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Council this week: Rental housing, Moray Bridge area improvement, low-income senior rent

City council meetings take place on Mondays at 7 p.m.
Richmond city hall
Richmond City Hall.

More rental housing mixed in with market condos could be planned in the Spires Road area of Richmond.

And it will be on the agenda for Monday’s city council meeting, which takes place at 7 p.m.

City staff are recommending Richmond city council to approve bylaw changes to increase density in the area in exchange for developers creating rental units.

According to a report, if zoning changes are approved, it would be 40 to 70 per cent of units built in the Spires Road area would be rentals, half affordable rentals and half market rentals.

If approved by city council, the Spires Road area, when completed, could have 1,000 more people living in the area than currently proposed.

Meanwhile, council will decide whether Richmond will participate in a study to improve road access in the Moray Bridge Area, between Sea Island Way and Highway 99.

The study will be conducted by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and will use the necessary replacement of the ageing Moray Channel Bridge for the study.

City staff is recommending council to also provide a letter of support for the ministry to consider cost-share funding for the study.

City council will also vote on whether to support a Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) resolution for increasing the maximum rent ceiling and monthly payment amounts under the BC Housing’s SAFER program.

Increasing the maximum rent ceiling and monthly payments will help close the gap for low-income seniors receiving rental assistance and the cost of rental housing, reads the city staff report.