A proposal to build a non-religious private school on Richmond’s “Highway to Heaven” – located in the Agricultural Land Reserve – was rejected by council on Monday evening.
Pythagoras Academy, currently on Odlin Crescent in north Richmond, was proposing to develop the former Mylora Golf Course with a 10-acre campus for the school, leaving the back part of the property, 20 acres, for organic farming.
Coun. Harold Steves argued the No. 5 Road strip, designated in the Official Community Plan as agricultural/institutional, is earmarked only for religious institutions, not other institutional uses. He cited a case from 1985 when the Agricultural Land Commission rejected an application to build a Sikh centre focused on social and culture activities.
“This isn’t (a religious institution), so it doesn’t qualify,” Steves said.
Coun. Linda McPhail, who is chair of the planning committee, however, said the application is consistent with the OCP and there are other private schools on No. 5 Road. In addition, the applicant would have had to do $1 million in improvements to the farm portion of the property.
Earlier at the council meeting, several speakers including the principal and a parent, spoke about the school’s culture of caring and the fear of having to split up siblings if a larger school isn’t built.
Michael Bouchard, principal of Pythagoras Academy, said 900 students leave Richmond to attend private schools in other municipalities, causing congestion and pollution.
The plans for the Pythagoras Academy included a 400-seat theatre, a commercial kitchen, an artificial turf as well as other sports fields – city staff noted the school was willing to build a grass field instead of an artificial turf.
The cost of building the school was estimated at $106 million.
The property at 9500 No. 5 Rd. was sold for $22.5 million in February 2018. It is currently owned by Komodo Holdings Inc.
Pythagoras Academy charges tuition fees between $17,700 and $28,000.
Couns. Steves, Carol Day, Bill McNulty, Chak Au, Kelly Greene and Michael Wolfe voted against the proposal.
