ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

TO:

Vancouver City Council

FROM:

Director of Current Planning

SUBJECT:

Heritage Revitalization Agreement and Designation -
1411-1427 W 11th Avenue

 

RECOMMENDATION

GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS

COUNCIL POLICY

Council's Heritage Policies and Guidelines state that buildings "identified in the Vancouver Heritage Register have heritage significance" and that "the City's long-term goal is to protect through voluntary designation as many resources on the Vancouver Heritage Register as possible."

Council's policy on heritage designation states, in part, that legal designation will be a prerequisite to accepting certain bonuses and incentives.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this report is to seek Council's approval for an increase in density, together with other variances, at 1411-1427 West 11th Avenue in exchange for the rehabilitation and designation of the four "C" listed heritage buildings as municipally Protected Heritage Property.

BACKGROUND and SUMMARY

The site is located at 1411-1427 West 11th Avenue in the RM-3 Zoning District and is comprised of four legal parcels totalling 30.5 m (100.0 ft.) wide by 38.1 m (125.0 ft.) deep with an area of 1161.5 m² (12,500 sq.ft.). The site is located between Granville Street and Hemlock Street on the north side of 11th Avenue. (See site map Appendix A.)

The owner, Quigg at West 11th Properties Ltd. ("Quigg"), has submitted a Development Permit Application (DE407142) proposing to move forward and rehabilitate the four existing "C" listed heritage houses on the site and to construct a courtyard and seven, four-storey townhouses at the rear of the site in an infill building (See Appendices B and C). Variances are required to the RM-3 District Schedule including: floor space ratio; height; front, side and rear yards; and, horizontal and vertical angles of daylight. The applicant has requested to enter into the recommended Heritage Revitalization Agreement (HRA) with the City to vary the zoning accordingly. A relaxation to the Parking By-law will be dealt with through the development application process.

DISCUSSION

Heritage Value: The four heritage houses at 1411, 1417, 1423, and 1427 West 11th Avenue were constructed circa 1912 and represent good examples of modest period houses in an area with few remaining examples. The architectural detail on the houses is typical of elements found in larger Arts and Crafts houses, such as gable-end half-timbering, bell-cast shingling to delineate the second storey, and some stained glass to the front windows. As a group, these four houses constitute a significant streetscape element and contribute to the heritage character of the area.

Compatibility of Conservation with Community Planning Objectives: The intent statement of the RM-3 District Schedule is to "...permit medium density residential development, including high-rise apartment buildings, and to secure a higher quality of parking, open space and daylight access through floor area bonus incentives."

While RM-3 does not make reference to preservation of the neighbourhood character, the applicant is proposing a low-rise development while preserving heritage buildings important to the neighbourhood character, in keeping with Council's city-wide heritage policies. The proposal, incorporating all four heritage buildings, is to move them forward and introduce a courtyard within the central area of the site and to add a new multiple dwelling building at the rear along the lane frontage. The four heritage buildings were originally built in veryclose proximity to each other as well as to their neighbouring property lines. By moving these buildings forward, it affects the livability of some of the adjacent building's apartment units while improving others. See "Notification" section, page five, for a full discussion. With respect to the proposal's fit with the existing streetscape and lane context, staff's assessment is that the proposed development strengthens the neighbourhood character by introducing massing of similar scale to its surroundings and retaining and restoring the group of heritage houses.

Development Proposal & Compatibility With Land Use Regulations: A HRA is proposed between the City and the owner of this site. The HRA would enable the zoning variances described below to make conservation of the heritage buildings viable. The HRA and Designation will require any subsequent changes to the buildings to be subject to a Heritage Alteration Permit (HAP) and will require replication of the heritage buildings in the event of damage or destruction.

RM-3 Zoning District Schedule Variances

Regulation

Required Minimum or Permitted Maximum

Proposed Variation

Front Yard Depth

minimum 6.10 m (20.01 ft.)

not required for heritage buildings *

Height

maximum 10.7 m
(35.1 ft.)

maximum 11.9 m
(39.1 ft.)for multiple dwelling

West Side Yard Depth

minimum 2.10 m (6.89 ft.)
& contained within a 135° angle

minimum 2.11 m (6.92 ft.) for multiple dwelling
minimum 0.20 m (0.67 ft.)
for heritage buildings

* Primary building face setback is 4.24 m (13.92 ft.); stairs project to property line.

East Side Yard Depth

minimum 2.10 m (6.89 ft.)
& contained within a 135° angle

minimum 2.11 m (6.92 ft.)
for multiple dwelling
minimum 0.46 m (1.52 ft.)
for heritage buildings

Rear Yard Depth

minimum 7.65 m (25.10 ft.)

minimum 4.55 m (14.92 ft.)

