Agenda Index City of Vancouver

POLICY REPORT
URBAN STRUCTURE

TO:

Standing Committee on Planning and Environment

FROM:

Director of Current Planning

SUBJECT:

Special Review Process for Higher Buildings in the Downtown

 

RECOMMENDATION

GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS

COUNCIL POLICY

On April 22, 1997, Council adopted a General Policy for Higher Buildings (see Appendix "A" for more details) which included provisions for:

· considering buildings up to 600 feet on identified sites in the Central Business District;
· requiring that the buildings should not exceed the height limits of the Council-approved view corridors;
· requiring that the buildings exhibit the highest order of architectural excellence; and
· requiring that the buildings be the subject of a special review process, including review by staff and the Urban Design Panel and approval by the Development Permit Board with advice from a special panel of respected community leaders and notable design experts, and City Council.

The General Policy for Higher Buildings indicates that buildings up to 400 feet in height and exceeding the 300-foot height limit could be considered in the northwest corner of the Central Business District.

PURPOSE

This report recommends the approach for establishing Vancouver's Higher Building Advisory Panel (HBAP) and outlines the procedures under which it will operate. Council's General Policy for Higher Buildings calls for the establishment of such a panel and a special review that supplements the City's usual design review process. This report also recommends an approach to proceed with an HBAP for a proposal in hand at 550 Bute Street.

BACKGROUND

The Downtown Vancouver Skyline Study examined a variety of building heights and the resulting skylines. Council resolved that some higher buildings could be considered in the Central Business District, north of Robson Street between Howe and Bute Streets. The opportunities for buildings significantly exceeding existing permitted heights is limited with a total of five sites where buildings exceeding 450 feet are possible and two sites in the northwest corner of the Central Business District where heights exceeding the 300 foot limit are possible.

DISCUSSION

Composition of the Higher Buildings Advisory Panel

It is recommended that the HBAP be an advisory body appointed by City Council for each higher building that is considered. It is suggested that it be composed of not less than seven members who are appointed by Council as follows:

· four renowned architects or urban designers who are members of their respective institutes in their home communities (with at least one who is a member of the Architectural Institute of British Columbia);
· one member nominated by the Downtown Vancouver Association;
· one community representative from Vancouver at large; and
· the chair of the Urban Design Panel.

An HBAP panel should be appointed by Council for each proposal for a building proposing signficant height increases through Council's General Policy for Higher Buildings and that each HBAP will disband upon completion of the review for which it was convened. It is proposed that the appointed members will receive an honorarium, similar to that received by City Councillors attending regional meetings. Out-of-town members should be reimbursed for travel and lodging costs.

Function and Authority

Staff suggest that, similar to the Council-appointed Urban Design Panel, the HBAP should give impartial, professional advice to the Director of Planning, City Council and Development Permit Board on any proposal encompassed by the General Policy for Higher Buildings. The HBAP will provide a special review supplementing the review provided by the Urban Design Panel and it will particularly focus on architectural excellence for a building which will be prominent in the city's skyline.

In particular, the HBAP should be mandated by Council to give advice on significant rezoning or development permit applications which significantly exceed the height limits established by Section 4 of the Downtown District Official Development Plan and as described in the General Policy for Higher Buildings.

The HBAP will function exclusively in an advisory capacity, making recommendations. The HBAP will not have the authority to approve or refuse projects or to make policy decisions. The HBAP may endorse or not endorse a proposal with or without design development commentary.

Meetings

HBAP meetings should be convened on a project-specific basis when required with a minimum of one meeting for each project. Similar to Urban Design Panel meetings, HBAP meetings will occur in public and the HBAP will not entertain or hear public delegations, other than the presentation from the applicant.

Procedure

The HBAP will elect a chair, other than the chairperson of the UDP, and will conduct the meetings in the following manner:

First Meeting:

· After staff's introductory presentation, the applicant and the applicant's representatives present the project to the HBAP with the panel discussing the urban design and architectural merits of the project.
· The panel will focus on the architecture of the building to ensure that it is of the highest excellence in world terms.
· Minutes of the meeting are kept by a recorder and distributed to the applicant and all relevant City staff and approving authorities.
· A second follow-up meeting may be necessary in cases where the HBAP concludes that there is a need for significant design development of the proposed building. However, it is assumed, for budgetary purposes and setting the fee, that there will be no more than one meeting of the full panel, due to the cost of lodging and travel for some members.

