Agenda Index City of Vancouver

POLICY REPORT
DEVELOPMENT AND BUILDING

TO:

Vancouver City Council

FROM:

Director of Current Planning

SUBJECT:

1925 West 33rd Avenue - Arbutus Gardens - Allocation of Community Amenity Contributions

 

RECOMMENDATION

THAT the Community Amenity Contributions from the rezoning of 1925 West 33rd Avenue (Arbutus Gardens) be divided equally between Engineering Services, including $95,000 allocated to date, and Park Board projects; and

FURTHER THAT Council allocate $805,000 in remaining Community Amenity Contributions generated to date to the following projects:

GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS

The General Manager of Community Services RECOMMENDS approval of the foregoing.

COUNCIL POLICY

Since 1989, the City required Community Amenity Contributions (CACs) for privately-initiated, site-specific residential rezonings in the Central Area. Some rezonings outside this area also provided a CAC for amenities needed to support the increased population. The Arbutus Gardens CAC was approved prior to Council adopting the interim City-wide CAC policy which applies to all private rezoning applications received as of December 8, 1998.

PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

This report recommends that the Community Amenity Contribution (CAC) funds from the rezoning of Arbutus Gardens at 1925 West 33rd Avenue be divided equally between Engineering and Park Board projects that ameliorate the impacts of the development on the surrounding community, and that funds generated so far be allocated to neighbourhood traffic calming, cycling and sidewalk improvements and an upgrade of Quilchena Park.

BACKGROUND

In approving changes to the CD-1 By-law for Arbutus Gardens, following a Public Hearing on October 20, 1998, Council directed that a CAC of $2.46 per sq. ft. of building area be payable upon issuance of the first building permit for each phase of the development escalated by the Consumer Price Index from the date of the Public Hearing. This CAC was to be payment required to compensate for a reduction in the parking standard for the proposed redevelopment from that of the RM-4 District Schedule to that of the RM-3. Council also directed that:

(i) staff report back on the appropriate allocation of the CAC funds at or prior to the time of enactment of the rezoning;
(ii) CACs not be applied to purposes for which DCLs may be collected; and
(iii) a no-development covenant, to be released for each phase of the development upon payment of the CAC, be required to secure payment of the CAC.

The rezoning by-law was enacted on April 13, 1999 and on that date Council adjusted the CAC to $2.33 per sq. ft., for a total of $1,710,000 escalated by the Consumer Price Index from the date of the Public Hearing. Council also extended the deadline for reporting back after enactment of the rezoning.

To date, $906,675 in CAC funds, approximately half of the total funding anticipated1, has been generated from the first three (of seven) phases of the redevelopment. Council already allocated, on November 4, 1999, up to $110,000 of those funds to a Kerrisdale entry landscape feature on the Ridgeway Greenway at 37th Avenue and West Boulevard plus tree planting and a boulevard edge treatment on West Boulevard. This project has been completed at a total cost of $95,000.

DISCUSSION

Process: The CAC format for Arbutus Gardens is unusual because it was approved prior to Council adopting the interim City-wide CAC policy and was negotiated as compensation for a reduction in parking standards. On large-site rezonings, CAC project allocations are typically determined during the rezoning process. However, in this instance, staff were instructed to determine them for Arbutus Gardens after the rezoning was approved.

Engineering and Park Board staff each compiled substantial lists of worthy proposals well beyond the amount of the CACs approved. Consensus on how to determine priorities among those projects was elusive as there are no Council-approved criteria nor a process for evaluating them. The stipulation that the CAC contributions should not be applied to purposes for which Development Cost Levies (DCLs) may be collected was an additional challenge because the Charter definitions for engineering and park-related projects that can be funded by DCLs are broadly inclusive.

Criteria for Project Funding: The purpose of the CAC funds is to ameliorate anticipated impacts of the increase in density on the surrounding neighbourhood. Consequently, staff used the following criteria to guide project allocations. Projects are recommended that:

· will directly benefit the residents of the redevelopment site and the surrounding neighbourhood;
· reflect the advice provided by the General Manager of Engineering Services that the reduction in parking standards should be accompanied by improvements to services for non-auto transportation modes; and
· will result in funding being shared equally between Engineering Services (including the previously-approved Kerrisdale landscape improvements) and the Park Board.

