and the amount of green space proposed for each home.  He questioned how two homes with a shared driveway could be constructed on the Martyniuk Place property when the property was only 20 feet wide at the street.  Mr. Chao also commented on the public walkway and its maintenance by area residents.  He then questioned why the developer could not construct a single house on the property of a size which would be comparable to adjacent homes.  Mr. Chao added that many of his neighbours had the same questions and concerns which he was now expressing to Council. 

PH08/6-2

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).

CARRIED

PH08/6-3

It was moved and seconded

That Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8275 be given second and third readings.

CARRIED

3A.

Proposed Single-Family Lot Size Policy 5426 (Sections 26-4-7 & 35-4-7)

3B.

Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8322 (RZ 04-271169)

(10260 No. 1 Road; Applicant:  Shinder Sahota)

Applicant’s Comments:

Shinder Sahota referred to his application and questioned whether townhouses could be constructed on the subject property and an adjacent property at 10240 No. 1 Road, which he also owned.  The Director of Development commented on the feasibility of such a request, and as a result, and with the consent of the applicant, the following referral motion was introduced:

PH08/6-4

It was moved and seconded

That the application for rezoning for property at 10260 No. 1 Road be referred to the Public Hearing scheduled to be held at 7:00 p.m., on Monday, June 16^th, 2008, in the Council Chambers, Richmond City Hall.

CARRIED

4.

Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8332 (RZ 07-369284)

(11311 Williams Road; Applicant:  Raman Kooner)

Applicant’s Comments:

Not in attendance.

Written Submissions:

None.

Submissions from the floor:

None.

PH08/6-5

It was moved and seconded

That Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8332 be given second and third readings.

CARRIED

5.

Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8336 (RZ 07-387365)

(9220/9240 Glendower Drive; Applicant:  Gurdawar S. Aujla and Amrik S. Sanghera)

Applicant’s Comments:

Not in attendance.

Written Submissions:

None.

Submissions from the floor:

None.

PH08/6-6

It was moved and seconded

That Zoning Amendment Bylaw 8336 be given second and third readings.

CARRIED

6.

Temporary Commercial Use Permit Application (TU 08-412295)

(12631 Vulcan Way; Applicant:  Lions Communications Incorporated)

Applicant’s Comments:

Paul Cheung, Director of Operations for Lions Communications Incorporated, provided information on the proposed new Summer Night Market for Richmond and he spoke about the importance of this night market to fundraising organizations, entrepreneurs and as a tourist attraction. 

Mr. Cheung talked about the concerns of adjacent property owners about the impact of the summer night market event on their properties, and he provided information on steps which had been taken to address these concerns.  In concluding his presentation, Mr. Cheung gave his commitment that these issues would be addressed to everyone’s satisfaction.

Discussion then took place among Council members, staff and the delegation regarding the impact of the night market on the surrounding neighbourhood, and how the concerns relating to traffic, parking, garbage cleanup, vandalism, the sale of counterfeit product, etc., would be addressed by the applicant. 

Written Submissions:

Brian Isaac, #1500 - 438 University Ave, Toronto, Ontario (Schedule 6)

Honourable Linda Reid, #130 – 8040 Garden City Road (Schedule 7)

Honourable Raymond Chan, #308 – 4940 No. 3 Road (Schedule 8)

Amy Hung, #B100 – 750 Pacific Boulevard South, Vancouver (Schedule 9)

Dr. Ken Ng, 2 Wootten Way North, Markham, Ontario (Schedule 10)

Wayne Grafton, 13466 Verdun Place (Schedule 11)

Graeme Kingston, Laff-A-Lot Show Productions (Schedule 12)

Coran R. Cooper-Stephenson, Pryke Lambert Leathley Russell, Barristers & Solicitors, #500 – 5811 Cooney Road (Schedule 13)

C. Uyeda, 1411 East 58^th Avenue, Vancouver (Schedule 14)

Bent Ewald, New Outlook Furniture, 2471 Vauxhall Place (Schedule 15)

