Bike park would be removed to make way for development
Richmond city council has endorsed a plan to flatten a city bike park to allow a developer to build an apartment complex.
Oris Development (Kawaki) Corp. is proposing to rezone land at London and No. 2 roads to allow 80 apartments—including 10 live-work units—and commercial space, suitable for a restaurant, on the ground floor.
Civic politicians granted the project first reading Monday, Jan. 23.
The land is partly owned by the city. As part of the deal, the seven-year-old bike park will disappear and the city's land will shift to the riverfront, where Oris will build a public waterfront park.
According to city spokesperson Ted Townsend, city staff are now trying to determine a new location for the bike park, construction of which will be funded by the developer.
In his report, senior planner Francisco Molina said the plan provides "an innovative opportunity" for improvement to the area while netting the city a waterfront park, which the city says will be 0.6 hectares (1.55 acres). Molina said the proposed project—called the Pier at London Landing—will also "reinforce the emerging village centre" in the London Landing area at no cost to the city.
Talks on the project began in 2007, with city council endorsing the idea of a land swap in 2008.
The site lies next to a large swath of riverfront land owned by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, containing warehouses, boat storage and repair shops.
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