CITY OF VANCOUVER

POLICY REPORT
URBAN STRUCTURE

 

Date:

July 7, 2004

 

Author:

M. Shillito

 

Phone No.:

604 - 871 - 6431

 

RTS No.:

RTS 04297

 

CC File No.:

5302

 

Meeting Date:

July 22, 2004

TO:

Standing Committee on Planning and Environment

FROM:

Director of Current Planning, in consultation with General Manager of Parks and Recreation and all other relevant departments

SUBJECT:

Vancouver Community College – King Edward Campus Policy Statement

RECOMMENDATION

GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS

The General Manager of Community Services RECOMMENDS approval of the forgoing.

COUNCIL POLICY

PURPOSE

This report conveys to Council a Policy Statement containing recommended objectives and principles to be used in the evaluation of an anticipated rezoning application for several future stages of expansion of facilities at VCC’s King Edward Campus.

It should be noted that VCC has an imperative to meet funding timescales for the first phase of expansion and has been cooperative in entering into a process to consider the implications of longer term phases from the outset, in parallel with discussions over the first phase.

BACKGROUND

The King Edward Campus
VCC’s King Edward Campus occupies a rectangular 3.2ha (7.8 acre) area of land bordered by the 1100 Block of East Broadway to the south, Keith Drive to the east, Glen Drive to the west and Great Northern Way to the north. East 7th Avenue separates the campus into two full block parcels. The site and its context are illustrated on Figure 1: Site Context Plan.

The King Edward Campus was opened in 1983 and has become the most heavily utilized major college campus in British Columbia. The campus currently operates courses for High School Completion and Upgrading, Adult Special Education as well as a variety of vocational training programs. In addition to providing teaching, study and research space for these programs the campus includes various complementary facilities such as a bookstore, cafeteria and daycare.

Figure 1: Site Context Plan

VCC Development Needs
The King Edward Campus comprises some 25 176m² (271,000ft²) of floorspace and was designed to accommodate 1,800 full time equivalent (FTE) students upon opening in 1983. However, by the 2003-2004 academic year the campus was serving some 3,500 FTE students, and as a result VCC is experiencing critical space shortages for its current activities at the campus. In addition, the College is faced with the need to provide facilities for growth in order to continue to meet the ever increasing demands for education and job training from the residents of Vancouver.

VCC’s long-term analysis suggests that the King Edward Campus requires 63 638m² (685,000ft²) of additional floorspace to meet the projected needs of the community over the next 10 years or so. As well as resolving current space shortages this would enable an expansion in the student population to approximately 7,300 FTE over that timeframe.

As a first phase of development VCC’s priority is to build a Health Sciences and Music facility of approximately 15 500m² (166,840ft²). This would enable the campus to increase its capacity to approximately 4,000 FTE students. Beyond this first phase the exact composition of new development is less clear as it will depend on future Provincial funding priorities as well as VCC’s own program focus. In addition to providing for the College’s programs, new development will be required for complementary uses such as student-oriented food and retail facilities and amenities such as daycare. The Policy Statement is intended to be both robust and flexible enough to accommodate changes to the College’s plans and priorities as later phases of expansion are brought forward.

In order to meet VCC’s desired timeline for Provincial funding for the first phase of development, VCC has indicated the need to achieve rezoning approval by February 2005.

Summary of Planning Process to date
In December 2003 Council authorized staff to carry out a planning process for the King Edward Campus to develop a policy context in which to consider a rezoning application for expansion. Consultants to the College began a dialogue on site planning options with staff in mid-February 2004 to discuss expansion concepts, identify urban design and other policy issues and develop appropriate policy recommendations. Emerging proposals were considered at Urban Design Panel workshops on March 17 and April 28 (a summary of the issues raised is provided in Appendix D).

Public Open House meetings were held at the College on February 24 and April 1 and were attended by members of the local community as well as College students and staff (a summary of the consultation process and the issues raised at the Public Open Houses is provided in Appendix C). Widespread advanced notification achieved a significant turnout with a large component of students and staff, some of whom were local residents, as well as a limited number of neighbours.

A number of issues were raised by the local community, including:

In addition to addressing these specific areas of concern, the Policy Statement seeks to ensure that any potential negative impacts arising from the expansion proposals are adequately mitigated and that opportunities for public benefit are maximised. Further, in light of the relatively limited response from the local community, staff will proceed with a variety of further consultation techniques, informed by the success of the City Plans public process, to more fully engage the local community during the rezoning process. VCC has demonstrated a willingness to respond to the issues raised by the local community thus far and to continue to plan the expansion proposals in a neighbourly manner.

The Policy Statement seeks to provide a framework for the expansion of the King Edward Campus which is mindful of the fact that the site context is likely to undergo change during the period over which the campus is developed. This includes most notably the area to the north of the site which will be considered as part of the False Creek Flats planning process but also other potential areas of change elsewhere in the neighbourhood, including the residential blocks to the east and west. The evolving planning and development context to the campus will continue to be monitored as the rezoning of the site is assessed.

The College has also initiated discussions with the GVRD for the relocation of a sewer forcemain that runs diagonally across the site between Glen Drive and Keith Drive. The first phase of development depends on the successful relocation of the GVRD sewer forcemain.