Recommended CAC Project Allocations: Most of the engineering and park-related projects considered could technically qualify for DCL funding. However, there have been no DCL allocations to date and none have been proposed to upgrade the infrastructure in this area. The recent Financing Growth report shows that the city-wide DCL rate does not cover the full growth-related costs of development. CAC funds can be used to help make up the difference. The first phases of Arbutus Gardens are being occupied so there are increasing demands now on the area infrastructure. Consequently, it is recommended that CAC funds be allocated to projects which respond to priority needs identified by Engineering Services and Park Board for the nearby area.

Figure 1 identifies projects considered by Engineering and Park Board staff to best meet the criteria above and their allocations for Arbutus Gardens CAC funds now available. The Kerrisdale improvements, which were allocated $95,000, are not included in Figure 1. The Engineering sidewalk projects, principally the missing sections on Arbutus Street between 25th and 37th Avenues, would proceed following neighbourhood notification. Traffic calming measures (traffic circles, corner bulges, speed humps, etc.) would be subject to normal neighbourhood consultation and a report back to Council. Improvements to Quilchena Park, outlined in Appendix A, would undergo a public consultation process with the community, to be conducted by Park Board staff, prior to finalizing the design.

Figure 1

Sidewalk Improvements

2002

$140,000

Traffic Calming and Cycling

2002-2003

$215,000

Quilchena Park Improvements, Phase One

2002-2003

$450,000

TOTAL

  

$805,000

Projects Proposed for Subsequent Funding: Figure 2 identifies Engineering and Park Board projects tentatively proposed to be funded with CAC funds to be generated by subsequent phases of the Arbutus Gardens redevelopment. Timing for these projects is tied to Arbutus Gardens' development schedule, neighbourhood consultation, and other initiatives in the area. Further, the ultimate amount of the CAC will depend upon the timing and actual inflation factor. Therefore, staff will report back on the allocation of these funds for the projects listed in Figure 2, when appropriate, responding to possible changes in priorities for amenities in the neighbourhood, project costs or the ultimate amount of funding generated by the final phase of the Arbutus Gardens redevelopment.

Figure 2

Neighbourhood Traffic Calming, Phase 2

$150,000

Bus Stop Improvements and Curb Ramps

$100,000

Street Improvements - 33rd Avenue

$200,000

Quilchena Park Improvements - Phase Two

$100,000

Kerrisdale Community Centre - Building upgrade to allow for more intensive use

$225,000

Prince of Wales Park - Drainage and irrigation improvements

$125,000

TOTAL

$900,000

CONCLUSION

This report recommends that Community Amenity Contribution (CAC) funds generated to date from the Arbutus Gardens rezoning at 1925 West 33rd Avenue be divided equally between Engineering and Park Board projects, and that $805,000 be allocated for these projects to ameliorate the impacts of the redevelopment on the surrounding community. Staff will report back on recommended projects to be funded with CAC funds to be generated by subsequent phases of the Arbutus Gardens redevelopment.

- - - - -

APPENDIX A
Page 1 of 1

Quilchena Park Upgrade

Quilchena Park is a large park of nearly 8 ha (20 acres), bounded by the Arbutus rail line, 33rd Avenue, and the Arbutus Gardens development. The park has two ball diamonds, a field house with public washrooms, a playground and some trees. There are no walkways or sidewalks in the park, during the rainy season the park becomes soggy and is rendered unusable.

An upgrade of the park has been often requested by members of the community and some initial discussions regarding a possible program have taken place. There is a general desire to have a more beautiful park, more interesting plantings, more variety of activities focussing on passive recreation, and an opportunity to go for walks in the park throughout the year. The preliminary program for the upgrade includes a perimeter walkway that doubles as an extension of the pedestrian paths in adjacent blocks, seating, planting of shrubs and trees providing all-season interest, a jogging path with a softer surface, and possibly a gazebo structure. This preliminary program will form the basis for a public process directed at the longtime residents and the people who have moved recently into the neighbourhood. Additional or alternative ideas may be generated in that process.

It is estimated that the total cost for the Quilchena Park upgrade exceeds the proposed Park Board share of the monies already collected. Staff therefore propose that the upgrade unfold in two phases. Council is asked to allocate funding at this time for Phase One only. Staff will report back on Phase Two at a later date.

It is expected that the public process will unfold after this year's summer break, that design and construction drawings for Phase One be done during the fall, tendering in winter, and construction of the Phase One park improvements to occur in spring of 2003 after the rainy season.

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver

1 The escalation by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) since the Public Hearing, projected to the end of 2002, is about 6.6%. Therefore, the total amount of Arbutus Gardens CACs could be approximately $1,810,000 assuming a (conservative) CPI for the next few years of 1.5% and that development continues at the rate of one phase per year, including one before the end of 2002.