A boxing gym would like to open up in a complex near the Richmond Olympic Oval, but they’ve been met by a ban – imposed by the city – on indoor recreational facilities near the city-owned facility.
Landa Development has now applied to the city to remove a covenant that bars indoor recreation facilities from its two-tower residential complex at Gilbert Road and Elmbridge Way.
Landa has signed a lease with Rumble Boxing, but they cannot proceed with building permits or a business licence due to the covenant.
The covenant dates back to 2015 when the Oval’s Chief Executive Officer asked for restrictions on indoor recreation businesses in new developments near the facility “to protect the City’s investment in the Richmond Olympic Oval,” explained a report going to next week’s city council planning committee.
After receiving the application, the city consulted with the Oval who informed them they no longer feel restrictions are necessary on indoor recreation facilities since the Oval is now a “well-established business in the neighbourhood.”
The gym wants to open up in a ground-floor retail unit at the recently completed residential complex.
This is the only development near the Oval that has been subject to a restrictive covenant barring indoor recreational facilities on it.
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