February 25, 2026 - Minutes

Time:

3:30 p.m.

Place:

Remote (Zoom) Meeting

Present:

Wayne Craig, General Manager, Planning and Development, Chair

Milton Chan, Director, Engineering

James Cooper, Director, Building Approvals

MINUTES

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Development Permit Panel held on January 14, 2026 be adopted.

CARRIED

1.

DEVELOPMENT PERMIT 21-928686

(REDMS No. 7614060)

APPLICANT:

Urban Design Group Architects Ltd.

PROPERTY LOCATION:

10980 No. 3 Road

INTENT OF PERMIT:

1.

Permit development of a gas and service station at 10980 No. 3 Road on a site zoned “Gas & Service Stations (CG2)”; and

2.

Vary the provisions of Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500 to reduce the landscaping requirements along a property line abutting a road from 3.0 m to 2.1 m along portions of the south property line.

Applicant’s Comments

Eric Ching, Urban Design Group Architects Ltd., 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 consists of a gas station which includes a three-pump gas bar and canopy above and a commercial building for convenience store use;

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the proposed gas station utilizes current technology that includes environmental and public safety features;

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three visitor parking spaces with electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and two bicycle parking stalls will be provided on the site;

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a garbage and recycling enclosure is located at the northeast corner of the site that will accommodate two four-yard bins;

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accessible pedestrian access is provided from No. 3 Road and Steveston Highway leading to the entrance of the commercial building;

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an existing mature Douglas fir tree on the northeast corner of the site will be retained and protected; 

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two existing Maple trees on the northwest corner of the site have been identified for removal due to poor condition and 10 new trees are proposed to be planted on-site, which are in excess of the City’s required 2:1 tree replacement ratio;

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seven of the replacement trees will be installed on the northeast corner and along the east property line to provide screening to the garbage and recycling enclosure and visitor parking stalls;

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the proposed site layout will be able to accommodate on-site circulation and entry/exit to/from the site of a six-axle transport truck;

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the rooftop mechanical equipment has been designed and screened to comply with the City’s Noise Bylaw;

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the proposed location and choice of dark sky compliant full cut off lighting fixtures would prevent light spillover onto adjacent residential developments; and

§   

the significant amount of glazing on the commercial building allows visual connection to the streets.

Johnny Zhang, Maruyama & Associates, with the aid of the same visual presentation, briefed the Panel on the main landscape features of the project, noting that (i) the proposed landscape design for the project integrates landscaping along the No. 3 Road and Steveston Highway frontages, side yards and open space planting, (ii) the proposed planting strip along the street frontages includes medium-sized deciduous trees and a variety of shrubs and groundcovers, (iii) cedar hedging and coniferous trees are proposed along the north and east property lines to provide a layered landscape buffer between the subject site and adjacent residential developments, (iv) the choice of proposed planting materials for the site’s Steveston Highway frontage are consistent with the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) edge planting guidelines which include native and drought tolerant species, and (v) on-site planting includes 60 percent evergreen and 40 percent deciduous species.

Staff Comments

Joshua Reis, Director, Development, noted that (i)  the proposed use of the subject site for a gas and service station is consistent with the City’s Zoning Bylaw, (ii) the proposed variance with regard to landscaping requirements along a portion of the Steveston Highway frontage is a result of accommodating on-site vehicle maneuvering and required frontage improvements by the City, (iii) automatic irrigation will be provided for the maintenance of all landscaped areas on the site, (iv) cedar hedging is proposed along the north and east property lines in addition to the existing wooden fences that will be retained, (v) Statutory-Right-of-Ways (SRWs) are provided along the No. 3 Road and Steveston Highway frontages to accommodate the frontage improvements, and (vi) a Servicing Agreement will be entered into by the applicant prior to Development Permit issuance which includes, among others, frontage improvements along No. 3 Road and Steveston Highway, upgrading of existing storm sewers and utility connections.

Panel Discussion

In reply to queries from the Panel regarding the garbage and cardboard recycling enclosure at the northeast corner of the proposed commercial building, the applicant noted that (i) the enclosure will be constructed on a concrete slab and comprised of steel frame, wooden slats and a gate but will not be covered, and (ii) the applicant will consult with their acoustic consultant regarding further noise mitigating measures during garbage collection.

In reply to queries from the Panel regarding lighting on the east elevation of the proposed commercial building, the applicant noted that they will investigate opportunities to bring down the height of proposed lighting fixture or provide an alternate lighting fixture to avoid light spillover onto the adjacent townhouse development to the east. 

In reply to queries from the Panel regarding the proposed free-standing signs on the site, the applicant noted that (i) the size of the proposed free-standing sign on the No. 3 Road frontage have been reduced to comply with current City bylaw standards, and (ii) the free-standing signs on the No. 3 Road and Steveston Highway frontages include illuminated price changes and a backlit logo.

