Could another chess game between the City of Richmond and the Richmond School District be unfolding as the search for a City Centre school site continues?
The district is currently assessing where it can build a much-needed school in the City Centre area while remaining outside of the “noise shadow” of nearby aircraft.
Collaboration between the school district and the city may be required as a “significant gap” exists in open areas within City Centre, according to a district planning report (with some schools children use city park land for activities just as residents use school fields in a similar fashion).
But before that happens the district wants it clear that much of the green space the city claims as “parks” is, in fact, its own “open space.”
This point is critical, according to Clive Mason, the district’s director of facilities and planning, because the district may have to sell some of its land to fund future schools, and it doesn’t want to be held responsible for upholding the city’s 2022 Open Park Strategy.
Currently, that strategy states school properties are parkland and only account for 22 per cent of total parkland in the city.
Mason argues, however, that district land is not a “park” per se. He also noted the district accounts for about 50 per cent of “prime-value” neighbourhood “open spaces.”
In the report to the Richmond Board of Education, Mason said that without ensuring the city makes those distinctions, local residents may perceive the district to be removing park space from their neighbourhoods.
“Yes, we’re a public entity, but our objective is different. It’s to provide education and community well being. It’s not to provide parks and those kinds of things — other municipal functions that are great for the city, but that are ultimately not our objective. Our field base is primarily for school-related activities,” said Mason.
The district plans to use north of $40 million — from the sale of Steveston secondary — to build a City Centre school.
The district is also assessing other properties to sell, but in order to stand a profit, it must be assured by the city that rezoning can occur. In the case of Steveston secondary, the city is considering* the property but only after the district handed over five acres to the city for an official city park.
Mason said the district would ideally like to avoid the quagmire that was the Steveston secondary sale.
“I don’t know if we ever will avoid another Steveston situation, but it’s about clarity,” said Mason.
*It has not been officially rezoned to date as previously reported.
