The Richmond School District (SD38) is looking to sell a portion of Mitchell elementary property to the city in order to improve safety at the No. 5 and Cambie intersection.
A total of 173 square metres of school district land could be sold for an estimated of $400,000 to the City of Richmond for these safety improvements.
There were 53 crashes at this corner in 2022, according to ICBC statistics.
Proposed upgrades include dedicated left-turn lanes in all four directions, upgraded crosswalk painting and signage at the intersection as well as improvements to the sidewalk on No. 5 Road.
If approved by the Ministry of Education, a recommendation will return to the school board for approval before the project can begin.
The value of the land was determined after having gone through "a fair-market value evaluation” and is in the sales agreement between the school board and the city, explained SD38 secretary-treasurer Cindy Wang at Wednesday’s school board meeting.
“The design efforts have been taken to minimize construction impact to school property at no cost to the school district,” said Wang.
“Any proceeds from the board disposition have to be kept in local capital reserves and funds used for future board-approved capital projects.”
On Oct. 5, a public consultation took place and community members had until Oct. 23 to send in their questions and concerns to the school district.
During the meeting, Wang read out a written response submitted by the City of Richmond to the school board in support of the project.
It emphasized the project would “benefit road users and improve access for pedestrians and cyclists.”
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