Planning Committee Meeting Minutes - May 8, 2001

Date:

Tuesday, May 8, 2001

Place:

Anderson Room

Richmond City Hall

Present:

Councillor Malcolm Brodie, Chair

Councillor Bill McNulty, Vice-Chair

Councillor Linda Barnes

Councillor Lyn Greenhill

Councillor Harold Steves

Call to Order:

The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m.

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Planning Committee held on Wednesday, April 18, 2001, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

Wednesday, May 23, 2001, at 4:00 p.m. in the Anderson Room.

(Report: April 17/01, File No.: 8060-20-7228) (REDMS No. 352076, 350358, 351699)

The Manager, Development Applications, Joe Erceg, reviewed the staff report. Planner Suzanne Carter-Huffman advised that the decision to permit direct vehicle access to the subject lot from Bennett Road was determined during the course of the recent Development Permit process on the adjacent Bosa site.

Mr. Charles Scott advised that the architect and landscape architect were present to answer questions from the Committee.

It was moved and seconded

That Bylaw No. 7228, for the rezoning of 7160 St. Albans Road from "Townhouse and Apartment District (R3)" to "Comprehensive Development District (CD/120)", be introduced and given first reading.

Prior to the question being called Suzanne Carter-Huffman, in response to a question from Councillor Greenhill, provided clarification of a statement contained on page 19 of the staff report by stating that the CD/120 could potentially be used on similar, small corner lots. Ms. Carter-Huffman also advised that where a rear lane provided access to such lots, it was hoped that less site area would be required for driveways than was the case with the subject application. The question was then called and it was CARRIED.

(RZ 01-116068, Report: April 25/01, File No.: 8060-20-7232) (REDMS No. 364043, 364171, 364174)

The Manager, Development Applications, Joe Erceg, briefly reviewed the staff report noting that the R1/B application was not strictly consistent with the Lot Size Policy but that the Zoning Bylaw allowed for this type of rezoning for duplex lots.

That Bylaw No. 7232, for the rezoning of 7751 and 7771 Lucas Road from "Two-Family Housing District (R5)" to "Single-Family Housing District, Subdivision Area B (R1/B)", be introduced and given first reading.

In response to a question from the Chair, Mr. Cohen referred to Maple Road and Woodwards Road as two examples of where larger and smaller lots have been successfully blended. Mr. Cohen, in response to a question from Councillor Barnes, advised that access to the lot to the east of the subject property was Lucas Road.

Mr. Paul Jensen, 7631 Lucas, asked that the actual size of the individual lots be provided. Mr. Erceg responded that the lots would be 5600 and 6400 square feet with a 43 foot frontage. The predominant zoning in the subject area was R1/E with an average lot size of 5900 sq. ft. Mr. Jensen said he was very disappointed in the request to have smaller lots in a large lot area.

Councillor Brodie said that while he believed the subdivision to be inappropriate the matter should go to Public Hearing. Councillor Greenhill was not in favour of large and small lots on the same street but also felt the matter should go to Public Hearing.

The question was then called and it was CARRIED.

(RZ 00-184150 - Report: April 18/01, File No.: 8060-20-7229) (REDMS No. 355053, 360700, 361238)

The Manager, Development Applications, Joe Erceg, reviewed the staff report. It was noted that the proposed CD zone to accommodate nine 3-storey townhomes was consistent with the Official Community Plan. Mr. Erceg said that some widening of Cooney Road would be required and that a Servicing Agreement would be required at the Building Permit stage.

Councillor Greenhill expressed concern about the proposed density. Planner Suzanne Carter-Huffman responded that there was a need to create a scale of development on the subject site that would fit with the neighbourhood as it densified, and that the higher density proposed made that scale possible.

Ms. Carter-Huffman also responded to a question from the Chair pertaining to the comparison of the subject proposals density and massing to that of the existing developments to the south and to the west.

It was moved and seconded

That Bylaw No. 7229, for the rezoning of 6731 and 6751 Cooney Road from "Townhouse District (R2)" to "Comprehensive Development District (CD121)", be introduced and given first reading.

