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Day praises new childcare facility

New facility was built with developer dollars at Steveston High site
Steveston childcare
A rendering shows the new childcare facility on the former site of Steveston secondary school that will also have a 133-unit townhouse development. Photo by City of Richmond report

Long a critic of the development process in Richmond, Coun. Carol Day sung high praises for the city’s agreement with developer Polygon to build a $3.3 million childcare facility at the old Steveston High site, now a 133-unit townhouse complex called Kingsley Estates.

“I commend Polygon,” said Day Monday evening at a council meeting that witnessed the approval of the facility’s design.

The facility, paid in full by Polygon, will be able to host 37 children and should open in time for the 2017 school year, according to a city report.

The 5,500-square-foot building is one storey and is situated at the north end of the townhouse complex on No. 2 Road. It will feature outdoor play areas and is said to take advantage of sunlight in the winter months. It will cost the city $35,000 to run annually and the city is looking for an operator.

The city will soon choose a name for the facility, which was a community amenity contribution, payable by Polygon in exchange for rezoning the property when the company bought the site for about $41 million.

The city was able to maintain some of the land in the back of the property as green space and will be redeveloping Steveston-London Park. The city also maintained two walking paths on either end of the site so pedestrians can access the park from No. 2 Road. A public plaza will feature the public art piece Spirit of Steveston, a metal fishing boat sculpture raised high above the air. A new bus stop and shelter will be installed and the Wallace Road intersection will be upgraded.