A plan to rebuild Steveston Community Centre was officially launched by council on Monday with a further suggestion to build a transit hub and affordable housing across the street on Moncton. But the idea to build housing in the park was rejected by the majority on council.
Council pushed ahead with approving the rebuild, but there were still questions around its estimated cost – between $92 and $110 million - and where it will eventually be located.
Steveston residents, many representing the Steveston Community Society, spoke largely for the project at Monday’s council meeting.
Some argued against building seniors housing above the community centre, which was the topic of discussion at last week’s committee meeting. City staff is not recommending using the “airspace,” adding extra floors on top of a new centre, for housing, saying it could result in loss of greenspace, increased traffic in the park and could cause conflict between residents and park users.
The Steveston Community Association has been talking with the city and library staff on planning the new centre for several years, Brenda Yttri, president of the association, told Richmond council on Monday.
They had heard rumours about housing being added to the centre, and when they asked staff, they were told that wasn’t part of the plan.
She pointed out the Official Community Plan identifies the park as “greenspace” but there is nothing about housing in the park.
“That is what we feel, the building committee and the board, that the park is a park,” Yttri told council. She added if there is a need to increase density in Steveston and bring in other housing, there would be need to be a plan for the area.
John Roston, who ran for council last fall, spoke to council about the proposed price tag for the new community centre. He cited a report from Altus Group, a Canadian guide on the cost of building various public and private buildings, saying a 60,000-square-foot building should cost, at the high end, about $30 million.
He said the estimated cost of the new community centre seems “astronomical” for the average person.
When questioned on the estimated cost between $92 and $110 million, Jim Young, acting facilities director with the city, explained cost escalation on city projects has been going up annually from between seven and 18 per cent over the past few years. The city is increasingly calling for bids but just receiving a couple or sometimes just one.
Furthermore, the Altus report only covers construction costs and Young cited several other factors the city has to take into account when estimating the cost of rebuilding the Steveston Community Centre: design, project management, insurance, post-occupancy repairs, permits, LEED certification, public art, contingency fund, demolition and preload.
A suggestion to build the community centre where the current lacrosse box is situated was opposed by Coun. Linda McPhail, who pointed out there are several mature trees and natural areas in that part of the park. She was also concerned about access from No. 1 Road if the centre were built there.
In the end, council voted to move forward with the project, which will allow staff to begin design work and bring back more detailed cost estimates.
They also passed a motion asking staff to look at lowering the project costs, looking at various sites within the park and to look at the transition plan.
Council didn’t, however, support using the airspace above a new community centre for housing, or a suggestion by Coun. Carol Day to use it for non-profit space.
Couns. Harold Steves and Michael Wolfe voted against moving forward with the project. Steves has opposed the rebuild without an affordable seniors housing component.
Couns. Steves, Wolfe, Day and Kelly Greene voted against the staff recommendation to not use the airspace above for housing.
