Agenda Index City of Vancouver

POLICY REPORT
DEVELOPMENT AND BUILDING

TO:

Vancouver City Council

FROM:

Director of Current Planning

SUBJECT:

CD-1 Text Amendment - 1750 East 10th Avenue

 

RECOMMENDATION

GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS

COUNCIL POLICY

· On August 11, 1970 City Council enacted CD-1 By-law No. 4510, which rezoned 1750 East 10th Avenue from RT-2 Two-Family Dwelling District to CD-1 Comprehensive Development District to permit a medical office building.
· In 1987, Council approved the Broadway Station Area Plan which confirms the retention of the existing land use on this site.
· In 1998 Council adopted the Kensington Cedar-Cottage Community Vision, which identified an extension of a linear park through the western portion of this site.
· In August 2001 Council adopted the Broadway/Commercial C-3A Guidelines which identifies this site as a "choice of use area".

PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

This report assesses an application to add General Office as a permitted use in CD-1 No. 63 and recommends that the application be approved as it is consistent with Council adopted policy which identifies this as a "choice of use" site in the Broadway/Commercial commercial district.
DISCUSSION
General Office Use: This old CD-1 By-law permits only "medical office building with customarily ancillary uses." The applicant has stated that over the last four years, demand for medical office space has been on the decline due to changes in the medical system. Increasingly general practitioners are seeking association with larger "storefront clinics" rather than maintaining smaller medical office clinics or an office of their own. The applicant has stated that this trend has led to persistent vacancies in the building at 1750 East 10th Avenue. Currently the building is 10% vacant. The applicant states that amending the CD-1 by-law to allow General Office use will reinvigorate the building and its surrounding neighbourhood.

Staff note that the current vacancy rate for this building is about average for the Broadway Corridor, which had an overall vacancy rate of 9.1% in the third quarter of 2001. Nevertheless staff believe that the addition of General Office use as a permitted use in this building will increase potential tenants for the building and may assist in reducing vacancy over the long term.

Adding General Office use will also address neighbourhood concerns over the concentration of health care offices in the area. Public consultations related to the Broadway/Commercial SkyTrain Station Precinct in 1999 and 2000 identified a neighbourhood concern about the concentration of health care offices in the area due, in part, to problems associated with dispensing of methadone and the clientele that is attracted for this reason. Staff concluded that increased employment in the office sector is a basic component of an economic revitalization strategy for the area, and one that could make good use of the availability of SkyTrain and bus service found there. This CD-1 site was subsequently shown as a "choice of use" site in the Broadway/Commercial C-3A Guidelines.

Staff note that adding General Office use to this CD-1 zoned site may also result in less traffic and parking demand as compared with the building if occupied with 100% medical offices. As General Office use has lower parking requirements than Medical Office use, no additional parking spaces will need to be provided over the current 84 spaces.

Grace MacInnis Park: A Council-endorsed Community Vision direction for Kensington-Cedar Cottage supports a northward extension of Grace MacInnis Park to connect with the Grandview Cut. Currently this greenway which runs next to the SkyTrain guideway ends just south of 12th Avenue. The extension would include the western portion of the subject site, presently developed as surface parking. Staff do not support the extension of the park through the site at this time because the area is needed to meet the parking requirements of the existing development. Should comprehensive redevelopment of the site be proposed at some time in the future, the feasibility of achieving the greenway extension would be examined.

Staff-Proposed Further Amendments: The current CD-1 By-law references only the permitted use for this site with no regulations. Staff recommend further amendments to the By-law, specifying the floor space ratio and height presently built on the site, as well as current use terms to include all possible medical office type uses, and to accommodate the small existing pharmacy. This will bring the CD-1 By-law up to current standards in terms of format and content. Any redevelopment that may be proposed for this site in the future would be assessed on its merits, considering all relevant Council policies through a rezoning process.

CONCLUSION

Staff support the proposed amendment to include General Office use within the existing building as it is consistent with Council-approved policy which identifies this as a choice of use site. Staff recommend further amendments to the CD-1 By-law to bring it up to current standards and to reflect the current form of development.

- - - - -

DRAFT AMENDMENTS TO CD-1 (63) BY-LAW NO. 4510

The current CD-1 By-law permits a medical office building with customarily ancillary uses. No regulations are prescribed and the form of development is controlled only by Council resolution. The following amendments are proposed:

Uses: The currently permitted uses would be replaced by: General Office, Health Care Office, Health Enhancement Centre, Retail Store limited to a pharmacy of no greater than 93 m² in size, Uses customarily ancillary to the above.

Floor Space Ratio: would reflect the current building at 0.95

Height: would reflect the current building at 22.3 m

Off-Street Parking and Loading: Parking, loading , passenger spaces, and bicycle parking are to be provided according to the Parking By-Law, except that a maximum of 84 spaces, as built, need be provided. The Director of Planning may relax, upon advice of the City Engineer, any provision of the Parking By-Law where it is determined that no adverse impacts will be created for surrounding sites.

APPENDIX B

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Site, Surrounding Zoning and Development: This CD-1 zoned site is located on East 10th Avenue immediately to the east of the SkyTrain right of way, and bounded by commercial uses in the C-3A District to the north and west and multiple dwellings in the RM-4 and RM-4N Districts to the south and east. The entrance to the Broadway/Commercial SkyTrain Station is located one block north. A Safeway store and associated parking lot is located across the street, on the north side of 10th Avenue.

Existing Form of Development: The existing building is 5 Storeys 22.3 m (73 ft.) high measured to the top of a mechanical penthouse. It contains approximately 3237 m² (34,850 sq. ft.) gross floor area with 84 surface parking spaces on its east, south and west sides. There is a well maintained 3.0 m (10 ft.) landscaped setback along 10th Avenue, as well as a 2.1 m (7 ft.) landscaped setback along the eastern property line and a 1.2 m (4 ft.) setback and screening along the east/west lane. The total existing floor space ratio for the site is 0.95.

Proposed Development: The addition of General office use as a permitted use within the existing building is proposed. There is no change proposed to the form of development.

Environmental and Social Implications: The proposed rezoning neither contributes to nor detracts from the objective of reducing atmospheric pollution.

There are no major positive or negative social implications to this proposal. There are no implications with respect to the Vancouver Children's Policy or Statement of Children's Entitlements.

Applicants Comments:

"The report of January 22, 2002, as provided, has been reviewed and is acceptable."

APPENDIX C

APPLICANT, PROPERTY, AND DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL INFORMATION

APPLICANT AND PROPERTY INFORMATION

Street Address

1750 East 10th Avenue

Legal Description

Lot H, Block 162, DL 264A,PLan 13790

Applicant

Porte Realty Ltd.

Architect

NA

Property Owner

Eastvan Holdings Ltd.

Developer

NA

SITE STATISTICS

 

GROSS

DEDICATIONS

NET

SITE AREA

3402 m² (36,620 sq. ft.)

---

3402 m²(36,620 sq. ft.)

DEVELOPMENT STATISTICS

 

DEVELOPMENT PERMITTED UNDER EXISTING ZONING

PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT

ZONING

CD-1

CD-1 (amended)

USES

Medical Office Building

General Office
Health Care Office
Health Enhancement Centre
Retail Store - limited to a pharmacy of no greater than 93 m²

FSR

(Not Stated)

0.95 (as built)

HEIGHT

(Not Stated)

22.3 m (73 ft.) (as built)

PARKING

(Not Stated) 84 parking spaces
currently provided

As per Parking By-law, with Director of Planning relaxation provision

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