Agenda Index City of Vancouver

POLICY REPORT
URBAN STRUCTURE

TO:

Standing Committee on Planning and Environment

FROM:

Director of Current Planning

SUBJECT:

687 Howe Street: Proposed CD-1 Text Amendment

 

RECOMMENDATION

GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS

COUNCIL POLICY

PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

This is to report on a rezoning application submitted on June 25, 2002 which is contrary to the Council-approved View Protection Guidelines and the General Policy for Higher Buildings. The application proposes a building height which would significantly encroach into a view corridor height limit established in the View Protection Guidelines. It thereby fails to meet an important requirement established in the General Policy for Higher Buildings. The Director of Current Planning therefore recommends that the application be REFUSED.

BACKGROUND

Site, Context, and Surrounding Zoning: The 2 787 m² (30,000 sq. ft.) site is located in Area A of the DD where the greatest densities (floor space ratio 9.0) and building height, 137 m (450 ft.), may be approved in the Downtown. The 12-storey Hotel Georgia, at the corner of Georgia and Howe Streets, is a designated "B" heritage building. Adjacent to the hotel, and fronting Howe Street, the site is currently developed with a 4-storey parkade with retail at grade.

Figure 1. Site and Surrounding Zoning


Surrounding development includes the Hong Kong Shanghai Bank of B.C. Building (22 storeys) across the lane, the Metropolitan Hotel (17 storeys) immediately abutting to the north, the Four Seasons Hotel at Pacific Centre (32 storeys) across Howe Street, and the Art Gallery and Courthouse Square across Georgia Street to the south.

Recent Rezoning: An application was approved at Public Hearing on June 13, 2002 to rezone the site to CD-1 to allow for residential use in a 50-storey mixed-use hotel-residential tower, to increase the maximum building height (to top of habitable space) from 137 m (450 ft.) to 141.7 m (465 ft.), and to increase total building height (to top of mechanical and decorative roof) to 154.4 m (506.6 ft.). The new tower would replace the existing parkade adjacent to the heritage Hotel Georgia. The approved CD-1 by-law incorporates heritage bonus density previously provided in a Heritage Revitalization Agreement approved in 1998, and provides for the transfer of some additional heritage density from a donor site elsewhere. The total density of the approved development is 18.0 FSR over the whole site. The effective density for the new tower on its site is 30.8 FSR . The proposed building is architecturally excellent.

Proposal: The present application proposes to amend the recently-approved CD-1 By-law to increase the maximum building height (to top of habitable space) from 141.7 m (465 ft.) to 171.0 m (561.2 ft.). This is an increase of 29.3 m (96.17 ft.). The residential ceiling heights would be generally increased from 2.4 m (8 ft.) to 2.7 m (9 ft.) to accommodate air conditioning, and the number of stories would be increased from 50 to 56 to allow tapering in the upper floors.

Total building height (to top of mechanical and decorative roof and all appurtenances) is proposed to be increased from 154.4 m (506.6 ft.) to 182.9 m (600 ft.), an increase of 28.5 m (93.4 ft.). [Note: The total building height calculated for view protection includes all appurtenances such as mechanical/elevator penthouses, decorative roofs and aerials. Maximum building height for zoning purposes is calculated only to the roof parapet of the uppermost occupied space.]

No increase in floor area is proposed, and the distribution in floor area between hotel and dwelling uses would remain unchanged.

The applicant also proposes a roof garden on the existing Georgia Hotel and a "sky lobby" in the proposed new tower which would be at the rooftop level of the existing hotel and provide access to the garden. It is proposed that both spaces, the lobby and garden, be accessible to the general public.

The applicant's submission includes a rationale for the proposed height increase based on several considerations. It also reviews three studies of the proposed additional height undertaken by the applicant: City Skyline Analysis, Urban Context Analysis, and Building Design Analysis. Among the materials provided is a massing comparison between the current and proposed alternate scheme (see Appendix B). The tower encroachment above the maximum height specified for buildings in the Cambie/12th view cone is also illustrated in photomontage (see Appendix C).

View Protection Guidelines: The height limits in the Central Business District were originally set in the 1960's and confirmed in 1975. View Protection Guidelines were approved on December 12, 1989 and amended on December 11, 1990. These guidelines established a number of view corridors in the downtown with height limits to protect public views of the north shore mountain backdrop from a variety of vantage points in the city (12 Outlying Area View Corridors, including Cambie Street @ 10th/11th Avenues and Cambie Street @ 12th Avenue) and to protect selected close-in views of the mountains from locations south of the downtown peninsula (14 False Creek View Corridors). It is essential that these corridors be consistently respected and this has occurred since their adoption. Once one building intrudes into a particular corridor, there is little rationale for not allowing all other new buildings to intrude, since the view will be compromised or lost.

