January 14, 2026 - Minutes

Time:

3:30 p.m.

Place:

Remote (Zoom) Meeting

Present:

Wayne Craig, General Manager, Planning and Development, Chair

Roeland Zwaag, General Manager, Engineering and Public Works

Marie Fenwick, Director, Arts, Culture and Heritage

MINUTES

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Development Permit Panel held on December 10, 2025 be adopted.

CARRIED

1.

DEVELOPMENT PERMIT 24-045175

(REDMS No. 8013299)

APPLICANT:

DF Architecture Inc.

PROPERTY LOCATION:

9951, 9991 Blundell Road and 7951 No. 4 Road

INTENT OF PERMIT:

1.

Permit the construction of 14 townhouse units at 9951, 9991 Blundell Road and

7951 No. 4 Road on a site zoned “Medium Density Townhouses (RTM2)”; and

2.

Vary the provisions of Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500 to:

(a)

reduce the front yard and exterior side yard setbacks for Building 3 from 6.0 m to 4.8 m and 5.1 m, respectively; and

(b)

increase the ratio of residential parking spaces in tandem arrangement from 50 per cent to 58 per cent.

Applicant’s Comments

Abhishek Sinha, DF Architecture, Inc., with the aid of a visual presentation (attached to and forming part of these minutes as Schedule 1), provided background information on the proposed development, highlighting the following:

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the proposed development can be accessed through the existing driveways off Keefer Avenue of adjacent townhouse developments to the north and west of the subject site through a shared access agreement;

§   

the proposed development consists of 14 townhouse units distributed in three buildings;

§   

pedestrian access to the subject site is proposed from No. 4 Road to the east and Blundell Road to the south;

§   

two convertible units are provided for the proposed development;

§   

the height of the two buildings fronting the street steps down from three-storeys to two-storeys at the edges adjacent to existing developments to provide an appropriate interface; and

§   

the proposed architecture of the townhouse buildings is a mix of modern and older styles.

Yiwen Ruan, PMG Landscape Architect, with the aid of the same visual presentation, briefed the Panel on the main landscape features of the project, noting that (i) the  common outdoor amenity space is centrally located and designed for multi-functional use, (ii) the children’s play area is designed for younger age groups and features play equipment that encourage social interaction, imaginative play and balance, (iii) layered planting and a 42-inch high aluminum fence with gates are proposed along the road frontages, (iv) an Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) buffer consisting of multi-layered planting is proposed along the No. 4 Road frontage, (v)  a 1.8-metre high wood fence as well as trees and layers of shrubs are proposed along shared property lines, (vi) lighting will be installed around the common outdoor amenity area and at unit entrances, (vii) permeable pavers are proposed at visitor parking stalls and designated walkways on the site, (viii) decorative paving is proposed at the subject site’s driveway entrance and intersection to enhance wayfinding and provide visual interest, (ix) 26 replacement trees as well as drought tolerant plants are proposed to be planted on-site, and (x) on-site irrigation will be provided to ensure the long-term maintenance of planted areas on the site.

Staff Comments

Joshua Reis, Director, Development, noted that (i) the proposed development includes two convertible units which have been designed to be easily renovated to accommodate a future resident in a wheelchair, (ii) all 14 townhouse units include aging-in-place features, (iii) proposed vehicle access to the subject site includes access through the existing adjacent townhouses to the north and west, (iv) the proposed internal drive aisle on the subject site ultimately completes the horseshoe drive aisle pattern established in the area, (v) the applicant has advised that an agreement has been reached by the owner of the subject property and the stratas of the two adjacent townhouse developments regarding cost-sharing, maintenance and shared use of drive aisles throughout the three developments, (vi) the project has been designed to achieve BC Energy Step Code Level 3 with maximum Emission Level 4, and (vii) there is a Servicing Agreement required as a condition of the associated rezoning that includes, among others,  frontage beautification along the Blundell Road and No. 4 Road frontages, removal of an existing sanitary sewer along the Blundell Road frontage, and new service connections.

Panel Discussion

In reply to queries from the Panel regarding the proposed Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) buffer along the subject site’s No. 4 Road frontage, the applicant noted that the proposed planting for the ALR buffer is consistent with the City’s guidelines and includes a mix of coniferous and deciduous trees and various shrubs including native species.

In reply to further queries from the Panel regarding the proposed ALR buffer, staff noted that (i) the proposed ALR buffer generally follows the Ministry of Agriculture guidelines with regard to the appropriate interface with agricultural uses and takes into account the intervening road (i.e., No. 4 Road) between the subject site and properties designated as ALR, (ii) maintenance of the proposed ALR buffer would be the responsibility of the  future strata of the proposed development, (iii) all landscaped areas in the subject property including the ALR buffer are proposed to be irrigated, (iv) the registration of a legal agreement on Title for the ALR buffer was a rezoning condition to ensure, among others, that future owners of townhouse units in the proposed development are aware that the subject property is located adjacent to the ALR, and (v) once registered on Title, there is no requirement for further notice or disclosure to the City or other bodies regarding the installation of an ALR buffer.

In reply to further queries from the Panel, the applicant noted that (i) proposed lighting for the subject site includes, among others, bollard lights around the common outdoor amenity area and other key areas and building-mounted lights to avoid light pollution, (ii) individual HVAC units will be installed in appropriate locations outside of the patios and will be screened, and (iii) wayfinding signage for the proposed development will be installed to indicate access from the two driveways along Keefer Avenue through adjacent townhouse developments. In addition, staff confirmed that provisions for signage located on the frontages of adjacent properties providing direction to the subject site have been included in appropriate SRWs and maintenance agreements.

Correspondence

None.

Gallery Comments

None.

Panel Discussion

The Panel expressed support for the project, noting (i) the applicant’s efforts to work with the stratas of adjacent townhouse developments regarding shared access to the drive aisles of the three properties, and (ii) the provision of Basic Universal Housing (BUH) features to the townhouse units of the proposed development.

Panel Decision

It was moved and seconded

That a Development Permit (DP) be issued which would:

1.

permit the construction of 14 townhouse units at 9951, 9991 Blundell Road and

7951 No. 4 Road on a site zoned “Medium Density Townhouses (RTM2)”; and

2.

vary the provisions of Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500 to:

(a)

reduce the front yard and exterior side yard setbacks for Building 3 from 6.0 m to 4.8 m and 5.1 m, respectively; and

(b)

increase the ratio of residential parking spaces in tandem arrangement from 50 per cent to 58 per cent.

CARRIED

2.

New Business

It was moved and seconded

That the Development Permit Panel meeting tentatively scheduled on Wednesday, January 28, 2026 be cancelled.

CARRIED

3.

Date of Next Meeting:   February 11, 2026

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (3:54 p.m.).

CARRIED

Certified a true and correct copy of the Minutes of the meeting of the Development Permit Panel of the Council of the City of Richmond held on Wednesday, January 14, 2026.

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_________________________________

Wayne Craig

Chair

Rustico Agawin
Committee Clerk