The redevelopment of Richmond Centre moved one step forward as council approved a motion to work with the developer to ensure 10 per cent of planned units were rental homes, up from five per cent that was first proposed.
Originally the developer was going to build 1,850 market units and 150 affordable housing units, but after council’s request to increase the rental stock, the developer added 200 market rental homes to bring the total to 2,200 homes. The rental homes will be built in the second phase of the development.
At the public hearing, comments on the project were overwhelmingly positive, but some criticized the project for not going far enough, asking for more rental and more amenities.
Coun. Harold Steves pointed out, after the public’s comments, that this property was rezoned in the 1980s and the developer is not required to provide any rental stock.
“(If) we turn it down tonight, yes, we wait six months, or they just simply build it without rental housing at all because they don’t require the rezoning, simple as that,” Steves said, adding that the developer might just walk away and the property will sit empty as the choice is theirs.
The motion to amend the OCP for the high-rise project, located at 6551 No. 3 Rd., passed with councillors Greene, Day and Wolfe voting against it.
Wolfe said his vision for the project included any no roads through the development, as well as solar technology and more benefits for the community.
Day argued city council could go back to the developer and ask for more rental, saying that council could do “a lot better.”
“This is our legacy – whatever we do here at Richmond Centre becomes the hub of Richmond, and I think taking the time, the six months, to get it right is the right thing to do,” she said.
A housing agreement will be made with the developer to keep the units as rental in perpetuity. Out of the 200 rental homes, the developer is proposing to have 40 per cent family-friendly, that is, two- and three-bedroom units.