In reply to queries from the Panel regarding on-site landscaping, the applicant noted that (i) they could install additional species of shrubs and groundcovers to provide more variety of planting along the Steveston Highway frontage, (ii) proposed planting along the northeast side of the visitor parking stalls includes low groundcovers, evergreen shrubs and cedar hedge adjacent to the wooden fence along the east property line to provide a layered landscape buffer to the adjacent development to the east and screen vehicle headlight glare, and (iii) the proposed seven trees to be planted along the east property line and at the northeast of the subject site are coniferous trees that will provide evergreen buffering all year round.

Correspondence

Law Tak W. and Hung Shui P., 10900 No. 3 Road (Schedule 2)

Benjamin Gobert, 10900 No. 3 Road (Schedule 3)

It was noted that both pieces of correspondence expressed concerns about the proposed development’s environmental and health impacts, traffic impacts, fuel and storage operation concerns.

Gallery Comments

Benjamin Gobert, 10900 No. 3 Road, spoke on behalf of the Garden Manor Strata which represents the residents of the 20-unit townhouse development at 10900 No. 3 Road located immediately adjacent to the north of the proposed development. Mr. Gobert expressed opposition to the proposed development, noting the subject site’s documented environmental history and potential adverse impacts to the neighbourhood including health and environmental hazards to adjacent residential developments and environmental impacts to the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) area across Steveston Highway to the south. In addition, he questioned the zoning of the subject site that allow for gas station use, given its proximity to existing residential developments.

In reply to Mr. Gobert’s comments, the Chair noted that zoning issues are outside the scope of the Panel and environmental matters are under the jurisdiction of the Provincial government. In addition, staff confirmed that the applicant had provided the City with a certificate of compliance from the Province of BC indicating that the subject site has been remediated and the proposed use of the site for gas and service station can proceed.

Ming Hui, 8171 Steveston Highway, a resident of The Maples, a townhouse development located immediately to the east of the subject site, queried about the rationale for the proposed variance to the landscaping requirements along the Steveston Highway frontage. In addition, he expressed concern about the potential impact of the proposed gas station to traffic and safety in the area especially at the intersection of No. 3 Road and Steveston Highway and queried about proposed traffic mitigation and safety measures including preventing vehicles from making left turns from/to the gas station and installing a traffic speed monitoring device along Steveston Highway before the gas station.  

In reply to the comments of Mr. Ming Hui, staff confirmed that (i) the proposed landscaping variance is associated with the width of the landscaping provided along a portion of the Steveston Highway frontage, (ii) the landscaping variance is proposed to  accommodate on-site vehicle maneuvering, required frontage improvements in the SRW area of the site, (iii) the applicant has worked with staff to maximize landscaping areas on all frontages of the subject site, (iv) the proposed development’s traffic impacts have been reviewed and considered by the City’s Transportation Department, (v) the installation of speed detection equipment along Steveston Highway is outside the scope of the Panel, and (vi) the site’s frontage improvements include construction of a new sidewalk, boulevard, and curb along the Steveston Highway and No. 3 Road frontages, removal of the existing driveway letdowns, and limiting to one vehicle access on Steveston Highway and No. 3 Road, both of which are restricted to right-in/right-out only to prevent vehicles from making left turns into the site.

In addition, staff confirmed that (i) the site’s frontage improvements also include installation of small raised curbs at the vehicle entrances to restrict vehicle movement to right-in/right out only, and (ii) on-site signage will be installed to indicate the prohibitions on vehicle turning movements including restrictions on left turns for vehicles exiting the site.

In reply to a query regarding the proposed landscaping along the eastern edge of the site, staff and the applicant noted that (i) the existing wood fence and proposed cedar hedging are both six feet tall, with the cedar hedging anticipated to grow over time, and (ii) the proposed coniferous trees would be four meters in height upon planting and are expected to grow up to 30 to 40 feet.

Panel Discussion

The Panel expressed support for the application, noting the applicant’s proposed measures to respond to some of the adjacencies on the site.

To further respond to some adjacency concerns, the Panel then directed staff to work with the applicant and undertake the following additional measures prior to the application moving forward to Council:

1.

further design development to the garbage enclosure to ensure solid screening to address potential noise;

2.

review of the proposed building mounted lighting especially along the east elevation of the commercial building to ensure no light spillover onto adjacent residential developments; and

3.

detailed review of the proposed landscaping along the Steveston Highway frontage to improve and intensify the amount of landscaping to be provided.

Panel Decision

It was moved and seconded

That a Development Permit be issued which would:

1.

permit development of a gas and service station at 10980 No. 3 Road on a site zoned “Gas & Service Stations (CG2)” and

2.

vary the provisions of Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500 to reduce the landscaping requirements along a property line abutting a road from 3.0 m to 2.1 m along portions of the south property line.

CARRIED

2.

New Business

None.

3.

Date of Next Meeting:   March 11, 2026

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:29 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, February 25, 2026.

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_________________________________

Wayne Craig

Chair

Rustico Agawin
Committee Clerk