General Policy for Higher Buildings: Following the completion of the Downtown Vancouver Skyline Study, initiated by Council in May 1996, a General Policy for Higher Buildings was adopted on May 6, 1997. These guidelines are to be consulted when seeking discretionary approval for buildings significantly exceeding the height limits established in the Downtown District Official Development Plan. The policy identifies five sites in the Central Business District (CBD) where there is opportunity to exceed the applicable maximum building heights of 91.4 m (300 ft.) or 137.2 m (450 ft.). It also sets out several factors to be addressed when considering proposals for higher buildings. An essential factor that is not negotiable is to respect all view corridors adopted by Council. (See Additional Information in Appendix A).

DISCUSSION

Staff have not assessed this application in the usual manner for the reason that it is clearly contrary to City policies.

The site is one of six in the Downtown District identified in the General Policy for Higher Buildings as a probable site for the development of a higher building (see map in Appendix A, page 4), but a building of 600 ft. was never contemplated. There is a view corridor height limit of 154.4 m (506.6 ft.) at this location established in the View Protection Guidelines (Cambie Street /12th Avenue view cone) which must be respected and which was alwaysreferenced for this site as a limitation on how tall a building it should accommodate. Development according to the recently approved rezoning of the site would reach this limit. The present application proposes to encroach into this view corridor by 28.5 m (93.4 ft.), as described above.

The Downtown Vancouver Skyline Study completed in 1997, which resulted in the adoption of the General Policy for Higher Buildings, enjoyed extensive participation by many interested and concerned city residents. It also confirmed the value and soundness of the View Protection Guidelines, adopted in the previous decade, for the discretionary approval of building heights in the Downtown and other districts. Under no circumstances was it ever intended that the objectives for several higher than normal buildings would involve denial of established view protection limits.

It is most difficult in this context to contemplate a proposal for a higher building which wishes not to respect height limits and other considerations established on the basis of broad consensus. Staff offer these three preliminary observations:

· The proposed higher building would extend above the height of Vancouver Centre and, together with that building, would predominate over the mountain backdrop at this location. The proposed higher building would thus compete with rather than complement the natural setting.

· The site is very small and extraordinarily constrained for such a tall building. It barely has enough space for its own program much less the level of public amenities expected when a higher than normal building is considered. Public policy objectives have already been stretched to the limit to justify the height of building already approved. A building of an even greater height as proposed in this application would sit very uncomfortably on this small site.

· The General Policy for Higher Buildings calls for the tallest buildings to be located on Vancouver's three primary streets, West Georgia, Granville and Burrard Streets. While the overall project has been addressed off West Georgia Street, the new building in question is not on West Georgia Street but is separated from it by the historic Georgia Hotel building. The new building is accessed and has its primary frontage off Howe Street, a secondary Downtown street.

Staff cannot discern a public purpose to be served by encroaching into a view corridor limit which seeks to protect the mountain backdrop of the downtown skyline. Staff are also concerned that this first proposal for a higher building since the General Policy for Higher Buildings was adopted seeks exceptions to criteria and considerations established throughrigorous analysis and extensive public process. Accordingly, staff recommend that the tower fully comply with the View Protection Guidelines.

Further comment should be offered with respect to three of the criteria set out in the General Policy for Higher Buildings:

· 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;

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

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

In response to these requirements, the application proposes a roof garden above the existing Georgia Hotel and a "sky lobby" in the proposed new tower which would be at the rooftop level of the existing hotel and provide access to its proposed roof garden. It is proposed that both of these spaces, the lobby and garden, be accessible to the general public. While the project is a recommended site for higher buildings, staff do not believe that this proposed "sky lobby" and rooftop garden represent an adequate and appropriate response to providing a significant amenity for the public. A hotel lobby is certainly not significant or special. At best the rooftop garden represents some additional green space on a site that is already very limited in such open space because of its unusually constrained size.

APPLICANT'S COMMENT

The applicant has provided written comments attached as Appendix D (5 pages).

CONCLUSION

On the basis of existing Council-approved policies and guidelines, this application should not be considered. This building is already approved significantly over the Downtown District ODP height limit and it is approved at the maximum height supported by the Downtown Vancouver Skyline Study. It is essential that the few buildings that reach the absolutely maximum height envisaged in the Skyline Study and resulting Policy for Higher Buildings be exemplary in not only architectural design but also in the public amenity and spacious open space that it provides - and preferably that it include a significant public facility. This proposal is simply trying to do too much on such a small, constrained site. The Director of Current Planning strongly recommends that the application be REFUSED.

