Vancouver City Council |
POLICY REPORT
DEVELOPMENT AND BUILDING
Date: February 4, 2004
Author/Local: J Baxter/6656
RTS No. 03855
CC File No. 5302
Meeting Date: February 24, 2004
TO:
Vancouver City Council
FROM:
Director of Current Planning, in consultation with the Director of Legal Services and the General Manager of Engineering Services
SUBJECT:
Text Amendment: Mini-Storage Warehouse
RECOMMENDATION
A. THAT the Director of Current Planning be instructed to make application to amend the Zoning and Development By-law to:
(i) add and define Mini-Storage Warehouse as a use term in Section 2; and
(ii) permit this use as a conditional approval use in the C-3A, C-7, C-8, FC-1, MC-1, MC-2, M-1, M-1A, M-1B, M-2, I-1, I-2, I-3, IC-1, IC-2, HA-1, HA-1A and HA-3 District Schedules;
generally as outlined in Appendix A, together with the draft Mini-Storage Warehouse Guidelines generally as presented in Appendix C;
FURTHER THAT the Director of Legal Services be instructed to prepare the necessary by-law generally in accordance with Appendix A;
AND FURTHER THAT the application be referred to a Public Hearing.
B. THAT if the rezoning is approved, at the time of enactment the by-law be accompanied by an amendment to the Parking By-law to provide parking and loading regulations for Mini-Storage Warehouse generally, as outlined in Appendix B;
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FURTHER THAT the Director of Legal Services be instructed to prepare the necessary by-laws for enactment pending approval of the rezoning generally in accordance with Appendix B.
GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The General Manager of Community Services RECOMMENDS approval of the foregoing.
COUNCIL POLICY
The Zoning and Development By-law does not define Mini-Storage Warehouse as a listed use. Development applications, involving a proposal for a mini-storage warehouse, are currently dealt with under the broader land use term Storage Warehouse.
SUMMARY AND PURPOSE
This report recommends that Mini-Storage Warehouse be listed and defined as a separate use in the Zoning and Development By-law and permitted as a conditional approval use not only in the IC-1 and IC-2 District Schedule but also in other, industrial, commercial and historical districts, specifically C-3A, C-7, C-8, FC-1, MC-1, MC-2, M-1, M-1A, M-1B, M-2, I-1, I-2, I-3, HA-1, HA-1A and HA-3, and to adopt Mini-Storage Warehouse Guidelines to assist staff and applicants in the evaluation of these proposals. Parking and loading requirements more appropriate for mini-storage warehouse use, as distinct from storage warehouse use, are also introduced.
DISCUSSION
Existing Situation: Staff recently encountered a situation involving a property zoned IC-1 (Industrial District) located in the Burrard Slopes neighbourhood for which an outright development permit was issued to allow for the construction of a 4-storey warehouse (mini-storage) with ancillary office use. Construction is now underway, and staff have received numerous complaints from adjacent property owners about the building's high, blank fortress-like concrete walls and the lack of sensitivity to the streetscape which has a variety of mixed-use, small frontages and ground floor office and showroom commercial uses in the area.
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The Zoning and Development By-law does not define or list Mini-Storage Warehouse as a separate use. Since the concerns raised about the above-noted development application, staff have used Section 3.2.Z of the "Use" sections in the applicable district schedules, which means that any development application involving a Mini-Storage Warehouse is considered to be "similar to" a Storage Warehouse, and therefore, is a conditional use.
With more and more new, multi-residential developments occurring across the city, there appears to be an increasing demand for mini-storage warehouses. These mini-storage warehouses provide opportunities for individuals to rent, or lease, separate self-storage units within a larger building and store their personal effects, in relative close proximity to their residences. Most of these mini-storage warehouses are large, box-like structures, and currently there are no guidelines to assist staff in the assessment of these proposals which, depending on their location, may require a more sensitive urban design response to achieve a compatible form of development with adjacent properties.