Meeting with the Urban Design Panel:

· The regular Urban Design Panel review of the project will occur as per normal procedures. The HBAP review is seen as an adjunct to this normal process to ensure the highest architectural excellence and merit from the best peer advisors in the world. In cases where the HBAP review precedes the Urban Design Panel review, the chair of the HBAP or their representative may join the Urban Design Panel in their review of the project and present the summary comments of the HBAP but, of course, would be excused from voting with the Urban Design Panel.

Other HBAP Chair Duties:

· The HBAP chair, or the Chair's representative, will present the summary comments of the HBAP to Council and/or the Development Permit Board at time of the Public Hearing and/or the Board meeting as the case may be.
· For development applications the HBAP may present its comments at either the preliminary and/or complete development permit applications, as determined on a project by project basis.

Selection of the HBAP members:

It is recommended that the selection of the members of the HBAP should occur by the Director of Current Planning and the City Clerk reporting to Council with a list of potential members, in consultation with the Architectural Institute of British Columbia. Council will then chose the HBAP from the list of nominees.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

The cost of each review is estimated at $9,600. It is recommended that the cost for undertaking the review by the HBAP be covered by a development permit or rezoning fee. Staff will report back with an amendment of the Zoning and Development Fee By-law to establish a fee for the consideration of development or rezoning applications which include the following two conditions:

· a proposed increase in the permitted height of a building signifcantly above that currently permitted in the Downtown District Official Development Plan; and further
· the proposed height increase is within the parameters of Council's General Policy for Higher Buildings (See Appendix `A').

Gearing Up an HBAP for the 550 Bute Street Proposal

There is a development application in hand for a 400 foot high (37 storeys) mixed use (hotel and residential) building at the northeast corner of Bute St. and Melville Streets. Since no fee is now required by the Zoning and Development Fee By-law, the applicant could wait or could offer to cover the cost of the additional review ($9,600) by a voluntary contribution. So as not to stall that development proposal, the applicant should be asked to contribute the cost. If this occurs, the Director of Current Planning and the City Clerk should report back as soon as possible with nominees for the HBAP for this proposal.

CONCLUSION

In 1997 after considering the conclusions of the Downtown Skyline Study, Council resolved that buildings significantly exceeding current height limits should be subject to an additional review process to ensure that the building exhibits the highest possible architectural excellence. The establishment of a Higher Buildings Advisory Panel is recommended to provide this review and advice to Council, the Development Permit Board and staff.

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General Policy for Higher Buildings

The following should be considered when reviewing proposals for higher buildings (i.e. exceeding current height limits):

· building significantly exceeding current height limits will only be permitted in the area identified in the map below;

· the highest buildings (i.e. 575-600 feet ) should be on one of downtown Vancouver's three primary streets - West Georgia, Granville and Burrard;

· the building should exhibit the highest order of architectural excellence;

· the building should achieve other community benefits such as being a recipient site for density transfers or density bonusing relating to heritage retention or the provision of significant cultural or social facilities or low cost housing;

· it should not involve the demolition of a Class "A" heritage building;

· where possible, the building should include activities and uses of community significance such as a public observation deck or other public amenity;

· the development should provide on-site open space that represents a significant addition to downtown green and plaza spaces;

· the buildings should not contribute to adverse microclimate effects;

· signage on buildings should not be located at a height which exceeds the current height limits (i.e. 300 feet or 450 feet depending on the current height zone);

· the building should be the subject of a special review process which includes, in addition to the current review requirements (which includes review by staff and the Urban Design Panel and approval by the Development Permit Board), a review assessing architectural excellence with input from a special panel of respected community leaders and notable design experts, and approval by Council;

· the proposed must be in the area identified in the map below.

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