Prior to the question being called Councillor Barnes said that she hoped that the proposal would be "greened up" at the next stage of the process. The question was then called and it was CARRIED.

(Report: April 26, 2001, File No.: AG 00-084495) (REDMS No. 361779)

The Manager, Development Applications, Joe Erceg, in reviewing the staff report, said that Mr. Rangis application had been reviewed by Planning Committee on two previous occasions. While the matter of an expanded doggie day care operation had been referred to staff the applicant had now requested that a community hall be considered. For reasons outlined on pages 4 and 5 of the staff report, staff continued to recommend denial of the application.

Mr. Kabel Atwall, accompanied by Mr. Rangi, stated that .87 of the 2.49 acres of the subject property was the subject of the application for a community hall. Referring to the Official Community Plan objective of preserving viable farmland, Mr. Atwall said that Class 7 soil was not viable. Mr. Atwall also referred to an assembly use site on No. 5 Road and questioned the similarity between the two uses. He felt that a community hall would not have a major impact on the surrounding area and that parking could be worked out even if a reduction in building size was necessary.

A discussion then ensued, between the Committee members and Messrs. Atwall and Rangi, that sought to determine the possible use options available to Mr. Rangi.

Mr. Erceg advised that given the terms of the Holding Tank Bylaw a disposal field would be required and that he did not believe that the westerly portion of the site could accommodate that field, the community hall, parking and the house.

The discussion also included the following:

that the capacity for a building of 6000 sq. ft. would be approximately 500 persons; Mr. Rangi stated that the proposed community hall would actually be two floors, thus totally 12,000 sq. ft.;

Councillor Barnes suggestion that staff work with Mr. Rangi to develop an acceptable venture and that the Agricultural Viability Strategy could be of benefit;

that a nursery would not require rezoning;

that there was no limit to the expansion of the doggie day care; Mr. Rangi advised that the current dog day care facility was not running to capacity.

Mr. Rangi questioned the Vedic Cultural Centre, located on No. 5 Road south of Blundell, parking requirements. The Chair asked to be provided with the appropriate information. Also questioned was the Miao Yih Holy House at 6740 No. 5 Road.

It was moved and seconded

That authorization for Mr. Darshan Rangi to apply to the Land Reserve Commission for non-farm use (community hall) at 6120 No. 5 Road be denied.

Discussion then ensued on the matter that resulted in the following referral motion:

It was moved and seconded

That the application by Mr. Darshan Rangi to apply to the Land Reserve Commission for non-farm use (community hall) at 6120 No. 5 Road be referred to staff for further exploration of possible uses of the westerly .87 acres of the subject property.

Prior to the question being called the Chair requested clarification on the issue of the holding tanks. Mr. Erceg responded that the Holding Tank Bylaw suggested that a holding tank on this property would not be approved as municipal sewers were not planned for this area in the next three, or even five, years.

Councillor Steves asked for clarification of the referral as he did not think non-agricultural uses should be investigated. The Chair advised that there were no limitations to the referral. The question was then called and it was CARRIED with Councillor Steves OPPOSED.

(Report: April 20/01, File No.: AG 00-175102) (REDMS No. 304338, 361589, 267135)

The Manager, Development Applications, Joe Erceg, briefly reviewed the report noting that, although the staff recommendation was to deny the application, several options had been laid out in the report.

The Development Co-ordinator, Holger Burke, then provided additional information, including coloured site plans, on the current and proposed layouts of the site.

Mr. Kabel Atwall and Mr. Paul Dhillon, an executive at the Nanaksar Gurdwara Gusikh Temple, then came forward. Mr. Atwall stated that the proposal had been modified to reflect the potential connection to the sewer line. Mr. Atwall advised that discussions had been held with Urban Systems and that an agreement that sewer would be provided was imminent.

