This week at city council, topics such as safety upgrades along River Road, a city response to strata development and city-wide traffic safety measures are on the agenda.
Richmond's city council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Monday, April 23 in council chambers at 6911 No. 3 Rd. The public is welcome to attend or watch an online broadcast of the meeting. Here’s a deeper look at these three agenda items:
Safety upgrades along River Road
Richmond’s “misery mile” – or the stretch of River Road between No. 6 Road and Westminster Highway known for its safety issues – might see some upgrades following a staff report being presented to the council.
Proposed safety measures for the area include:
- Reducing the number and increasing the size of some of the cycling-related signs including relocation of some of the signs
- Installing speed reader boards
- Retrofitting the centreline at appropriate locations
- Installing shoulder-mounted reflective delineators at selected locations
- Increasing roadway maintenance
If all proposed short-term safety measures are approved, they would be scheduled for implementation before this fall.
City response to strata development
Strata redevelopments have been a significant topic of discussion, as Richmond’s first strata corporation “wind up” was recently approved by the Supreme Court of B.C. Staff continue to receive inquiries related to the wind-up of other strata sites.
As a result, city staff say “time is of the essence in addressing this issue” and hope to get a clear policy from council on how to deal with strata development applications.
In July 2016, the previous provincial government approved a bill that allowed stratas to “wind up” and cancel a strata plan when 80 per cent or more of the owners agreed to it. Prior to this, 100 per cent agreement from owners or a court order was required. This new bill means that up to 20 per cent of residents could be forced to sell their unit and move, even if they didn’t want to.
Staff cannot refuse the submission of a development application. Therefore, they are recommending that part of the city’s policy on strata developments include that applications would not begin being processed until it’s confirmed that they’ve gathered the following information:
- A court order approving the wind-up
- Written confirmation that at least 80 per cent of owners voted to wind-up the strata, including the total number of owners in support, not in support or absent from the vote.
- Meeting minutes from the general meeting where the resolution to wind-up was approved and a letter describing the reasons for the wind-up
- A certificate of strata corporation stating that the resolution required under the Strata Property Act to cancel a strata plan has been passed
- A building condition assessment or a depreciation report which justifies that the building is past the point of repair where a redevelopment makes more sense than maintenance
- A statement on how the developer has offered assistance to any owner that opposed the sale
Proposed traffic safety measures throughout Richmond
Back in 1997, council endorsed the establishment of the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee (TSAC) in order to create a partnership between city staff, community groups and other agencies that seek to enhance traffic and pedestrian safety in Richmond. Each year, TSAC proposes safety upgrades throughout Richmond.
Now, TSAC is proposing a variety of safety measures be implemented throughout the city in 2018.
These include:
- Traffic calming
- School zone traffic safety, including introducing some new walkways and crosswalks
- Pedestrian and traffic safety campaigns
- Discouraging speeding, perhaps by deploying “speed watch” volunteers in school zones
- Gathering input on special events
