To Richmond City Council,
Thank you to Richmond City council for reviewing the No. 5 Road Backlands policy it has been over a year since Council directed staff to review the policy and staff asked the Ling Yen Mountain temple to withdraw the application for the Mega 232,000 sq foot and 14 storey high complex.
l feel that council needs to make their position clear so the people affected on the No. 5 Road corridor do not have to stress for the next 14 months.
Most of the city council campaigned in last November for a transparent local government and on a promise to protect neighbourhoods and green space. Here is your opportunity to demonstrate that you are committed to those goals.
Before the review starts, it would be very helpful for council to send out a press release stating council is committed to upholding the most critical portion of Policy 5037 (No. 5 road backlands policy), which states "The amount of land on each property which may be developed for approved nonfarm uses is limited to the westerly 110m ( 360.892 ft ) for properties fronting onto No. 5 Road."
The review terms of reference have a lot of phrases which are concerning to residents such as, "Review the effectiveness of balancing agricultural viability and institutional development."
The people of Richmond are not as familiar with the processes used in rezoning.
The process is unclear to the general public so they need assurances in the case of the No. 5 Road Backlands policy to avoid the conflict between residents and institutions.
It would be grossly unfair to leave the residents along No. 5 Road hanging for 14 months if council is prepared now to commit to maintaining institutional development along number 5 Road to the first 110 metres.
Carol Day Richmond
