Recap: Council Meeting - May 13
- May 13
- 4 min read
Council Meeting Wednesday May 13, 2026 at 9:30am
Meeting Agenda: Meeting Agenda
Watch Council Meeting: Meeting Video
Recap:
All agenda items were approved by Council.
Council unanimously supported a member motion asking York Region to explore better long-term housing and support options for adults with developmental disabilities.
Council unanimously supported a member motion urging York Region to keep the Elgin Mills East rail overpass project moving forward without delays.
Agenda Items Include:
A request that York Region explore new housing and support models for adults with developmental disabilities, particularly adults with autism, who often lose structured supports after age 21.
Requests that York Region prioritize and speed up construction of a long planned railway overpass on Elgin Mills Road East at the Richmond Hill GO rail corridor.
The blue box transition in Richmond Hill has progressed smoothly, with a predictable January upturn in customer service inquiries that were effectively managed.
Several last-minute amendments were made to the Blue Box Provincial Regulation including delaying producer-provided recycling collection for new apartment / condo buildings built between 2026 and 2030 will NOT qualify for producer-paid recycling pickup until 2031.
Richmond Hill Council must choose between two approaches for recycling at new apartment/condo buildings:
Option A – City pays:
The City would provide recycling pickup for these new buildings, costing about $297,000 over five years (≈ $220,000 from Richmond Hill taxpayers and $77,000 from York Region taxpayers).
Option B – Builder/building pays (staff recommendation):
New buildings would hire private recycling collection until 2031, when the producer‑run system takes over. Cost to taxpayers: $0. Building owners cover all costs until 2031.
Staff is seeking Council approval for an in‑ year increase of $700,000 to the approved capital budget for the Unity Park Revitalization Construction project.
The project is now $700,000 over budget.
Original budget: $1.7M
New estimate: $2.4M Council is being asked to approve the increase.
Why costs rose:
Higher construction costs — fuel, materials, and labour have all gone up, and contractors are pricing in more risk due to market uncertainty.
Environmental issues — testing found contaminated soil that now requires specialized handling, testing, transport, and disposal at licensed facilities. These costs were not in the original estimate.
Was the project competitively bid? Yes.
11 contractors invited
9 showed interest
8 submitted bids Staff consider this strong competition, meaning the prices reflect the real market. Lowest bid: $2,019,489 (before taxes and contingency) from Hawkins Contracting Services Ltd.
How will the extra $700,000 be funded? From City reserves:
$280,000 from the Cash‑in‑Lieu of Parkland Reserve
$420,000 from the Tax Supported Reserve Fund
A request for approval concerning proposed Zoning By-law Amendment and draft Plan of Subdivision applications to permit a medium density residential development to be comprised of nine (9) townhouse dwellings
A request for Council direction with respect to Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment applications to permit a high-density, high-rise mixed-use development on the subject lands that have been appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal.
the applicant has appealed their Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment applications to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) submitted in support of its proposal to permit the owner of the Sheraton Parkway / Parkway lands at Highway 7 & Leslie who wants to redevelop the site into a large high‑rise community with:
8 towers, 39–49 storeys
3,773 residential units
Retail/commercial space
A small 1‑acre internal park/plaza
Some hotel/conference uses remaining
staff do not support the proposed development and recommend that Council direct appropriate City staff and external consultants as deemed necessary to appear at the OLT in support of Council’s position concerning the subject applications.
Redevelopment of Parkway makes sense, but this proposal is oversized, overbuilt, and premature. Council should oppose it unless it is significantly scaled back and redesigned.
It aims to make it financially easier for developers to build non‑luxury purpose‑built rental apartments in Richmond Hill.
Developers normally must pay Development Charges (DCs) up front, large fees that fund roads, parks, water, sewers, transit, libraries, fire services, and more.
For rental buildings, these up‑front costs can make projects hard to finance because rentals generate lower returns than condos.
The motion proposes:
Delay the City’s Development Charges for qualifying rental buildings to align with York Region’s policy on this
Allow interest on the deferred amount to be forgiven
Require the building to stay non‑luxury rental housing for at least 40 years under York Region’s criteria
In short:
Developers wouldn’t have to pay millions in fees up front — they could pay later — which could make purpose‑built rental housing more viable to build.
How to Share Your Feedback
If you have questions or concerns regarding any meeting agenda items, you are encouraged to share your thoughts.
You can send your written comments about agenda items by emailing clerks@richmondhill.ca. Please submit your comments must be submitted by 12 p.m. (noon) one business day before the meeting. All comments will be shared with Members of Council, treated as public information, and will be included on the public agenda posted to the City’s website.