POLICY REPORT
DEVELOPMENT AND BUILDING

	Date: May 26, 2000
	Author/Local: RWhitlock/7814
	RTS No. 01382
	CC File No. 5304-1
	Council: June 13, 2000

TO: Vancouver City Council

FROM: Director of Current Planning

SUBJECT: CD-1 Text Amendment: 800 Griffiths Way (General Motors Place)

RECOMMENDATION

THAT the application by Brook Development Planning, Inc. to amend the existing CD-1 By-law No. 7201 for 800 Griffiths Way (Lot 221, False Creek Plan, LMP 12038), to permit brewing or distilling, thereby permitting off premise sales, be referred to Public Hearing, together with:

(i) a draft CD-1 By-law amendment, generally as contained in Appendix A; and

(ii) the recommendation of the Director of Current Planning to approve;

THAT the Director of Current Planning be instructed to make application to amend the False Creek North Official Development Plan to permit Brewing or Distilling Uses in Sub-Area 7a, generally as contained in Appendix A;

FURTHER THAT the Director of Legal Services be instructed to prepare the necessary By-law amendments for consideration at Public Hearing.

GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS

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

COUNCIL POLICY

… False Creek North Official Development Plan (adopted April 10, 1990); and
… CD-1 By-law No. 7201 for 150 Pacific Boulevard North (currently addressed as 800 Griffiths Way), enacted October 19, 1993

PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

This report assesses an application to permit the sale of brewery products from General Motors Place at 800 Griffiths Way to other liquor licensees through the BC Liquor Distribution Branch. In the summer off-peak season, the brew pub, licenced to Molson Breweries, will produce more than it can serve in the stadium. If this application is approved, excess product could be sold off site.

As the overall brew pub proposal inclusive of off premise sales has minor benefits, in that deliveries to and from the site are marginally reduced, and no opposition has been voiced, the Director of Current Planning recommends that the application be referred to Public Hearing and approved.

DISCUSSION

Background: In 1993, Council approved CD-1 zoning for General Motors Place Stadium.

On January 28, 1999, the Vancouver Liquor Licencing Commission considered a request from Orca Bay Arena Corporation for a Manufacturer's License (Brewery) andrecommended approval. On February 17, 1999, Council considered the recommendation and approved:

"...the request by Orca Bay Arena Corporation for a Manufacturer's License (Brewery) in the Class `E' Stadium at General Motors Place, 800 Griffiths Way, subject to:

iv) a signed Good Neighbour Agreement prior to issuance of the business license;
v) no off premise sales unless the applicant applies for and is granted a rezoning approval of the CD-1 By-law permitting `Brewing or Distilling' as an allowable use; and
vi) no retail off-sales from the premises."

In June 1999, Development Application DE404099 was approved by the Director of Planning, permitting an addition of approximately 55 m¾ (592 sq. ft.), as well as alterations to change the use of approximately 104.5 m¾ (1,125 sq. ft.) of the arena to Neighbourhood Public House, with ancillary service use (brew pub).

This rezoning application is pursuant to clause (ii) above.

Use: The Orca Bay Arena Corporation has entered into a lease agreement with Molson Breweries to construct and operate a 10 hectoliter brewery/brew pub on levels 300 and 400 of the stadium, in an area previously occupied by the Orca Bay Grille. It will be developed to produce beer for sale to patrons of General Motors Place. The manufacturing capability of this brewery is similar in size and operating characteristics to other nearby establishments, including Dix Barbeque and Brewery, Yaletown Brewing Company and Steamworks.

This application to permit the manufacturing use "Brewing or Distilling" would enable sale of excess product to other licensees and government liquor stores. This is not a request for a retail beer store on the site. There will be no perceptible change in form or function of General Motors Place associated with this application, particularly in respect to its impact on the neighbourhood.

Staff from Planning, Engineering Services, Social Planning, Environment Health and the Police Department have no objection to the addition of this use to the CD-1, provided the proposed brewing uses are subordinate to the pub use on the site, and there will be no retail off-premise sales. To secure this objective, staff have recommended a 160.0 m¾ (1,722 sq. ft.) maximum limit on the floor area that could be committed to the manufacturing component. This area is equal to that approved for the neighbourhood public house.

