POLICY REPORT
DEVELOPMENT AND BUILDING

Date: December 14, 2000
Author/Local: DThomsett/7796

RTS No. 01764

CC File No. 5302

Council: January 9, 2001

TO:	Vancouver City Council
FROM:	Director of Current Planning
SUBJECT:	Text Amendment: Southeast Granville Slopes - Public-Oriented Uses

RECOMMENDATION

THAT the Director of Current Planning be instructed to make application to amend the Southeast Granville Slopes Official Development Plan to permit residential or public-oriented uses on the ground level of street frontages generally in accordance with Appendix A.

GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS

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

COUNCIL POLICY

There is no policy directly relevant to this report.

PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

This report reviews a request to convert a vacant two-storey ground-level commercial space to residential space and recommends that the Granville Slopes Official Development Plan be amended to permit conversion of spaces along the quieter frontages from commercial to residential use, providing the residential use is developed in a "townhouse" format with individual front doors to the sidewalk.

BACKGROUND

The Southeast Granville Slopes Official Development Plan (SEGS) was adopted in 1984. The neighbourhood forms the western-most area of the former B.C. Place development site and is located just west of the Granville Bridge between Beach Avenue and the Harbour Headline. It is fully developed.

SEGS calls for a variety of public-oriented uses on certain ground-level frontages along streets, public walkways and the waterfront, defined as "those uses which rely on direct pedestrian access in the conduct of their operations, and which provide visual interest to passers-by". These include restaurants, small-scale shops and other activities available to the general public.

Diagram 1, below, shows ground-level frontages within SEGS that are required to be developed with public-oriented uses. The diagram, which lacks a legend, is interpreted to mean that the frontages with heavy solid lines must be developed with public-oriented uses, while those with heavy dotted lines may be developed with other uses permitted in the official development plan, including residential.

Diagram 1: Existing Requirements for Ground-Level Uses

DISCUSSION

1500 Howe Street Inquiry: Staff received a rezoning inquiry on behalf of the owner of 1500 Howe Street advising that a two-storey restaurant space at the southerly end of their development has been vacant for 11 years despite being on the market for sale or lease. The inquirer asked if the City would look favourably at rezoning the property to permit conversion of the space into three or four townhouse units. The inquirer was advised that staff would support the general principle of permitting such conversions along the quieter edges in SEGS, and will pursue a general amendment without necessitating single-site rezonings.

Lackluster Commercial Activity: With the exception of two waterfront restaurants and a few shops along the east side of Howe Street and on Beach Avenue, most other ground-level frontages in SEGS where public-oriented uses are required contain either vacant storefronts or offices approved as interim uses. One space contains a fitness centre to serve the building above, and another frontage was built with residences at ground level. Very little of the envisaged pedestrian-oriented commercial street life has materialized in the quieter parts of the neighbourhood.

Residential Option: To increase visual interest, a preferred option to vacant store fronts and faceless office space is residential development of the sort already existing on the adjacent CD-1-zoned 888 Beach Avenue development. The "townhouse" component of that development faces the SEGS Neighbourhood along Hornby and Howe Streets and along Seabreeze Walk. Each of the units has its own front door facing the public sidewalk, and there are no stacked units.

Recommended Amendment: Staff recommend that the quieter ground-level frontages shown as "changed requirement" on Diagram 2, on the next page, be permitted to be developed with either residential use or public-oriented uses, while the frontages close to the waterfront and close to Beach Avenue would continue to be required to be developed with public-oriented uses. The residential use must be in a "townhouse" format, including the main entry and formal front door at the sidewalk, three steps up if practical, and with no stacked units unless upper-floor dwelling units already exist. Front patios would not be permitted as these have proven to become unsightly elsewhere in False Creek, and sliding doors would not be permitted as these are considered to be too suburban in character for this neighbourhood. A legend would be added to the diagram to clarify the way the solid and dotted lines should be interpreted.

Public Input: Staff have not advised the neighbourhood of this report because the problem of vacancies and lackluster office use has been long identified, and the choice of residential use in a "townhouse" format at the recommended locations is expected to be welcomed bylocal residents. Should Council decide to refer an application to a Public Hearing, staff will notify surrounding property owners in the normal manner.

Diagram 2: Proposed Requirements for Ground-Level Uses

CONCLUSION
Staff conclude that the requirement in SEGS to develop a number of ground-level frontages with public-oriented uses was overly ambitious, resulting in vacancies and lackluster interim office space. Staff recommend that the Director of Current Planning be instructed to make application to amend the SEGS ODP to permit frontages in the quieter parts of SEGS to be occupied with either public-oriented uses or residential use in a "townhouse" format, and that the application be forwarded to a Public Hearing and be approved.

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APPENDIX A

DRAFT AMENDMENTS TO THE SOUTHEAST GRANVILLE SLOPES ODP

Uses: Amend the diagram illustrating where public-oriented uses are required at grade level [Diagram 4 of subsection 6.1 "Uses"] to:

· permit public-oriented use or residential use on ground-level frontages along parts of Hornby Street, Howe Street and Seabreeze Walk as illustrated in Diagram 2 of this report.

· Add a legend to show that the heavy solid line means public-oriented use is required, and the heavy dotted line means public-oriented use or residential use is required.

Amend the Conditions of Use section [subsection 6.2] to:

· require that where residential use may be permitted at grade, this must include dwelling units where the main entry and front door of each unit face the public sidewalk, raised above grade by three steps where practicable. Units may not be stacked one above the another unless upper-floor dwelling units already exist. Front patios and sliding doors will not be permitted.

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