December 16, 2024 - Minutes

Date:

Monday, December 16, 2024

Place:

Anderson Room
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie, Chair
Councillor Chak Au
Councillor Carol Day (entered the meeting at 4:01 p.m.)
Councillor Laura Gillanders
Councillor Kash Heed
Councillor Andy Hobbs (by teleconference)
Councillor Alexa Loo
Councillor Bill McNulty
Councillor Michael Wolfe

Call to Order:

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

It was moved and seconded

That Councillor Hobbs be permitted to enter the meeting electronically.

CARRIED

MINUTES

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee held on December 2, 2024, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

DELEGATION

1.

Nancy Small, CEO, and Ceri Chong, Director of Destination Development, Tourism Richmond, with the aid of a PowerPoint presentation (copy on file, City Clerk’s Office), provided an update on Fishers Walk, An Interpretive Walking Experience.

Discussion ensued regarding (i) the connection to the City’s Wayfinding Strategy and the community outside of Steveston and (ii) the role of Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site and Gulf of Georgia Cannery in Steveston's history.

LAW AND COMMUNITY SAFETY DIVISION

2.

Business Regulation Bylaw No. 7538, Amendment Bylaw No.10620 – 4151 Hazel bridge Way Unit 1350

(File Ref. No. 12-8060-00) (REDMS No. 7845144)

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled “Business Regulation Bylaw No. 7538, Amendment Bylaw No. 10620 – 4151 Hazelbridge Way Unit 1350” dated November 12, 2024 from the Director, Community Bylaws and Licencing, which amends Schedule A of Bylaw No. 7538 to add the address of 4151 Hazelbridge Way Unit 1350 among the sites that permit an Amusement Centre to operate, be given first, second and third readings.

CARRIED

DEPUTY CAO’S OFFICE

3.

Interim Housing Needs Report 2024

(File Ref. No. 08-4057-05) (REDMS No. 7841389)

Staff provided an overview of the report, highlighting that the Bill 44 Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act now requires municipalities to complete and publish an Interim Housing Needs Report (IHNR) that would acknowledge the 5 and 20-year housing needs required to address housing demand. The Province introduced a series of calculations to be used in forecasting local housing needs. These calculations, carried out through what is referred to as the "HNR Method", estimate the housing supply that is presumably needed to meet growth-driven demand in addition to housing supply that targets latent demand. The Province's new HNR Method includes housing supply required to address low levels of rental vacancy, suppressed household formation, housing for persons experiencing homelessness, rental vacancy, and a demand buffer.

In response to queries from Committee, staff advised that (i) staff believe the HNR Method overestimates the housing needs tied to several of the components of need listed, (ii) the number of one and two person households has grown, resulting in a growing demand for studio and 1-bedroom units, along with a continuing need to provide 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom units,   (iii) zoning and the Official Community Plan (OCP) have to enable the overall supply of housing as identified in the HNR, (iv) the HNR will feed into the OCP review and the City’s role is to enable the supply of housing through pre-zoning, (v) the delivery of housing for very-low income households and housing with supports for some of the most vulnerable members of the community requires the involvement of senior levels of government, (vi) the 1,980 housing units in Figure 1 reflect the housing unit completions annually over the past decade, (vii) when someone applies to the BC Subsidized Housing Registry, they are offered housing based on need rather than solely based on the amount of time since registering and a number of considerations can affect the amount of time an applicant is on the Registry, and staff will provide more information on the reassessment of applicants, and (viii) the number of units needed for persons experiencing homelessness pertains to new units.

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That the Interim Housing Needs Report provided as Attachment 3 to the staff report titled “Interim Housing Needs Report 2024” dated December 3, 2024 from the Director, Housing Office be received for information and published on the City of Richmond’s website, as required by the British Columbia Local Government Act; and

(2)

That a letter be sent to the Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs from the Mayor identifying issues in the Province’s standardized Housing Needs Report Method (HNR Method), as outlined in Attachment 1, and the potential implications of an overestimate of housing need as it relates to planning for community amenities and growth-related infrastructure.

CARRIED

4.