* * * * *

finalagenda.htm

APPENDIX A

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

General Policy for Higher Buildings:

On May 16, 1996, Council initiated a Downtown Vancouver Skyline Study in response to growing comment that Vancouver's skyline lacks visual interest, does not have a peak and is becoming flat, and needs some taller buildings that reflect Vancouver's contemporary image. Others are worried that views of the north shore mountains and natural setting are being lost or compromised as tall buildings proliferate.

In order to have a clear City policy for considering buildings that exceed current height limits, Council directed staff to undertake a Skyline Study to identify potential prototypical skylines for the future and recommend a preferred skyline. A consultant was hired, a special Advisory Committee was appointed, and a program of public review was established. A series of open houses and a public meeting were held in October, 1996 to assist in identifying key vantage points for examining the skyline and directions for preparing skyline prototypes.

The Skyline Study prepared 5 prototypical skylines

· a 'build out' skyline (resulting from no change in current height regulations),
· a landmark skyline (tallest buildings at 600 ft.),
· a landmark skyline (tallest buildings at 750 ft.),
· a gap-toothed skyline, and
· a dome-shaped skyline.

These prototypical skylines were created by hypothetically locating taller new buildings on a selected number of 76 potential development sites in the downtown peninsula and illustrating them from eight vantage points. In January and February, 1997, a second series of public open houses in a variety of locations and a public meeting offered the opportunity to review the prototypical skylines and identify a preferred skyline.

Several thousand citizens became aware of this study and approximately 1,000 people reviewed the presentation boards between January 25th and February 5th. There were 221 comment sheets submitted by participants. The following were the key themes expressed by the public during these events:

· The skyline should complement, not compete with the natural setting.
· The north shore mountains should clearly be predominant, especially 'the Lions'.
· The skyline should work with the topography and water features.
· The skyline is an important symbol of the city.
· Landmark buildings should achieve a variety of community objectives.
· Landmark buildings should achieve a high degree of architectural excellence.

Staff evaluated the 5 prototypical skylines with consideration of the following factors:

· relationship to the natural setting (mountains and water);
· the location of the Central Business District is easily identified;
· providing visual interest;
· impact on sensitive areas such as residential neighbourhoods and parks;
· impact on the economic and business functions of the downtown;
· practicality of creating the skyline through height regulations and the straightforwardness of administration;
· level of public support for the skyline.

Based on the analysis above and comments from the public and the Advisory Committee, and since no one prototype best balanced urban design objectives and public preferences, staff and the consultants recommended a skyline which combined attractive features of several of the prototypes and incorporated the following principles:

· the mountain backdrop remains a predominant element in the skyline;
· the buildings do not block 'the Lions' from most vantage points south of False Creek;
· buildings significantly exceeding current height limits are limited to the Central Business District, generally north of Robson Street, to minimize blockage of the mountains from locations south of False Creek;
· building heights should step down as they approach the water;
· there are enough sites for taller buildings to ensure that one or two owners will not have a monopoly on the opportunity to develop a tall building exceeding current height limits.

The recommended skyline involves allowing buildings in the current 450-foot high zone to go up to 600 ft.. Buildings exceeding the current height limits would all be in the Central Business District, generally north of Robson Street. A review of existing development sites and view corridor limitations indicated there were 5 practical opportunities for buildings to exceed 450 ft. (see map on page 4). In two locations, there is the opportunity to go up to 600 ft.. In other locations, heights would range from 475 ft. to 550 ft. due to view cone restrictions. It was also recommended that proposed increases in height above the maximums established in the DD (Downtown District) Official Development Plan should have to meet criteria and be the subject of a special review process.

This option was recommended because:

· it addresses the desire, as expressed by some people, for more visual interest and shaping of the skyline;
· the 600-foot high landmark buildings will generally keep buildings below the ridge of the mountains and not block 'the Lions' from most vantage points south of 12th Avenue;
· it provides clear direction on the locations where the current height limits may be relaxed significantly and designates the Central Business District as the only location where this may occur;
· it clearly identifies the Central Business District as the centre of the downtown; it has minimal impacts on sensitive areas (eg. residential neighbourhoods) of the city;
· it would have minimum impact regarding view blockage or the sense of encroaching tall buildings from vantage points south of False Creek.

The following criteria were recommended, and subsequently approved by Council, to be considered when reviewing proposals for higher buildings:

· buildings significantly exceeding current height limits will only be permitted in the area identified in the map below;
· the highest buildings (i.e., 575-600 ft. 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 ft. or 450 ft. 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; and
· the proposal must be in the area identified in the following map.

LINK TO APPENDICES B, C AND D.

 

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