Richmond - The Editor, Re: "Steveston secondary site sale to help talks on new school funding," Online, Oct. 23.
The reported details are quite intriguing insofar as serious lack of clarity and transparency. Ultimately, have the Richmond citizens and taxpayers best interests been addressed ? The Steveston site currently has SPU zoning, and hence restricted uses, i.e., on par with the status quo of school and park use.
The school district reports it has sold the 13-acre site to an established developer for $41.125 million. In addition, five of these acres will be donated to the City of Richmond.
At this juncture, and consistent with the current zoning, the city would possess five acres of land zoned SPU, and the developer retains eight acres of land zoned SPU.
The sales completion date is in December 2014 (note: approximately the time a new city council is sworn in).
In addition, this purchase price "may" increase if certain undisclosed conditions are met, yet the details also claim the sale is "not conditional" on city rezoning.
Thus, the question is, why would a developer pay such a substantial amount and donate almost 40 per cent of the land with no "subject to" assurances of rezoning by the city? As it stands, the developer may ultimately be stuck with an old high school building on eight acres of park, correct? The only other plausible scenario, with no evidence to the contrary, is that some "incamera" negotiations will be taking place, "token" public hearings held and then the fait accompli "rezoning rubber stamp" comes out.
Clarity? Transparency?
Roland Hoegler
Richmond