Proposed Use: In anticipation of other proposals for mini-storage warehouses, this report
recommends that Mini-Storage Warehouse be listed and defined as a separate use in the Zoning and Development By-law and permitted as a conditional approval use not only in the IC-1 and IC-2 Districts but also in the other industrial, commercial and historic districts that currently allow Storage Warehouse either as an outright or conditional use.While we could continue to use Section 3.2.Z of the applicable district schedules to consider a development application involving a Mini-Storage Warehouse, if a new land use term "Mini-Storage Warehouse" is defined and introduced into Section 2 (Definitions) of the Zoning and Development By-law, there is clarity for staff and applicants.
Parking and Loading: The Parking By-law does not stipulate a parking and loading requirement specifically for a mini-storage warehouse. Consequently, the storage warehouse requirement can be used in calculating the number of parking and loading spaces needed for a mini-storage warehouse; however it typically results in too many parking spaces, and a shortfall in small-sized loading spaces.
Based on previous consultant studies, Engineering staff have established alternate, interim parking and loading requirements for recent mini-storage warehouse developments. This interim requirement had the support of the applicants who were involved with the recent developments.
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The result is that a mini-storage warehouse provides less parking spaces, since there are fewer employees on-site, and more loading spaces to meet the needs of users, with three-fourths of the loading spaces down-sized to reflect the smaller-sized vehicles used at mini-storage warehouse sites. During 2003, Engineering staff examined a number of mini-storage warehouse sites in the city, and now recommend that the Parking By-law be amended to introduce parking and loading requirements for mini-storage warehouse as outlined in Appendix B.
Mini-Storage Warehouse Guidelines: This report recommends that Council adopt a set of design guidelines which will assist staff in the evaluation of future mini-storage warehouse proposals. While the main activities of a mini-storage warehouse are such that individuals visiting the premises require a certain degree of privacy and security within the building which results in a box-like design, staff believe that there are opportunities to provide for a form of development that is more compatible with adjacent properties.
This objective may be achievable through a combination of individualized tenancy unit design, building articulation, pedestrian entrance definition or any other architectural features which provide pedestrian interest along abutting streets. It would assist in eliminating the possibility of totally blank, uninterrupted building facades,which can be generally inconsistent with neighbouring properties in those zoning districts which allow for a mix of non-industrial and industrial uses.
CONCLUSION
This report recommends that Mini-Storage Warehouse be listed and defined as a separate use in the Zoning and Development By-law and permitted as a conditional approval use in the C-3A, C-7, C-8, FC-1, MC-1, MC-2, M-1, M-1A, M-1B, M-2, I-1, I-2, I-3, IC-1, IC-2, HA-1, HA-1A and HA-3 District Schedules, subject to Council-adopted guidelines as outlined in Appendix C. Parking and loading requirements more appropriate for mini-storage warehouse use, as distinct from storage warehouse use, are also introduced as outlined in Appendix B.
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APPENDIX A
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PROPOSED ZONING AND DEVELOPMENT BY-LAW AMENDMENTS
MINI-STORAGE WAREHOUSEBy-law amendments will be prepared generally in accordance with the provisions listed below and are subject to change and refinement prior to By-law posting:
Section 2 [Definitions]
Add as a Transportation and Storage Use:
"Mini-StorageWarehouse means the use of a wholly enclosed building for the storage of personal property in self-contained, self-storage units, each of which units has separate and exclusive access from either the exterior or interior of the building."
Section 3 of Various District Schedules [Conditional Approval Uses]
Include "Mini-Storage Warehouse" as a conditional Transportation and Storage use in the C-3A, C-7, C-8, FC-1, MC-1, MC-2, M-1, M-1A, M-1B, M-2, I-1, I-2, I-3, IC-1, IC-2, HA-1, HA-1A and HA-3 District Schedules.
APPENDIX B
Page 1 of 1PROPOSED PARKING BY-LAW AMENDMENTS
MINI-STORAGE WAREHOUSEBy-law amendments will be prepared generally in accordance with the provisions listed below and are subject to change and refinement prior to By-law posting:
New Section 4.2.6.x - Under Column 1, insert "Mini-Storage Warehouse"; and, under Column 2, insert "A minimum of two spaces for visitors to be situated in proximity to the office, at least one of which is sized to accommodate a Class B loading vehicle, as prescribed in Section 5 of this By-law. Parking for office staff is required as per Section 4.2.5.1 of this By-law. One additional parking space is required if a caretaker resides on the premises."