Submissions from the floor:

Tony Kwan, Pryke Lambert Leathley Russell, Barristers & Solicitors, accompanied by Raymond Cheung, operator, Richmond Night Market, spoke about the Summer Night Market proposal, during which he noted that the new operator had no previous experience in operating such an event.  He also noted that the subject property contained no on-site services, including water, sinks, utilities, etc., all of which would have to be re-instated before the Summer Night Market could open.  Mr. Kwan also stated that inspections would be required to ensure that the necessary work had been properly completed, and he suggested that the applicant, because of the short turn around time of nine days, would be unable to open the market on May 30^th, 2008 as was being proposed.  He questioned why the City was considering the application when the site was not suitable for a night market use.

Mr. Kwan also spoke about potential safety concerns which could occur as a result of the reduction in the number of available parking spaces for the Summer Night Market, and the proposal to address this shortfall through the use of three separate parking lots, which would require pedestrians to cross Vulcan Way to reach the Summer Night Market site.  

Mr. Kwan referred to the application, and stated that once approval had been given for the Summer Night Market event, vendors would be rushing to purchase supplies and other materials based on the approval given by the City.  He stated that any delay in opening the night market could be very costly to the vendors.  He also referred to the application to be submitted in 2009 for the Richmond Night Market at a new location, and he asked that if approval was given for the Summer Night Market event, that the permit be issued only for one year and not two years as proposed.

Raymond Cheung spoke briefly, noting that he had been required to remove all on-site services from the subject property when the lease for the Richmond Night Market had expired.

Florence Gordon, 8111 Saunders Road, spoke about Raymond Cheung and the contributions he had made to the City through his support of various organizations and community events.  She then referred to the proposal for the Summer Night Market event and expressed concern about the plan to significantly raise the rents of the vendors participating in this event, and to charge an admission fee to the public, as well as about the difficulties which she felt would be encountered in satisfying health regulations and with the provision of policing services by the RCMP.  In closing, Ms. Gordon questioned why Mr. Paul Cheung did not offer to purchase the Richmond Night Market company and its trademarks.

Alan Wilding, representing Alan Wilding Business Services, advised that he had been responsible for the parking for the Richmond Night Market for the past four years.  He indicated that while his parking lots were not part of the original parking arrangement, he was cooperating with the new applicant to ensure that the Summer Night Market event was a success.  Mr. Wilding indicated that he had 1,000 parking spaces available, however with the turnover ratio, there were actually up to 3,000 spaces available, and that based on discussions with the RCMP, parking had not really been an issue for previous years’ night market events.

Mr. Wilding then provided information on (i) the number of staff which would be overseeing the parking at the Summer Night Market events, and (ii) the system which was in place to ensure that the customers of such businesses as Sears and Home Depot Ltd. were able to access these businesses smoothly while the Summer Night Market was in operation.  He referred to the length of the left turn traffic signal at Vulcan Way, and suggested that extending the time period of this traffic signal would allow more people to turn left into the property. 

Mr. Wilding then responded to questions from Council about garbage collection and cleanup; vandalism; the provision of parking spaces; pedestrian traffic; the movement of traffic in and out of the subject property and the availability of parking spaces at adjacent parking lots.

Wayne Grafton, Eagle Ridge Enterprises Ltd., (Schedule 11), indicated that he was available to answer any questions which Council might have regarding his concerns.  He then referred to the comments made by Paul Cheung about the outcome of their conversation and indicated that he did not agree with Mr. Cheung’s statements about this conversation.

Mr. Grafton indicated that while he supported the concept of the night market, he did not support the idea that the night market should operate at the expense of the neighbours.  He stated that he had been encouraged by the statements made by Mr. Cheung that no one would have to pay out of their own pocket to deal with any expenses resulting from the Summer Night Market.  He then referred to the parking issue and suggested that the requirement for paid parking would only result in patrons of the night market event parking in those adjacent lots which did not charge for parking. 

