POLICY REPORT
DEVELOPMENT AND BUILDING

Date: January 5, 2000
Author/Local: C. Gray/7207
RTS No. 00920
CC File No. 2608/5307

Council: January 18, 2000

TO:	Vancouver City Council
FROM:	Directors of the Housing Centre and Current Planning, and the General Manager of Engineering Services
SUBJECT:	Development of 1125 Pacific Blvd. and CD-1 Text Amendment -Yaletown Edge, Concord Pacific Place

RECOMMENDATION

A. THAT, to allow the change of non-market housing from non-family to family units, the Director of Current Planning be instructed to make application:

1. to amend CD-1 By-Law 6757 for the 1100, 1200 and 1300 blocks Pacific Blvd. as set out in Appendix A, to:

- reduce the required component of non-market housing from 20% to 18.7%;
- reduce the total number of units permitted from 720 to 706;
- increase the maximum floor area from 84 000 m² to 84 379 m²;
- increase the maximum floor area in Sub-Area 3 from 25 037 m² to
25 416 m²;
- reallocate the maximum number of units between Sub-Areas 1, 2, and 3; and
- require 1.1 parking spaces/unit for family non-market housing; and

2. to amend the False Creek North Official Development Plan By-law 6650 as set out in Appendix A to reduce the required component of non-market housing from 16.7% to 16.6%;

FURTHER THAT this application be referred to a Public Hearing, together with the recommendation of the Director of Current Planning to approve, subject to conditions contained in Appendix B;

AND FURTHER THAT the Director of Legal Services be instructed to prepare the necessary by-laws for consideration at Public Hearing.

B. THAT Council approve the construction of 140 public parking spaces on 1125 Pacific at a cost of $3,407,524 to serve the Yaletown heritage district with the source of funds to be the Property Endowment Fund (Parking Sites Reserve - $3,066,924, and Yaletown Pay-in-Lieu funds - $340,600).

GENERAL MANAGERS’ COMMENTS

The General Managers of Community and Engineering Services RECOMMEND approval of A and B.

COUNCIL POLICY

Non-Market Housing

Council requires that 20% of the units in major projects be designated for non-market housing, with a priority for core-need households, and requires that the non-market housing sites be made available at a price that allows the projects to be developed within the maximum budgets established by senior government non-market housing programs. At least half of the non-market housing units must be designed and developed for families. The 20% policy has been relaxed for major projects where economic feasibility or other public priorities do not permit the full 20% non-market requirement to be achieved.

Council policy is to consider affordable housing proposals not subsidized through senior government programs, or payment-in-lieu, for non-market sites that were submitted for senior government funding and did not receive it, or if there is little likelihood of funding forthcoming.

Yaletown Parking

Council policy is that the City may fund the construction of parking that achieves the preservation of heritage areas, and would redress historical deficiencies that cannot be met by the private sector through normal redevelopment.

Council policy also permits developments in the Yaletown heritage area to provide payment-in-lieu for parking where the required parking cannot be provided within the developments.

PURPOSE

This report presents to Council a proposal that would see Concord Pacific develop 60 family non-market housing units at 1125 Pacific Blvd. in the Yaletown Edge neighbourhood of Concord Pacific Place, at a cost of 90% of the maximum budget permitted under the Province’s 1998 Homes BC program, and see the City develop 140 public parking spaces utilizing payment-in-lieu and parking reserve funds to serve the Yaletown heritage area on the site as well. If Council wishes to consider the proposal it is recommended that the necessary amendments to the False Creek North ODP and Yaletown Edge CD-1 be referred to PublicHearing. The location and context for the subject site are noted on Figure 1.

Figure 1

BACKGROUND

On February 6, 1990, a report to Council on Yaletown parking identified a need for City-provided parking and two possible locations for additional parking for this heritage area. One of these locations was developed with 150 public parking spaces in a joint venture with Concord Pacific under Bill Curtis Square. The other is at 1125 Pacific Blvd.

On November 6, 1990, Council enacted the CD-1 by-law for the 1100, 1200 and 1300 blocks of Pacific Blvd., Yaletown Edge neighbourhood of Concord Pacific Place (By-law 6757). The by-law permits 720 units to be built with a total residential floor area of 84 000 m². It requires that 22% of all the units in the Yaletown Edge neighbourhood be designed and developed for families and 20% of all the units be developed for non-market housing, with at least 25% of these to be developed for families. Two non-market housing sites were secured through the rezoning, including 1125 Pacific Blvd. The City may develop additional parking for the adjacent Yaletown Heritage area on 1125 Pacific Blvd. if it chooses.

With the exception of 1125 Pacific Blvd., the Yaletown Edge neighbourhood is fully developed. There are 646 completed units, including 72 units of non-market housing in Bridgeview Place (12 family and 60 seniors units). 1125 Pacific could be developed under the zoning with 72 non-market units (48 non-family and 24 family).

