Sex offenders hiding in plain sight 3 / Country Fair returns to South Arm 4
the richmond
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REVIEW
RICHMONDREVIEW.COM
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 18, 2013
40 PAGES
Walmart makes ‘significant’ concessions Occupants get ill after substance tossed into home
Developer of proposed mall agrees to fully fund road connection that city considers critical by Matthew Hoekstra Staff Reporter The developer behind a Richmond Walmart proposal has offered city hall “significant” concessions in a bid to move its shopping mall plan forward. After rejecting SmartCentres’ plan nine months ago, city council’s planning committee fielded a new proposal Tuesday—one proponents hope will meet council’s favour. At issue is access to the open-air mall, which would boast up to 50 stores and a 161,888-square-foot Walmart—approximately the same size as the Richmond Olympic Oval’s activity level. The 20-lot site is located at the northeast corner of Alderbridge Way and Garden City Road in a redeveloping neighbourhood of West Cambie. Under the latest proposal, SmartCentres would foot the entire bill for a new connector road leading to the mall—linking Alexandra and Leslie roads across Garden City Road. Planning staff say SmartCentres would pay all land and construction costs, instead of relying on other area developers in the future to share the bill. “This is a significant concession in excess of the previous proposal and would defer no connector road costs to other development sites within the catchment area,” noted Brian Guzzi, senior planner. Staff are now recommending council advance the proposal to a public hearing.
by Martin van den Hemel Staff Reporter
SmartCentres is proposing to build a Walmart in Richmond’s West Cambie area, boasting a similar footprint to the Richmond Olympic Oval’s activity level.
The road is viewed as critical to the project, but it isn’t expected to be built in time for the mall’s opening day. Building it will require negotiating with owners of five properties, and planners say other road improvements SmartCentres has committed to will suffice in the short term. According to Guzzi, the connector road could be built any time
between now and 2023. City spokesperson Ted Townsend noted existing roads and planned improvements can handle anticipated traffic volumes for the next decade. “The current Alexandra Road alignment will stay in place and will be a primary service route,” he said. “The connector road only becomes necessary as the remainder of that area
Central at Garden City •SmartCentres has applied to rezone a 5.9-hectare (14.5-acre) site at the northeast corner of Alderbridge Way and Garden City Road •Proposed is a multi-building shopping centre with 359,090 square feet of space, with Walmart as the anchor tenant •Other major tenants listed by SmartCentres: London Drugs, The Keg, Bed Bath & Beyond, Marshalls, CIBC, RBC •1,153 parking stalls, most hidden in three covered or structured parking areas; one parking lot will be covered by a publicly accessible deck offering 36,400 square feet of green space •Structures range from one to four storeys •First proposed in 2003, prompting city to redraft area plan in 2006 •City council must still vote on first reading; public hearing would follow
redevelops and as the traffic to the (Walmart) property grows over time.” First Richmond North Shopping Centres Ltd., a SmartCentres company, is behind the development proposal. It was first pitched 10 years ago, spawning dramatic change in a neighbourhood largely untouched by redevelopment. The 359,090-square-foot mall is envisioned in West Cambie area plan, approved by council in 2006. Dubbed “Central at Garden City,” the largest tenant in the 5.9-hectare (14.5 acre) development would be Walmart, while numerous other retailers would also be accommodated. Walmart would be located at Alderbridge Way and High Street—a proposed road just east of Garden City Road. The three-storey building would have a similar floor space to the Walmart on Grandview Highway in Vancouver, and the same overall floor area as the Walmart in Queensborough, according to a city report. See Page 3
Richmond RCMP are investigating what caused the occupants of a home on the 6200 block of Taseko Crescent to become ill after an object was thrown through their front window late Monday night. Richmond RCMP Cpl. Stephanie Ashton said Tuesday morning that experts are still trying to identify the substance involved in the incident at the home, near the corner of No. 2 Road and Westminster Highway. The occupants were taken to hospital, but released a short time later, Ashton said. Two emergency responders were also treated and released, she said. One neighbour said she didn’t see or hear anything, but someone who came knocking at her door Monday night urged her to close her windows. Ashton to The Richmond Review that the occupants heard glass break, and the sound of a vehicle speeding away, and shortly thereafter began feeling the effects and exited the house. The house was then sealed up , including the shattered window. Around 2 p.m. Tuesday, investigators specially trained to deal with chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear substances.
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