During the discussion which ensued, confirmation was given that the applicant had guaranteed that he would be responsible for all costs relating to any damage, etc., caused to adjacent properties as a result of the Summer Night Market event. 

Louisa Fung, a vendor with the Richmond Night Market for the past four years, voiced concern about the future of the night market, as it was her understanding that the process to organize a night market event was complicated and lengthy.  She also spoke about the many issues which could arise, including safety, transportation, etc., and she questioned whether the operator of the proposed Summer Night Market would be capable of opening this event within nine days as planned.  Ms. Fung also expressed concern about the amount of the rent being charged to vendors of the Summer Night Market, and the reduction of available parking spaces by 1,000.  At the same time, she encouraged customers to patronize the Summer Night Market as the vendors would benefit greatly from their business.

Ms. Fung indicated that because of her concerns, she would not be participating in this year’s Summer Night Market event.  She further indicated that she was concerned about the use of the ‘Night Market’ name as this name was well known throughout North America.  Ms. Fung urged Council to reconsider issuance of a permit for the new Summer Night Market.  She stated that any negative impact from the opening of this event could have a major negative impact on the proposed 2009 Richmond Night Market.

Pauline Yee advised that she had been a vendor at the Richmond Night Market for the past three years and that it had been a wonderful experience for her.  She expressed agreement with concerns voiced by previous speakers about parking, security, etc., but indicated that she was talking about the excitement of the event.  Ms. Yee stated that because of the organizing ability of Raymond Cheung and his team, customers kept returning year after year, and she expressed the hope that the Summer Night Market would attract as many visitors.  However, she questioned the impact to vendors of this year’s event if the opening was delayed for any reason.

Chris Lee, indicated that she had been in the karaoke entertainment business for the past eight years; that her company was responsible for the introduction of karaoke at the Richmond Night Market, and that her business was one of the main sponsors of this night market event.  She also talked about the karaoke events held at the Richmond Night Market and the many fundraising events held as part of the karaoke performances. 

Ms. Lee then related information which had been passed by her customers that the organizers of the Summer Night Market had indicated to them that her company would be participating in this year’s event.  She advised that she personally had not spoken to anyone from Lions Communications about her participation.  Ms. Lee then reported on a telephone call made by a staff member of the Summer Night Market to her company asking her to be a sponsor of the new night market event, and how the request was handled by the Lions Communication staff member.  She voiced concern about (i) the unprofessionalism of the Summer Night Market staff, and (ii) the misinformation which was circulating throughout Richmond about her participation in this event.

Joe Lee, a resident of Alberta, voiced the hope that he would be able to work at the Summer Night Market.  He commented that this event would be a good tourist attraction to draw visitors from other parts of the country.  He added that the name ‘Night Market’ had world wide exposure.

Albert Choy, 110 - 4661 Seven Oaks Crescent, Burnaby, talked about his plans to become a vendor in the Summer Night Market.  He also voiced concern about the possibility that this event would not take place in spite of the efforts of the applicant to develop the proposal now being considered, and he urged Council to approve the permit for the Summer Night Market.

Dan Chiu voiced concern about traffic and security issues as they related to the proposed Summer Night Market, and he questioned the ability of the applicant to have the subject site ready for operation in nine days.  He also expressed confidence that the City would not issue a permit to the applicant if the property was not properly serviced.

Ed Lee, accompanied by Jason Lee, indicated their support for the new Summer Night Market, and expressed the hope that he and his brother would be able to participate as vendors.  He stated that the night market event provided a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to start new businesses, and he expressed the opinion that parking was not an issue.

Amy Wong, of Lions Communications, expressed the belief that her staff were not identifying themselves as being connected with the Richmond Night Market, but rather, the Summer Night Market.

