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April 11, 2007
Re: 8180 Ash Street, Richmond, B.C.
Dear Resident:
On behalf of Turning Point Recovery Society (“Turning Point”), I
am writing today to share with you our proposal to develop the
property at 8180 Ash Street for use as a residential support
facility.
Established in 1982, Turning Point is British Columbia’s leading
residential support recovery service provider. As a non-profit,
charitable organization, our mission is to provide individuals
with safe, supportive, abstinence-based housing where they may
recover from the disease of addiction.
Turning Point operates two houses in Vancouver and one house in
Richmond at 10411 Odlin Road. Our house on Odlin Road has 9 beds
and has been operating for 8 years.
A quiet and dependable neighbor
When our support house opened on Odlin Road in 1999, some
concern was expressed whether Turning Point would be an
appropriate neighbour for the community. Since that time, our
good relations and good standing among our neighbors have
demonstrated that Turning Point is a quiet and dependable
neighbor that makes a valuable contribution to our community and
society as a whole.
Allegations that our house on Odlin Road would affect property
values, or would require police visits have turned out to be
false. In fact, Turning Point has quietly operated in the
neighborhood without any problems whatsoever.
As you may know, there is an urgent need for addictions services
in the Lower Mainland. Everyone knows someone who is affected by
addiction. This is especially true in Richmond where there are
currently no residential recovery facilities for women, and no
second-stage living units for men or women.
It is because of this need that Turning Point is proposing to
develop 8180 Ash Street to expand our services. As you may know,
the house on this property was originally a group home and is
currently zoned (I) as such. For our proposal to proceed,
Turning Point must apply for development permits and receive
approval from the City of Richmond to rezone the property.
That being said, we have not submitted our application to rezone
the property. We are in the process of completing the
application and anticipate that we may submit it within the next
few weeks.
We want your involvement and input
Before we submit our application, however, we felt it important
to approach you and other residents about our proposal to
solicit your input and any suggestions you may have.
Our proposal involves building three housing facilities on the
Ash Street property. One house will provide 10 beds for women,
while the second will provide 10 beds for men. A third larger
housing unit will offer second-stage housing for up to 20
individuals. Importantly, four of these units will be made
available specifically for women with children.
Great care will be taken to design our proposed site so it is
complementary to the current style of the neighborhood in terms
of design and landscaping. It is also being designed to maximize
privacy for our residents and for our neighbours.
Take part in our Community Liaison Committee
As testament to our commitment to involve our neighbors as we
approach the planning and rezoning process, we would like to
invite you and other neighbours adjacent to 8180 Ash Street to
participate on our Community Liaison Committee (CLC).
The CLC will provide a forum for you and other community members
to provide input into various aspects of our proposal. We hope
you will participate. Further, at your convenience, I would like
to visit with you in the near future to share our proposal with
you in greater detail.
Thank you for your time and consideration. Please call me at
604-303-6844 with further questions, or to arrange a time that
would be convenient for me to drop by to discuss our proposal
further.
Sincerely,
Brenda L. Plant
Executive Director
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