The City of Richmond is holding a public information session on new, proposed single-family home zoning regulations Thursday evening at city hall.
The elimination of land-use contracts (click here to download a land-use contract map of Richmond), which are widespread throughout most single-family neighbourhoods in Richmond, would result in fewer mega homes being built.
The city is proposing to terminate the contracts in one year’s time, following the adoption of a new bylaw, which will be presented at a special public hearing later this month.
Doing so would bring all single-family properties under the same zoning regulations. Presently, roughly 4,000 single-family residential properties fall under the provincially designated contracts that do not restrict floor areas of new homes, provide for smaller setbacks and allow taller homes with third-storey balconies.
The contracts have caused several quagmires for city planners and many residents have railed against the types of homes that have been allowed to be built on such properties.
Land-use contracts also affect apartments and commercial properties. All-in-all 5,200 properties are affected by the proposed termination.
As such, the city anticipates that a significant number of people will want to attend the public hearing.
While the bylaw is expected to pass, those wishing to appeal the decision as it relates to their individual property may do so by applying to the Board of Variance.
Upon paying a fee of roughly $600, residents whose properties have land-use contracts can submit their appeal to the board stating reasons of hardship.
There are five members on the board, and they include Dalip Sandhu, Sheldon Nider, Eldon Lau, Abdolhamid Ghanbari and Howard Jampolsky. The terms of the latter three members expire at the end of this year and Richmond city council will soon choose three replacements from a list of past applicants.
If an appeal is approved such a property would not have its land-use contract expire until 2024 (at which point the Province of B.C. terminates it automatically).
This would effectively give the property owner more of an opportunity to develop the property with a new home.
City planners have noted there are benefits to terminating the contracts, such as the ability to build coach houses and secondary suites.
The information session (4-8 p.m.) is a primer for residents to understand the zoning issues prior to a special public hearing on Tuesday, Nov. 24 at 7 p.m. at the Executive Plaza Hotel.