Coran Cooper-Stephenson, Pryke Lambert Leathley Russell, Barristers & Solicitors, (Schedule 13), voiced concern that approval of the temporary commercial use permit would prompt the media to announce that the Summer Night Market would be opening in nine days on May 30^th, 2008.  He stated that any delay in opening of this night market would have a serious impact on all those vendors and employees, etc., who were relying on Council to ensure that the market place would be a safe and secure environment.  He further stated that he had heard that the applicant was being very optimistic in thinking that the Summer Night Market could be opened on May 30^th, and he asked Council to consider these issues.

A. Cho of 8120 General Currie Road, voiced support for the Summer Night Market, indicating that he would like to have the opportunity to take his family and friends to this event.  He added that the Summer Night Market would attract many visitors and residents from other municipalities to the City.

Marion Wong provided information on a bad experience which she had had as a vendor four years ago which resulted in the loss of money on the purchase of commercial equipment which was no longer needed.  She also talked about her inability to have a deposit which she had made to the organizer, refunded.  Ms. Wong also advised that she did not have any confidence that the organizer of the new Summer Night Market would be in operation as promised by the organizer on May 30^th. 

Ms. Wong voiced support for the Richmond Night Market, and indicated that she was looking forward to working with a reliable and trustworthy event organizer.  She questioned what protection was in place to protect those vendors who hoped to participate in the Summer Night Market to ensure that these vendors did not experience a situation similar to the one she had been forced to endure.

Jack Lee spoke about his lack of confidence in the organizer of the Summer Night Market event because the organizer was unable to provide a specific opening date, and the difficulties he was having in having his deposit refunded. 

Terry Kim spoke in support of the Summer Night Market, noting that the consideration of the application seemed to have turned into a dispute between the current and former operators.  He stated that efforts had to be made to keep the Summer Night Market in operation.  Mr. Kim further noted that when the Richmond Night Market was first established, the operator of that event had not had any experience at that time in organizing such an event.  He added that Paul Cheung had promised that he would meet his obligations and would be responsible for any damages incurred.  Mr. Kim, in concluding his presentation, stated that the focus of the discussion should be on the land issue and nothing else.

Raymond Cheung, former operator of the Richmond Night Market, provided information on the development of the Richmond Night Market over the past eight years, and on the amount of time and effort needed to build the Richmond Night Market into the successful event that it had become.  He then spoke about issues which he had with the proposed Summer Night Market, which included a substantial increase in the amount of rent charged to the vendors; and his belief that the applicant did not know anything about organizing and operating a night market.

Mr. Cheung also spoke about the future of the Richmond Night Market and how the event could be improved, during which he suggested that the focus should be on developing a bigger and better event.  He urged Council to consider the vendors of the new night market, commenting that if these vendors suffered financially this year, they may not be able to recover, with the result that the night market event would be no more.  He added that he was concerned about the use of the ‘Night Market’ name and materials by the new organizer.

(Cllr. Barnes left the meeting at 10:04 p.m.)

Albert Choy, speaking for a second time, advised that he had entered into a one year contract with Lions Communication to participate in the Summer Night Market, at a cost to rent the booth of $85 per day, which he felt was a reasonable amount.  He indicated that he chose to participate because he believed that the event would be a good opportunity to expand his business knowledge.

(Cllr. Barnes returned to the meeting 10:07 p.m.)

PH08/6-7

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That a Temporary Commercial Use Permit be issued to Lions Communications Incorporated for the property at 12631 Vulcan Way for the purposes of permitting a Summer Night Market between May 30, 2008 to October 5, 2008 inclusive and May 15, 2009 to October 4, 2009 inclusive (based on the conditions and requirements outlined in the Temporary Commercial Use Permit and Schedules attached to the Permit); and

(2)

That the applicant, as a pre-condition, be required to sign a letter to indemnify Eagle Ridge Enterprises for any damages suffered as a result of the Summer Night Market event.

CARRIED

ADJOURNMENT

PH08/6-8

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (10:30 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 Tuesday, May 20^th, 2008.

Mayor (Malcolm D. Brodie)

Corporate Officer, City Clerk’s Office

(David Weber)