Establishing a Housing Authority - Referral Response

(File Ref. No. 08-4057-05) (REDMS No. 7876551)

Staff provided a brief overview of the functions of the Housing Office, highlighting that (i) in Q2 2024 the City’s Housing Office was established as a new in-house department to lead initiatives to deliver more housing,         (ii) with the receipt of external funding through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Housing Accelerator Fund, the City is advancing work to expand the scope and delivery of affordable housing across the community, (iii) the City’s Housing Office is comprised of eight staff, with two additional Temporary Full-Time positions supported in the 2025 Operating Budget,    (iv) the current main areas of focus of the Housing Office include working with developers on the approval of Low-End Market Rental (LEMR) units, working with the Development Applications department to review rental-only housing  development applications, and supporting the delivery of the actual built projects in partnership with BC Housing and other non-profit organizations, and (v) the Housing Office in tandem with other departments continues to provide a strong focus on housing needs in the community and a housing authority remains an important tool that the City may pursue to achieve its objectives.

In response to a query from Committee, staff advised that the City has been an active leader in supporting the direct delivery of housing across the full housing continuum and the incorporation of a new entity may be beneficial as the City moves ahead and looks to expand its role.

Discussion ensued regarding (i) the suitability of a housing authority and when it might be utilized, (ii) the success of a housing authority when a concrete deliverable is defined, (iii) an outstanding referral regarding the management of the LEMR program, (iv) the comparison between an in-house department and a housing authority in regards to access to grants,                 (v) the potential operating model and functions of a housing authority, including establishing a society versus a corporation, (vi) the degree of control of Council being dependent on objectives, risks associated with financial assistance provided by the City and/or the need to involve community interests, (vii) the typical roles of a municipal housing authority, (viii) funds available in the Affordable Housing Reserve, (ix) further analysis of the Burnaby Housing Authority, and (x) funding through the Housing Accelerator Fund to build the capacity of non-profit organizations and cooperative housing buildings to deliver more affordable housing for low and moderate-income households.

In response to a further query from Committee, staff advised that the OCP Market Rental Housing Policy, that requires developers to provide market rental housing or cash-in-lieu of built contribution, remains unchanged and still applies.

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That the staff report titled ‘Establishing a Housing Authority – Referral Response’ from the Director, Housing Office, be received for information; and

(2)

That staff be directed to take the next steps in establishing a Housing Authority, including analysis of:

(a)

Structure options;

(b)

Financing model;

(c)

Terms of Reference;

(d)

When to utilize the Housing Authority;

(e)

Results of stakeholder consultation;

(f)

The implications to the development community; and

report back in three months.

The question on the motion was not called as discussed ensued regarding     (i) further analysis of a housing authority, including next steps in establishing a housing authority and (ii) the level of involvement of a housing authority to be outlined in the terms of reference.

The question on the motion was then called and it was CARRIED.

5.

Major Projects Oversight - Referral Response

(File Ref. No. 10-6000-01) (REDMS No. 7845033)

Staff provided a brief overview of the report, highlighting (i) two active City infrastructure projects over $50 million are the Steveston Community Centre and Library Replacement and the Works Yard Replacement Project,            (ii) an outline of some of the oversight and quality assurance practices the City has in place for major infrastructure projects, (iii) various approaches to project oversight committees, and (iv) the delivery of over $500 million in projects since 2014 that have been completed on or under budget.

Discussion ensued regarding (i) accountability within projects in excess of $50 million, (ii) the formation of an oversight committee and developing terms of reference unique to each project, (iii) the typical composition of project oversight committees, and (iv) the financial impact as determined by the recommended billable hourly rates for senior-level professional services as outlined in the professional fee guides for Architectural Institute of British Columbia and Association of Consulting Engineering Companies British Columbia.

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That the report titled, “Major Projects Oversight – Referral Response”, dated November 15, 2024, from the Director, Facilities and Project Development, be received for information;

(2)

That staff be directed to develop Terms of Reference for an Oversight Committee for the Works Yard Replacement Project; and

(3)

That staff be directed to develop a policy that an Oversight Committee be considered at the outset of each project for projects with a Capital cost exceeding $50 million dollars.

The question on the motion was not called as discussed ensued regarding     (i) the difference between a standing committee versus a project-based committee, (ii) the multiple layers of accountability and transparency built into the City's capital management and delivery process that are essential to creating successful outcomes, and (iii) the consideration of committee term limits when developing terms of reference.

The question on the motion was then called and it was CARRIED.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (5:40 p.m.).

CARRIED

Certified a true and correct copy of the Minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee of the Council of the City of Richmond held on Monday, December 16, 2024.

_________________________________

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Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie
Chair

Shannon Unrau
Legislative Services Associate