Dear mayor and councillors,
As a business-oriented citizen and long-time former director of the Richmond Chamber of Commerce, I’m very concerned about the ongoing changing of zoning from industrial/commercial to higher density residential in Richmond.
This is alarming, as I see this as a severe loss to our business community of small and medium size businesses, who statistically are the employers of about 80 per cent of B.C.s workforce.
The loss of 40 acres of industrial land in Steveston (The BC Packers Land) was just the beginning. The loss continued around the Olympic Oval, at the north end of No. 4 Road on Hollybridge and Alderbridge Way, Capstan Way, along the No. 3 Road corridor, with Lansdowne Shopping Centre and the industrial land south of Westminster Hwy and No. 2 Road next. Most was converted to apartments and highrises at a higher density.
Lost to us, the residents, are the shops we frequented: Art Knapp on Alderbridge Way, the transmission shop at Capstan Way, the car rental at No. 3 Road, where my visitors from Europe rented their cars, Hype clothing store on No. 3 Road, the old Richmond News office and soon the RONA hardware store, to name a few.
The loss of industrial/commercially zoned land is to the detriment of our local business community and must be of concern to mayor and council, the Richmond Chamber of Commerce and any owner of any business.
Where and when will the City of Richmond replace these lost industrial/commercial zones? It is necessary to do so.
It’s detrimental to the zoning make up of Richmond and represents a negative change in Richmond’s emphasis on business development.
My question to the mayor and councillors is: What kind of a city do we want to be? Do we want to be a bedroom community, where people live but have to work out of town and where few business services are available. Or do we want to create a balance between residential zoning and businesses zoning (commercial/industrial) where employment is available and where business taxes contribute to residential taxes?
Do we prefer a mixture of areas that have residential as well as businesses and other services within a reasonably close proximity? I would say so.
Erika Simm
Richmond