Consequential Amendment: Rewording is required for the False Creek North (FCN) Official Development Plan (ODP), as outlined in Appendix A, to permit "Brewing and Distilling" in sub-area 7a of the ODP where General Motors Place is located. Staffrecommend the Director of Current Planning be instructed to make application to amend the ODP, and the application be approved.

CONCLUSION

Planning staff support this application as it will permit a more efficient operation of General Motors Place, with no impacts on the form or function of the facility and minimal impact on the neighbourhood.

- - - - -

APPENDIX A

PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO CD-1 (311) BY-LAW NO. 7201

Use: … Amend Section 3 (Uses) to add Manufacturing Uses, including only Brewing or Distilling, to a maximum of 160.0 m¾ (1,722 sq. ft.)

PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO FALSE CREEK NORTH (FCN)
OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN (ODP)

Add a new subsection to Section 3.2 Land Use:

"3.2.9 Other Uses

Other uses may be permitted at the sub-area rezoning stage. Such uses are intended to be supplementary to the principal uses outlined in the preceding sections, and should be compatible with surrounding existing or permitted uses."

Replace the existing Section 7(a):

"5.9 Area 7(a)

In addition to office, this area may include a regional cultural and recreational facility. Detailed traffic analysis will be required at the sub-area zoning stage."

with:

"5.9 Area 7(a) General Motors Place

The principal stadium/arena use, General Motors Place, may be augmented with uses which are seen to be supplementary to the stadium operation and compatible with surrounding existing or permitted uses. Other uses may include office and manufacturing (limited to brewing or distilling)".

APPENDIX B

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Site Description: General Motors Place is zoned CD-1 Comprehensive Development District ( No. 311) which permits cultural and recreational uses, notably the existing General Motors Place stadium/arena, retail, office and services uses.

Loading: The current loading facilities associated with General Motors Place will be adequate to support the new use. The current loading bays can handle up to 36 deliveries daily, from 7 a.m. to 7p.m., a capacity which far exceeds that required, especially in the off-peak season.

The applicant's traffic analysis has indicated that there will be no net increase in truck or loading traffic associated with the proposed use. The approval of the brewing uses within General Motors Place may result in a net decrease in deliveries to the site, from the level before the brewing uses were approved. Before on-site brewing was approved, approximately 200 kegs were delivered weekly. The brewery will produce approximately 100 kegs weekly, reducing additional keg deliveries to two trucks per week. Demand is expected to exceed supply in the peak season. The export of product off-site will likely only occur in the off-peak season, when the loading demand is simultaneously lower. All product leaving the brewery each week would be loaded into a single truck. Therefore, granting permission to sell the excess brewery product will not negatively impact the neighbourhood or affect the loading capacity of the site.

Comments of the City Engineer: The City Engineer has no objection to the proposed rezoning.

Public Input: A notification letter was sent to 280 nearby property owners on February 15, 2000 and rezoning information signs were posted on the site on February 24, 2000. No response has been received to this application.

CACs: There are no Community Amenity Contributions associated with this application.

Environmental Implications: The proposed text amendment neither contributes significantly to, nor detracts from, the objective of reducing atmospheric pollution.

Social Implications: There are no major positive or negative social implications to this proposal.

Comments of the Applicant: The applicant concurs with this report.

APPENDIX C

APPLICANT, PROPERTY AND DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL INFORMATION

APPLICANT AND PROPERTY INFORMATION

Street Address	800 Griffiths Way
Legal Description	Lot 221, False Creek Plan, LMP12038
Applicant	Brook Development Planning Inc.
Property Owner	Orca Bay Arena Corp.

SITE STATISTICS

	GROSS	DEDICATIONS	NET
SITE AREA	18 698.7 m¾ (201,278 sq. ft.)	-	18 698.7 m¾ (201,278 sq. ft.)

DEVELOPMENT STATISTICS

	DEVELOPMENT PERMITTED UNDER EXISTING ZONING	PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT
ZONING	CD-1	CD-1 amended
USES	Cultural and recreational, office, retail and service	Add "Brewing or Distilling" manufacturing, to a maximum of 160.0 m¾ (1,722 sq. ft.)
MAX. FLOOR SPACE RATIO	1.52	Unchanged
MAXIMUM HEIGHT	91.0 m	Unchanged
PARKING SPACES	412	Unchanged

* * * * *

Comments or questions? You can send us email.

(c) 1998 City of Vancouver