New Section 5.2.x - Under Column 1, insert "Mini-Storage Warehouse". Under Column 2, Class A, insert "A minimum of one space per 620 square metres of gross floor area." Under Column 2, Class B, insert "A minimum of one space per 1 860 square metres of gross floor area."
APPENDIX C
DRAFT MINI-STORAGE WAREHOUSE GUIDELINES
These are draft amendments which are subject to change and refinement by staff prior to the finalization of the agenda for the Public Hearing:
"1 Application and Intent
These guidelines are to be used in conjunction with those district schedules of the Zoning and Development By-law which conditionally permit Mini-Storage Warehouse, and should be consulted in seeking consideration for this use. These guidelines are primarily intended to improve the design of these typically large industrial style buildings in central city contexts or in other prominent locations along major arterials. While providing general guidance in all situations, these guidelines are not intended to be applied in a comprehensive way in less prominent locations in outlying industrial areas.
Mini-storage warehouse is a conditional use in all industrial, and some commercial and historic districts and therefore this use could locate in a variety of urban contexts. These guidelines are intended to address two basic urban contexts - current or potential future pedestrian-oriented areas, or major arterial locations. For those sites deemed by the Director of Planning to be in a central city context with current or potential future pedestrian orientation, or sites located on a major arterial, the following should be considered:
2 General Design Considerations
2.2 Street Character
All developments should incorporate along all abutting streets a combination of display windows, individualized tenancy unit design, landscaping, building articulation, pedestrian entrance definition via a recess or projecting canopy, or any other architectural features which facilitate pedestrian interest, to the satisfaction of the Director of Planning.
2.3 Orientation
Where a building occupies a corner site, facade articulation, architectural features, lighting, and related facade elements should be incorporated so as to orient the building to the corner and the widest abutting street, or as otherwise determined by the Director of Planning.
4 Guidelines Pertaining to the Regulation of the Zoning and Development By-law and the Parking By-law
4.2 Frontage
(a) General "big box" designs that exhibit little facade interest and transparency to the street are not acceptable.
(b) Building articulation can be achieved by utilizing a variety of architectural design elements, including expression of the building's functional components or modules, glazing, canopy and shading systems, and architectural features.
(c) The first storey floor level should be as close as possible to street grade. No portion of the floor of the first storey along an abutting street should be more than 1.0 m above or below grade at the street property line.
4.4/ Front Yard and Side Yards (and setbacks)
4.5
(a) A front and side yard or other setbacks may be required by the Director of Planning to permit additional landscaping or architectural features.
4.9 Off-street Parking and Loading
Garbage storage areas and pick-up areas and off-street parking and loading facilities should be located at the rear of the property, and enclosed or screened to the satisfaction of the Director of Planning.
5 Architectural Components
5.1 Roofs and Chimneys
Rooftop mechanical systems,and other appurtenances should be carefully integrated into the building's architectural expression.
5.2 Windows and Skylights
Transparent window area with clear glass should be maximized on the exterior wall surface of the first storey along each abutting street (50% of exterior wall area is the objective). The exterior wall surface on every upper storey along each abutting street should also incorporate clear glass window area to assist in breaking up blank walls.
5.3 Entrances, Stairs and Porches
(a) The first storey should include the main pedestrian entrance, lobby or reception area and should be designed and oriented to achieve maximum visibility to the abutting street, or, in the case of a corner site, to the corner or the widest abutting street, or as otherwise determined by the Director of Planning.
(b) Vertical service elements, such as stairs and elevators should be located to the perimeter of the building to assist in building articulation, as well as to express their function.
5.5 Exterior Walls and Finishing
Provision of high quality exterior materials and detailing, particularly at the pedestrian level is encouraged.
8 Landscaping
8.1 Streetscape
(a) Landscaping should be provided on site, where appropriate, to improve the appearance and amenity of the development from the street and lane.
(b) Street trees and proper sidewalk treatment may also be required, to the satisfaction of the Park Board and the General Manager of Engineering Services."
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