On March 9, 1999, Council (In Camera) approved a partnership with the Province for the development of non-market housing for 1998-2000. The 1998 projects were announced on April 26, 1999. Included was a proposal to develop 60 non-market family units with funding through the Homes BC program on 1125 Pacific Blvd. and with a commitment from Concord Pacific to reduce the cost of the project by 10%, a discount of approximately $1,100,000, if the City proceeded with the public parking permitted on the site. The preliminary proposal included 130 public parking stalls at an estimated cost of $3,000,000. The proposal was subject to report back to Council.

PROPOSED NON-MARKET/PUBLIC PARKING DEVELOPMENT

Following Council’s approval of the 1998-2000 non-market housing partnership with the Province, Concord Pacific proceeded with the detailed design of the project. A design for 60 family non-market units (1 1-bedroom unit, 38 2-bedroom units, and 21 3-bedroom units) and a 206 stall parking garage has been developed.

The parking garage would include 66 stalls for the non-market housing plus 140 stalls for the public. The City, through the Parking Corporation of Vancouver, would operate the public parking. The non-profit sponsor who would operate the housing project would be the Affordable Housing Society. This is a good family site with excellent on-site open space, the advantage of being next to Helmcken Park, and across Pacific Blvd. From the Roundhouse Community Centre, David Lam Park, and the future Roundhouse School.

The construction of 140 public parking spaces in this development is recommended. The Yaletown Edge CD-1 allows public parking. The Yaletown area has over 1,300,000 square feet of floor space and only 450 parking spaces within the heritage area. Normally this amount of development would need roughly 1300 parking spaces. The demand is currently less than this, as there is still under used space in the neighbourhood. As well many people park outside the area and walk in. The City’s parkade under Bill Curtis Square is fully used and there is a 45 car waiting list for parking spaces. The City has also received $340,600 in unassigned Payment-in-lieu contributions in this area. This represents 27 spaces that have not been assigned. These funds would be allocated to the development of the parking in site 3J. Council has also approved an additional 14 Payment-in-lieu parking spaces for $189,000; however, the payment has not yet been received. The remaining funding would be provided through the PEF (Parking Sites Reserve).

Concord Pacific is prepared to build the 140 public parking spaces at a cost not to exceed 3,407,524. This is a cost of $24,340 per parking stall. It is $2,000 per stall higher than would otherwise be the case because of the terms of the Core-Needy Housing Agreement for Yaletown Edge under which the efficiencies gained from the joint parking/non-market housing project are to the benefit of the non-market housing component. The cost of the public parking has been confirmed by quantity surveyors as reasonable, and is acceptable to the City Engineer who recommends approval by Council. The 140 public parking spaces would be made available to residents and businesses in the Yaletown heritage area who have made payments-in-lieu for parking. The parking spaces would be rented at market rates.

If the parkade at 1125 Pacific Blvd. is approved, there may still be a future need for parking spaces to serve the Yaletown heritage area. City staff continue to seek a site along the west edge of the Yaletown heritage area to meet this need.

ZONING AMENDMENTS

The design for the all-family non-market project proposed for 1125 Pacific Blvd. satisfies the design guidelines for the Yaletown Edge neighbourhood. The Yaletown Edge CD-1(By-law 6757) needs to be amended, as there will be fewer non-market units than required under the by-law now. Since the units are all family units, instead of a mix of family and non-family units, a small increase in the maximum floor space allowed in the Yaletown Edge neighbourhood is also required.

The developer did not build all the market units they could have in the neighbourhood, and the proposed amendments will reconcile the CD-1 to what has actually been developed. There will be 14 fewer units built in Yaletown Edge than are currently permitted, and they will likely be relocated at a future date to Area 5 (Quayside).

Finally, it is proposed to amend the parking provisions in the Yaletown Edge CD-1 to reflect Council’s policy of 1.1 parking spaces/unit for non-market family housing in the downtown major projects.

Table 1 lays out the proposed changes to the Yaletown Edge CD-1;

	Current	Proposed
# of Non-Mkt. Units	144	132
% Non-Market Units	20%	18.7%
FSR Sub-Area 3	25 037 m²	25 416 m²
FSR Yaletown Edge	84 000 m²	84 379 m²
Max. Units Sub-Area 1	234	237
Max. Units Sub-Area 2	269	263
Max. Units Sub-Area 3	217	206
Max. Units Yaletown Edge	720	706

The False Creek North Official Development Plan (FCN ODP) needs to be amended to reflect the reduction in non-market housing units. Currently, 16.7% of the units developed under the FCN ODP must be set aside for non-market housing. The proposed development of 1125 Pacific Blvd. would reduce this to 16.6%. The total number of units permitted by the FCN ODP would remain unchanged at 9 197 as would the maximum floor space at
905 660 m².

