July 5, 2016 - Minutes

Date:

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Place:

Anderson Room
Richmond City Hall

Present

Councillor Linda McPhail, Chair
Councillor Bill McNulty
Councillor Chak Au
Councillor Harold Steves

Absent:

Councillor Carol Day

Call to Order:

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

MINUTES

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Planning Committee held on June 21, 2016, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING DATE

July 19, 2016, (tentative date) at 4:00 p.m. in the Anderson Room

AGENDA ADDITION

It was moved and seconded

That Update: Referral on Illegal Units/Airbnb be added to the agenda as Item No. 5A.

CARRIED

COMMUNITY SERVICES DIVISION

1.

Housing Agreement Bylaw No. 9544 to Permit the City of Richmond to Secure Affordable Housing Units located at 9251 & 9291 Alexandra Road (Jingon Development Group)
(File Ref. No. 08-4057-01) (REDMS No. 5042629 v. 2)

It was moved and seconded

That Housing Agreement (9251 & 9291 Alexandra Road) Bylaw No. 9544 be introduced and given first, second and third readings to permit the City to enter into a Housing Agreement substantially in the form attached hereto, in accordance with the requirements of section 483 of the Local Government Act, to secure the Affordable Housing Units required by the Development Permit Application DP 12-613923.

CARRIED

2.

Housing Agreement Bylaw No. 9552 to Permit the City of Richmond to Secure Affordable Housing Units located at 23241, 23281 and part of 23301 Gilley Road, and part of 23060 and 23000 Westminster Highway (Oris Developments (Hamilton) Corp.)
(File Ref. No. 08-4057-01) (REDMS No. 5042367 v. 6)

It was moved and seconded

That Housing Agreement (23241, 23281 and part of 23301 Gilley Road, and part of 23060 and 23000 Westminster Highway) Bylaw No. 9552 be introduced and given first, second and third readings to permit the City to enter into a Housing Agreement substantially in the form attached hereto, in accordance with the requirements of section 483 of the Local Government Act, to secure the Affordable Housing Units required by the Rezoning Application RZ 14-660663.

CARRIED

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DIVISION

3.

Application by 0870068 BC Ltd. for Rezoning at 9351 No. 1 Road from Single Detached (RS1/E) to Compact Single Detached (RC2)
(File Ref. No. 12-8060-20-009577; RZ 15-710083) (REDMS No. 5030280)

It was moved and seconded

That Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500, Amendment Bylaw 9577, for the rezoning of 9351 No. 1 Road from “Single Detached (RS1/E)” to “Compact Single Detached (RC2)”, be introduced and given first reading.

CARRIED

4.

Application by Sansaar Investments Ltd. for Rezoning at 9460 Williams Road from Single Detached (RS1/E) to Compact Single Detached (RC2)
(File Ref. No. 12-8060-20-009582; RZ 15-701879) (REDMS No. 4994726)

Wayne Craig, Director, Development, reviewed the application, noting that the surrounding neighbourhood generally supports the proposed development and that the lot’s dimensions are insufficient for townhouse development.

Discussion ensued with regard to ensuring occupancy of proposed secondary suites at completion of the proposed development.

In reply to queries from Committee, Joe Erceg, General Manager, Planning and Development, noted that developments with secondary suites are not subject to housing agreements. He added that staff review of the Affordable Housing Strategy is underway and that options to include housing agreements for developments with secondary suites can be examined.

It was moved and seconded

That Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500, Amendment Bylaw 9582, for the rezoning of 9460 Williams Road from “Single Detached (RS1/E)” to “Compact Single Detached (RC2)”, be introduced and given first reading.

CARRIED

5.

Application by Haydenco Holdings Ltd. for Rezoning at 12040 No. 5 Road from Agricultural (AG1) to Light Industrial (IL)
(File Ref. No. 12-8060-20-009584; RZ 14-672762) (REDMS No. 5037684)

Mr. Craig reviewed the application, noting that the site is currently zoned agricultural but is excluded in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR).

Discussion ensued with regard to the historical agricultural zoning in the area and other areas in the city where sites are zoned for agricultural but are excluded from the ALR.

It was moved and seconded

That Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500, Amendment Bylaw 9584, for the rezoning of 12040 No. 5 Road from “Agricultural (AG1)” to “Light Industrial (IL)”, be introduced and given first reading.

CARRIED

5A.

Update: Referral on Illegal Units/Airbnb
(File Ref. No.)

Ben Dias, Manager, Community Bylaws and Roads and Construction, briefed Committee on a large home that was reported to offer unlicensed short-term hotel-type lodging, noting that staff have inspected the home for unauthorized modifications and sent a letter to the owner to remove advertising promoting the home for hotel-type lodging. He added that the property is being rented by a single individual.

Doug Long, City Solicitor, commented on the current regulations on short-term property rentals and the role of strata corporations to address issues related to short-term property rentals, noting that the Province is reviewing current regulations and that staff will provide a report on the matter.

In reply to queries from Committee, Mr. Dias advised that the enforcement process is based on complaints and that approximately 18 complaints have been received in the first two quarters of 2016.

Discussion ensued with respect to policies for short-term property rentals in agricultural areas and the supply of rental housing in the city.

6.

MANAGER’S REPORT

(i)

Blueberry Winery

Mr. Craig briefed Committee on a building permit application for a blueberry winery on No. 6 Road, noting that the proposed facility is approximately 6,000 square feet in size and complies with the zoning bylaw and the Agricultural Land Commission’s (ALC) winery regulations. He added that the site is approximately 10 acres in size and approximately 8 acres will be utilized for blueberry production.

(ii)

Tree Protection Bylaw

Mr. Erceg spoke on the City’s Tree Protection Bylaw, noting that (i) approximately 700 trees have had permits for removal denied, (ii) approximately 30 percent more trees are planted to replace trees that have been removed, (iii) staff have responded to complaints to ensure trees remain on-site, (iv) a cash contribution is provided by developers in lieu of the trees that cannot be retained and those funds are used by the City for tree planting with almost 1000 trees planted in 2015, and (v) the City will host open houses to provide information on the City’s tree protection regulations.

In reply to queries from Committee, Gordon Jaggs, Tree Preservation Coordinator, advised that a list of native tree species for replanting is available on the City’s website. Mr. Erceg added that the species and size of the replacement tree is dependent on its suitability for the site.

Discussion ensued with regard to public awareness of the City’s tree protection regulations and the number of trees that have been protected.

In reply to queries from Committee, Mr. Erceg advised that tree removal permits are generally not issued for healthy trees.

(iii)

Application for a Large House in the Agricultural Land Reserve

Mr. Erceg updated Committee on an application for a large house within the ALR, noting that the application for a 41,000 square foot house has been cancelled by the Building Department since it does not conform with zoning regulations. He added that there is a trend for larger homes on agricultural property and that the size of an average single-family home on agricultural property has grown from approximately 7,000 square feet to 12,000 square feet.

Discussion ensued with regard to introducing guidelines or regulations on house size on agricultural property and other areas in the Lower Mainland where there is a trend of building large homes in agricultural areas. It was noted that Provincial guidelines in this regard have been ineffective at that a regulatory approach is required.

As a result of the discussion, the following motion was introduced:

It was moved and seconded

That a letter be sent to the Agricultural Land Commission and the Ministry of Agriculture requesting that they introduce Provincial regulations to control the maximum house size and house location on properties within the ALR.

CARRIED

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:33 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, July 5, 2016.

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Councillor Linda McPhail
Chair

Evangel Biason
Legislative Services Coordinator