A discussion then ensued which included the following:

the possibility of a no parking covenant being placed on the area in front of the ornamental garden;

the five items listed in the conditional approval. Mr. Atwall said that he would prefer "blueberry production" in item 2 be revised to "farming" and that item 1, in the event that sewer connection was not possible, should not preclude the application coming back to Committee with other alternatives;

the possibility of a portion of the destroyed land being returned to agriculture; and

that one dwelling was allowed by the Land Reserve Commission on the proposed consolidated lot (18791 Westminster Highway). It was suggested that a "no build" covenant be registered on the property. Mr. Atwall and Mr. Dhillon were in agreement with this. It was then determined that in the event the temple sold the consolidated lot the covenant would transfer to the new owner.

It was moved and seconded

That Mr. Kabel Atwall be authorized to apply to the Land Reserve Commission for non-farm use and subdivision at 18691 and 18791 Westminster Highway (Nanaksar Gurdwara Gursikh Temple) subject to the following conditions:

(a)

That the temple only be allowed to expand if and when it is connected to the proposed new Fraser-Richmond sanitary sewer trunk forcemain (i.e. on-site sewage disposal will not be permitted even as an interim measure unless specifically approved by the Planning Committee);

(b)

That the 2.05 ha (5.06 ac.) religious garden and lawns on 18791 Westminster Highway be removed and converted to farming production in order to provide a tangible net benefit to agriculture;

(c)

That all of the staging areas and buildings for the blueberry operation be located on the 0.96 ha (2.35 ac.) gravel area at the front of 18791 Westminster Highway;

(d)

That a permanent fence be erected around the proposed new temple site, so long as it did not impact on the farm operations, and a covenant be registered on 18791 Westminster Highway to prevent it from being used for parking for the temple;

(e)

That sufficient on site parking as determined by the Zoning and Development Bylaw (and a traffic analysis, which would include a draw analysis, at the time of rezoning) be provided on the proposed 3.08 ha (7.6 ac.) site to be used for the expanded temple; and

(f)

That a "no build" covenant be placed on the proposed consolidated lot (18791 Westminster Highway).

Prior to the question being called a discussion took place that included i) the possibility of a portion of the front section being returned to agriculture, ii) the possibility of the existing dwelling being replaced, and iii) the amount of land required to stage the blueberry production. The question was then called and it was CARRIED with Councillor Steves OPPOSED.

(Report: April 30/01, File No.: 4105-00) (REDMS No. 365798 233227, 199937, 226277, 367818, 204433, 233367, 367965, 204251, 233625, 268276)

It was moved and seconded

That:

The City Clerk bring forward amendments to the Development Permit Procedure Bylaw which would incorporate the General Compliance Application process; and

Staff monitor delegation of Development Permit approval in other municipalities and review this issue with Planning Committee in January, 2002.

CARRIED

(Report: April 25/01, File No.: 4040-01) (REDMS No. 345843, 295507)

It was moved and seconded

That the letter dated February 28, 2001, from the GVRD to the Deputy Minister of Employment and Investment, regarding the need for a more thorough review of ports competitiveness, be endorsed; and

That the Mayor write to the Deputy Minister of Employment and Investment and request that the City of Richmond be included in any future discussions on ports competitiveness.

CARRIED

MANAGERS REPORT

The Manager, Policy Planning, Terry Crowe, provided an update on the status of the Agricultural Viability Strategy noting that a report would be made to the Planning Committee by the end of June. Mr. Crowe was hopeful that the recommended formation of a Citizens Agricultural Advisory Committee could be complete by fall 2001. Mr. Crowe advised that the report would contain suggestions for land containing unviable soil, the status of greenhouses and specific terms of reference for the Advisory Committee.

The Manager, Development Applications, Joe Erceg, reported that, with regard to the BC Packer lands, the designs for the Civil Works and Park were complete and that the estimates for improvements had been received

Mr. Erceg also reported on the status of the Aberdeen Centre Mall redevelopment.

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (6:28 p.m.).

CARRIED

Certified a true and correct copy of the Minutes of the meeting of the Planning Committee of the Council of the City of Richmond held on Tuesday, May 8, 2001.

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Councillor Malcolm Brodie

Chair

Deborah MacLennan

Administrative Assistant