Murano, Vera

Thorough reviews are necessary to integrate gentle density into neighbourhoods. Multifamily buildings would help to provide sustainable affordable housing.

4 and a half years ago, the Affordable Housing Strategy Implementation Committee was appointed consisting of 7 members of which 2 were councillors. Recent municipal reports have been published to indicate that housing availability continues to be a challenge with Richmond Hill growing in population every year. This year, almost $6 million was given to Richmond Hill by the Ontario government through the Building Faster Fund to create more affordable homes for our community, including long-term care housing that the city desperately needs. It is hopeful that the housing crisis will now be considered a TOP priority for council.

Large scale developments on main corridors are more practical in relation to transit, jobs, businesses and public services as well as being less expensive to build (per unit). However, they may also change the distinctiveness of a specific neighbourhood and contribute negative impacts on local schools and other city services. Provincial laws dictate that municipalities must develop housing to respond to population growth and it just makes sense to keep high/mid rise buildings in high density areas along main corridors. Design and sustainability must be compatible with existing structures.

A path forward for residential growth includes zoning and the process of approving permits. In this respect, reforms are necessary and should be a priority but a one-week rule may undermine the valuation of a permit. Permits protect the builder, comply with zoning laws, ensure building standards, and maintain safety for the community in question. For faster permit processing, a "reform" to the "current review standards and staffing" is essential, a significant element to creating an improved permit process.

Must reduce/eliminate parking mandates to free up land for needed housing and businesses and to encourage public transit. Reduced parking for new developments may create a spill over onto nearby local streets. Attention to improved public transit is needed to prevent traffic in those areas. Last year a "Parking Study" was conducted but the findings have yet to be made available. Transit strategies and provincial legislation are contributive factors.

As the city grows, transportation becomes a major concern for car/bike/pedestrian movements. I support sharing of road space in specific ideal locations where there is people traffic. Road space for cyclists on major routes, for additional green/public spaces, bike lanes and pedestrian-only zones. E-bikes and e-scooters place an even greater emphasis on road planning.

In some areas, physical safety measures are needed to slow down traffic and protect bicycles or people walking. In my personal experience as a driver, speed digital boards are a useful alert and provide a visual awareness to bring attention to speed.

Richmond Hill needs to have a vibrant core "downtown" where people want to walk, shop, eat and play. This geographical location is not well established although it is generally known to be along Yonge street between Major Mackenzie and several blocks north. Large scale projects on the outer edge of the city should also be given consideration as economic growth and commercial enterprises are inevitable as the city grows in population.

In partnership with York Regional Police, more program awareness and active prevention is necessary from both the city and the law. Examples: security cameras, neighbourhood watch, upgraded doors and lights, and smart design choices.

In keeping with an awareness of privacy issues, CCTV cameras are mounted to capture activity only in public spaces and are restricted from recordings of private dwellings. The cameras are a useful tool in investigating theft activities, ie capturing license plates.

Regional infrastructure is funded through York Region's master plans and capital investments. Richmond Hill infrastructure including parks and roads is funded through local property taxes, development charges, reserve funds and grants. Water is funded through utility user rates. As of April 2026, the water and wastewater systems rate is $5.96 per 1,000 litres (running a garden hose for one hour or 20 laundry loads). Development charges pay for new infrastructure/projects which follows the principle of "growth pays for growth." Council members need to have a clear understanding of financial costs, budget allocation, and long-term obligations which are crucial to maintaining a balanced asset management plan.

I support the reduction in growth-related fees to further the construction of affordable housing. The city has relied on development charges to fund new housing projects and infrastructure costs but recently council applied to the federal-provincial government program "Development Charge Reduction" a program that encourages municipals to lower the cost of new home projects. The financial impact comparing development charges/fees or the new government program is yet to be determined but the latter focuses on advancing projects to support housing growth and to provide the supporting infrastructure to build complete communities.

The plan is to build a city that moves with the population growth. It is crucial that we invest in the infrastructure to create a green-grid with more canopy cover by 2030, plant thousands of trees, walkable public squares, which will enable healthy, sustainable, connected neighborhoods.

Climate action follows the realization that the human footprint on ecosystems cries out for critical resource management. Especially for cities, a greener transition, innovation in renewable energy and clean technologies are a must for positive growth. As planning for the city continues, infrastructures must include a green-grid with more canopy cover by 2030, planting of thousands of trees, walkable public squares, all which will enable healthy, sustainable, connected neighborhoods.
I am reminded that the best partnership in this respect is to include the stewardship of Indigenous communities.

Councillors are voted in office. They must be transparent with their constituents on major projects, voting records, and management/financial decisions. Council reports and documents are publicly made available but mostly, residents are reading "after the fact". This may be unavoidable for some situations, but with today's technologies, information on a specific issue or topic of concern may be easily shared and made available to the respective ward residents on a daily basis. Helping constituents to understand processes, financial reports, bureaucratic workflows, etc. is key to transparent communication. To help with this, Councillors should produce guides that explain municipal processes, ie. zoning permits, road reporting, parking issues. Use of plain language should replace municipal jargons. Flowchart are graphic and visualize processes; ie. from a constituents request to a city council vote.