Richmond's planning committee is not ready to drop anchor on a developer’s bid to re-zone it’s vacant commercial holdings along the Steveston waterfront.
On Tuesday afternoon, councillors voted to have city staff look more closely at what types of businesses can hang out their shingle at Onni’s Imperial Landing development.
Currently, the site is zoned Maritime Mixed Use, meaning part of the 65,000-square-feet of retail be dedicated to those operations supporting the maritime industry.
Onni has tried on other occasions to loosen the conditions with other re-zoning requests, hoping to bring in some non-maritime-focused tenants. Currently, they have interest from businesses including TD Bank and Nesters Market. But several councillors balked at okaying the request.
One the most vociferous in opposition was Coun. Harold Steves who called the re-zoning bid the worst in Richmond’s history — a close second, he said, was council’s decision Monday night that gave the nod to Smartcentres’ development. “As far as I’m concerned, no damn way,” Steves told a group representing Onni at the meeting.
Steves then went on to say, “If you want to buy me, don’t do it for $1.5 million,” referring to the amount Onni is willing to provide to the city’s Leisure Fund if the zoning change was granted.
Other councillors were concerned about how a shift away from the maritime mixed use designation would increase traffic and parking needs in the area, especially if Onni makes good on its talks with potential tenants like Nesters Market, a niche grocery chain that could cover just under a third (20,000-square-feet) of the total retail area.
Beau Jarivs, Onni’s vice-president of development, told the committee a traffic study it commissioned showed the existing parking and loading facilities, plus proposed improvements would be able to accommodate new commercial uses.
Jarvis added there have also been inquiries from businesses that fit into the mixed maritime zoning, such as a kayak rental firm.
“We’d be more than happy to fill all of the retail with maritime mixed use tenants. It’s important you understand that,” he told the committee.
But as it currently stands, Jarvis said there is a hesitancy for maritime-focused enterprises to make a commitment when there is limited boating activity in the area.
Coun. Chak Au said adhering to the maritime mixed use designation is just window dressing, while Coun. Evelina Halsey-Brandt categorized the decision made by a previous council as one of silliest she’d ever come across.
“It hasn’t worked for the developer or the city,” she said, adding she wanted to refer the re-zoning request back to staff in part to allow more time to consider the city’s plan to possibly establish a marina at the site.
Speaking in favour of keeping the current zoning intact was Iqbal Ladha, longtime owner of Steveston Marine & Hardware. Ladha told the committee he was against any changes that would undermine the viability of current businesses in the village core.
“Steveston will become a vacuum,” he said, adding that only recently the community’s businesses are starting to “make a go of it.”
“Now, Onni is trying to change the game.”
Also speaking against the re-zoning request was Steveston resident Ralph Turner who said he’d like to see the $1.5 million offer from Onni retained for use in Steveston, and lamented the developer had not included any green space as part of the deal.
Jim van der Tas, president of the Steveston Merchants Association said some of his members have a distinct distrust of Onni’s intentions when it comes to re-zoning, but added the community has to stop being one that says “no” to all development ideas.
“Is there a compromise out there? Is it a matter of splitting up the 65,000-square-feet of space?” Van der Tas said, adding it is not beneficial to have Onni’s completed commercial space remain empty.
Coun. Au then floated the idea that one of the compromises could involve having the city lease a portion of the retail area to establish a maritime museum rather than allowing a zoning change he likened to “rescuing” the developer.
Planning committee chair Bill McNulty said the referral back to city staff could take several months to complete but was necessary given the need to get the zoning right.
