Works Yard Replacement Project – Key Design Parameters and Guiding Principles

Good evening Mayor and Council,

After recently having read about the proposal to construct a new public works yard on lynas lane to replace the existing one, it raised some curious questions for me that I’m hoping you can clarify.

I understand the site is to be raised by approximately 3 meters to meet a post-disaster standard for flooding and certainly in Richmond, this would make sense.

As we know, Richmond is part of a heavily populated floodplain centred around the Fraser River. Richmond has invested heavily in a 49km diking system along with 39 pump stations and the city continues to heighten and strengthen these dikes.

Tens of millions of dollars have been expended over the last number of years on critical infrastructure such as new firehalls, including the marquis Firehall No.1, an RCMP Station, along with current construction involving the Steveston Community Centre and the Richmond Hospital expansion, yet none of these had similar foundational elevation to the best of my knowledge.

In any major emergency event, community centres are potential evacuation centres yet I’m not hearing anything to indicate similar flood protection for these sites. Are there additional plans not being shared with the public or has no such planning taken place?

These are all important facilities in terms of emergency management yet none were constructed on a raised elevation to address the very real potential of serious flooding.

At the same time, in the last number of years, the City has approved and seen built in Richmond a number of developments with underground parking, which previously would never have been permitted.

The juxtaposition of these differing decisions may leave many residents wondering what rationale supports these policy choices.

Is 3m raised elevation now the post-disaster standard for all future City of Richmond facilities going forward or will it be a requirement for all new construction in Richmond?

If all of Richmond is under water due to a catastrophic flood or dike breach, including other critical infrastructure, how will this new City Works Yard serve all the emergency management response needs of the City? Will this facility include a dedicated City Emergency Operations Centre which the city currently lacks?

Are there areas within Richmond that should be designated no-build zones due to flooding risk?

Has any thought gone into a dike zoning grid within the city? (expanded version of the proposed Hwy99/Knight St mid-island barrier)

I’m certainly happy to hear the City is taking increasing risks of climate change into account for planning yet it’s not clear how with increased risk of flooding, raising one facility while going deeper with underground parking in a flood plain meet the goals of preparing for these types of emergencies and disasters.