Discontentment with a 330-unit rental building in the Azure Road area continues to fester after a heated public hearing last week.
The Richmond News previously reported that the project was approved by Richmond city council after more than a dozen residents spoke against it.
The approval came with a promise to consult further issues raised at the meeting. Demands from residents to reduce density, move the entrance from Azure Boulevard to Westminster Highway and to impose parking restrictions were rejected.
“Personally, it felt like the city council was being overbearing. You can even say they ignored public opinion,” said Sam Wang, one of the residents who spoke at the hearing. He felt council was going to approve the project regardless of what residents had to say.
“The whole hearing was just a simple formality. It didn’t feel good.”
Fellow resident Paul Woo added he was disappointed in the elected officials and councillors who seemed to be “following their guts” rather than logic. He described the hearing as “undemocratic.”
Residents have been vocal against the project from the beginning and quickly mobilized on social media to form a group with more than 100 members. Prior to attending the public hearing, letters were also sent to the city.
Lack of transparency one of the key concerns
Insufficient parking, existing traffic gridlock on Azure Boulevard, overpopulation at Brighouse elementary, safety due to increased population and traffic, trees being chopped down and a change in the skyline are all concerns raised by residents in the area.
Opposing residents emphasized that they’re not against affordable housing, but the project would increase the population in the area six-fold, which was “unprecedented in the area.” Residents also questioned the lack of transparency in consultations for issues such as traffic and school enrolment.
“The study was not provided to us, and we don’t know when it was conducted. If it were conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, the circumstances would be different from how they are now,” said Eric Zheng, another resident in the area.
Zheng also wished reasons could have been provided for the school district’s lack of opposition.
David Sadler, SD38 spokesperson, said the city had liaised with the district’s planning department regarding the project. To address the enrollment growth, the school district is prioritizing a six-classroom addition to Brighouse Elementary in the 2023/24 five-year capital plan. Plans are also in place for school expansions with two new elementary schools.
Rather than moving straight ahead with the project, residents wanted council to adjourn the approval process and take more time to address the concerns raised with more transparency to the public.
Now, residents are at a loss as to how they can be heard.
“What can we do to make the city reconsider this project?” asked Wang, who worries the residents’ only recourse is to vent their frustrations to the local newspaper as the project proceeds.
Affordable housing was one of the top issues during this year’s civic election. Evan Dunfee, who ran unsuccessfully in the election, was the only person who spoke in support of the project at the public hearing.
Dunfee told council the city is “not working for young families” and the project would attract “desperately needed young families to Richmond” with more than 50 per cent of the units having two bedrooms or more.
Coun. Andy Hobbs, who voted against referring the project back for further traffic consultation, acknowledged that parking and traffic in the area is a “legitimate issue.” However, he said, such issues “pre-exist” before the 330-unit project was proposed.
“(Traffic and parking issues) do have to be addressed, but they can be addressed at the same time as this project is considered,” he said.
Coun. Harold Steves advocated for the project and said delaying it would result in another argument against it next month. If it isn’t approved, he added, the same arguments will come up for projects all over Richmond.
- With files from Maria Rantanen