The proposed amendments to the Yaletown Edge CD-1 and the FCN ODP are set out in Appendix A. Figure 2 illustrates the zoning context for the subject site.

Figure 2

PUBLIC COMMENT

Approximately 250 notification letters were mailed to neighbouring owners by the City explaining the proposal. Additional notices were displayed in the lobbies of five neighbouring buildings by Pacific Place Developments. On the evening of September 20, 1999 a neighbourhood information meeting was held at the Roundhouse Community Centre. No one from the public chose to attend this meeting.

CONCLUSION

It is proposed that the remaining non-market site in the Yaletown Edge neighbourhood of Concord Pacific Place be developed with 60 family non-market housing units instead of the 72 mixed family/non-family unit project contemplated in the original Yaletown Edge CD-1.
Concord Pacific is willing to build the project at 90% of the maximum budgets permitted under the Province’s 1998 Homes BC program if the City agrees to build the public parking contemplated in the Yaletown Edge CD-1 for the site. One hundred and forty (140) public parking stalls can be built on the site at a cost guaranteed by Concord Pacific of $3,407,524. The parking would serve the Yaletown heritage area and would be rented monthly to businesses and residents in the area. The Province, through BC Housing, is prepared to fund the 60 unit project. The project would complete the Yaletown Edge neighbourhood.

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APPENDIX A
Page 1 of 4

PROPOSED CHANGES to CD By-law No. 6757-1100, 1200, 1300 Blocks Pacific Boulevard (CD-1 266)

Section 4 (Uses)

4(a) a maximum of 720 706 residential dwelling units provided in multiple dwellings or in conjunction with any of the uses listed below, provided that:

(ii) a minimum of 20 18.7 percent of the total number of units shall be provided through government funded programs targeted to core-need households or such non-market housing programs or initiatives as City Council may generally define or specifically approve from time to time, with a minimum of 50 percent of these to be designed for family housing consistent with and comprising part of the requirement of section 4(a)i of this By-law;

Section 7 (Floor Area and Density)

7.1 The maximum floor area for any use listed in this table shall be as set out below.

Table 1

Maximum Floor Area

Residential Uses

84 000 m²

84 379 m²

7.5 The maximum floor area for those uses listed in each sub-area shall be as set out in Table 2.

Table 2

Maximum Floor Area (in square metres)

SUB-AREA (from Diagram 1)

	1	2	3
Residential Uses	29 095	29 868	25 037	25 416

APPENDIX A
Page 2 of 4

7.6 The maximum number of dwelling units for each sub-area will be as set out in Table 3.

Table 3

Maximum number of Dwelling Units

SUB-AREA (from Diagram 1)

	1	2	3
Maximum Number of Units	234 237	269 263	217 206

Section 11 (Parking)

11.1 Off-street shall be provided, developed and maintained...as follows:

(c) multiple dwelling units, not including units designated for non-market, low income or seniors housing, shall provide a minimum of 1 space for each 100 m² of gross floor area plus 0.5 spaces for each dwelling unit;

(d) family non-market housing shall provide a minimum of 1.1 spaces for each dwelling unit; and

(d) (e) recreational and cultural uses shall provide parking as determined by the Director of Planning in consultation with the City Engineer.

APPENDIX A
Page 3 of 4

APPENDIX A
Page 4 of 4

False Creek North
	non-market family	9.6%	10.0%
	non-market non-family	7.1%	6.6%
	market family	15.5%
	market non-family	67.9%
Yaletown Edge
	non-market family	5.0%	10.2%
	non-market non-family	15.0%	8.5%
	market family	16.9%	18.3%
	market non-family	63.1%	63.0%

Section 3.2 1 Residential

“16.716.6 percent of the total number of dwelling units shall be designated for non- market housing, with priority on housing for core-need households, with fifty percent of the non-market units to be suitable for households with children. The non-market units shall be integrated into each residential area, except that Council may permit alternate arrangements to provide some non-market units off site.”

APPENDIX B
Page 1 of 1

THAT, prior to enactment of the CD-1 By-law, the Yaletown Edge Core-Needy Housing Agreement, be amended and such other arrangements made as may be necessary to the satisfaction of the Director of Legal Services and the Director of the Housing Centre, to develop the non-market housing site in Yaletown Edge, Site 3J (1125 Pacific Blvd.), at 90% of the 1998 Maximum Unit Budget allowed for the family non-market projects, subject to provincial funding being confirmed through a conditional allocation of units, and to the City proceeding with the public parking to be developed on Site 3J as contemplated in the Yaletown Edge Core-Needy Housing Agreement, by July 2000.

* * * * *

(c) 1998 City of Vancouver