Floor Space Ratio

1.0 plus some conditional bonusing as per s.4.7 to maximum 1.39

maximum 1.80

Horizontal Angle of Daylight

required for all buildings and for all sides/elevations as per s.4.10

not required

Vertical Angle of Daylight

required for all sides of site as per s.4.11

not required

Principal Building

maximum one as per s.10.1
of Zoning & Development By-law

maximum five

Parking Relaxation: The Parking By-law requires 30 parking stalls for the proposed 15 units but has a relaxation provision for applications proposing to conserve a heritage building. Using this provision and following past practice, the Director of Planning would be inclined to support the requested relaxation of 4 stalls for a total of 26 stalls provided, should Council support the requisite HRA.

DCL Variance: The recommended HRA would also vary the Vancouver DCL By-law to reduce the levy from $26.91 to $0.ll per m² ($2.50 to $0.01 per sq.ft.). The DCL is only being varied for the newly added floor space of approximately 975.45 m² (10,500 sq.ft.) as existing floor space is exempt. This variance represents an approximate value of $26,155 to help off-set the cost of retaining and rehabilitating the heritage houses.

Condition of the Property & Economic Viability of the Conservation: The existing heritage houses' exterior cladding, finishes and details are intact requiring only minor maintenance (e.g. scraping, painting, etc.) with no apparent evidence of settling or other damage to the building fabric. They will be renovated to provide two dwelling units per building with rehabilitation of exterior finishes and detail to the front elevations. These houses will also be upgraded to meet Vancouver Building By-law requirements.

The additional floorspace, if approved, will enable the rehabilitation and designation of the buildings to occur. The Manager of Real Estate Services advises that the additional floorspace, including all variances and the DCL reduction previously described, would not provide the applicant with an extraordinary profit, based on an analysis of this proposal. The owner is prepared to enter into the HRA and designation with the City, to accept the variances as just and fair compensation for designation, and to waive future claims to compensation.

Comments of the Vancouver Heritage Commission: The Vancouver Heritage Commission reviewed and supported the proposal and requested variances on January 13, 2003, subject to minor design revisions which will be addressed through staff conditions to the development application.

Neighbourhood Notification: Staff undertook two notifications for this application. The first notification of 262 property owners in a one-block radius for a public open house/information session was followed by a second notification of all housesholds within the same notification area (including all tenanted units) in preparation for a second public open house. General support was expressed at both open houses.

The only concerns raised, from the owners and property manager of the adjacent rental apartment building to the east (1405 West 11th Avenue), focussed on two issues: (1) impacts from parking and traffic, specifically congestion, pollution and noise in the rear lane; and, (2) impacts on the livability of the existing residential units in the neighbouring apartment building to the east. As typically done, comparisons between an outright development and the proposed were made to assess traffic issues and livability impacts.

Regarding traffic issues, the proposed development would provide underground parking for only three more cars than the outright development (26 cars as opposed to 23). The contribution of additional lane traffic as a result of the proposed heritage development would be relatively minor, no more than five or six vehicles in the busiest hours of the day. In light of these two factors, staff have concluded that the issue lies with the traffic management of the whole lane which is in close proximity to the busy portion of the Granville Street shopping area. Therefore, staff are organizing discussions between the concerned neighbours, applicants and the Neighbourhood Transportation Branch of the City of Vancouver. Traffic calming measures and more general neighbourhood traffic management strategies will then be explored.

Regarding the second concern about liveability impacts on their apartment building, staff undertook a technical analysis comparing the livabilty impacts between the outright and the proposed. The analysis indicated that the heritage proposal had on balance slightly lessnegative impact on views, light and privacy than the outright. Notwithstanding, there are still measures that the developer (Quigg) could do, as a good new neighbour, to mitigate impacts. To this end, staff, Quigg and the neighbouring building owners are currently in discussion to devise possible mitigation measures which may include Quigg funding installation of new windows and skylights in his neighbour's apartment building. These collaborative discussions between Quigg and the owners to the east (1405 W 11th Avenue), and the general support from the other surrounding neighbours, indicate to staff that this proposal is being well-received in the community.

CONCLUSION

Council's long-term policy is to protect heritage resources through voluntary designation. The owner of 1411-1427 West 11th Avenue has agreed to the heritage designation of the buildings in return for the land use variances to the RM-3 District Schedule and the DCL reduction in the recommended HRA. The owner has agreed that the retention of the buildings is economically viable and that they will not seek any compensation from the City in the future. Designation and the HRA will ensure that they are protected from inappropriate alterations or demolition in the future.

The Vancouver Heritage Commission reviewed and supported the proposal. The neighbourhood has been consulted, comments received, and overall support expressed. Staff's conclusion is that the merits of the heritage proposal exceed the outright development in the comparative analysis of urban design impacts on the neighbouring property. In addition, there is the public benefit from heritage retention and rehabilitation of four listed heritage houses and their long-term protection. Therefore, it is recommended that Council support the requisite HRA and amend Schedule A of the Heritage By-law to designate 1411 -1427 West 11th Avenue as Protected Heritage Property.

ph20030528.htm

Link to Appendices A, B and C

Comments or questions? Send us e-mail at info@city.vancouver.bc.ca
© 2002 City of Vancouver