DISCUSSION

Policy Statement Structure
The attached Policy Statement aims to synthesize the issues raised and provide a statement of principles which will guide the consideration of a forthcoming rezoning application. It is structured as follows:

Key Issues Addressed
The following briefly summarises key issues addressed within the Policy Statement:

Urban Design issues

Traffic and Parking

Community Amenity Strategy

PROPONENT’S COMMENTS

The contents of the Policy Statement have been reviewed with VCC and its consultant team. Whilst the College is generally in agreement with the principles enshrined within the Policy Statement, it has indicated concern over three issues. The College’s concerns are outlined in a letter attached as Appendix E and discussed below:

Parking requirements
VCC has expressed concern that the Policy Statement establishes the principle that parking should be provided on the site at a level which meets all of the campus-generated demand. This principle is intended to prevent overspill parking from the campus in the surrounding neighbourhoods.

VCC contends that some students and staff will continue to park off-site regardless of the availability of on-site parking or the cost of this parking. The College points to evidence of current parking behaviour, which indicates that a substantial proportion of students and staff park off-site despite the availability of cheap ($1.50 - $2 per day) parking on the campus. The College considers that the requirement to provide on-site parking to meet all of the demands of the student and staff population may result in over-provision of parking and associated costs.

Consistent with long-standing City policy, Staff consider that the provision of adequate parking on-site to meet the needs generated by the campus is an important requirement to ensure that overspill parking does not cause problems in surrounding neighbourhoods. This is particularly important given that new parking restrictions may be introduced in neighbouring areas during the period over which the campus is developed, thus removing or reducing the availability of off-site parking.

Staff do not wish the College to provide parking at a higher level than is needed as this could encourage use of the car to access the campus. To this end the Policy Statement ensures that a comprehensive Traffic Demand Management strategy will be put in place to reduce car use and encourage sustainable modes of travel to and from the campus. Staff intend to work with the College through the rezoning process to determine an appropriate level of on-site parking which will meet the College’s needs, without encouraging car travel, and minimize overspill parking.

Phasing of daycare facilities
VCC has expressed concern that the Policy Statement seeks to ensure that an expanded, permanent daycare facility be implemented as part of the first phase of development. Whilst the College supports the principle of providing the facility as part of Phase 1, it is concerned that it cannot guarantee that Provincial funding will be made available to achieve this.

Staff acknowledge the difficulties facing the College in achieving Provincial funding for the daycare but nevertheless consider that the provision of a permanent, expanded facility within Phase 1 is an important objective to meet amenity needs. Staff are supportive of the College in its efforts to achieve Provincial funding for the facility.

Phasing of measures to improve campus presence on Broadway
VCC has expressed concern that the Policy Statement seeks to ensure that measures to improve the presence of the campus on Broadway are implemented as part of the first phase of development. Whilst the College acknowledges the need for such measures, it is concerned that it cannot guarantee that funding will available to implement them within Phase 1.

Staff acknowledge the difficulties facing the College in achieving funding for these measures, but nevertheless consider that the improvement of the campus’ Broadway presence is a key urban design objective which should be implemented with the first significant level of new development on the site. Staff are however prepared to be flexible over how increased presence on Broadway is achieved within Phase 1 and to consider how enhancement measures can be phased in a manner which is commensurate with the level of new development taking place on the campus south of 7th Avenue.

CONCLUSION

The attached Policy Statement has been prepared following a public policy review process involving City staff, VCC and the local community. Adoption of the recommended Policy Statement would provide guidance for developing rezoning proposals for future development on the VCC King Edward Campus. The principles and objectives within the Policy Statement would be used to assess an anticipated rezoning application. These principles provide a framework within which detailed public discussions can be held during the rezoning stage to establish precise development parameters and identify conditions which will be required with any rezoning approval.

* * * * *

 

APPENDIX B
 

COUNCIL POLICY

Zoning Bylaw
Following a Public Hearing in June 1980, Council conditionally approved the rezoning of the site from M-1 (Industrial District) and RM-3A (Multiple Dwelling District) to CD-1 (Comprehensive Development District). The Zoning Bylaw sets out the key development parameters for the site, as follows:

Permitted Uses

· Accessory uses customarily ancillary to the above, including off-street parking and loading.

Floor Space Ratio

Off-Street Parking

View Preservation
One of the conditions of the rezoning was that the detailed scheme of development be first approved by the Director of Planning, having due regard to “…view preservation from Broadway…”. This related to the previous, partially open and public use of the site and the views achieved across it.

In September 1980 the Development Permit Board conditionally approved the subsequent Development Application, which comprised a form of development which established view corridors from Broadway to the Downtown skyline and North Shore mountains. Although these views are not among the view cones formally approved by Council, the Council-approved form of development for the site reflects the clear intention to preserve views of the Downtown and North Shore Mountains from this part of Broadway.

 

APPENDIX C
 

SUMMARY OF PUBLIC OPEN HOUSES

Consultation Process
Both Open Houses were held on the campus and were publicised by the following means:

The names and addresses of attendees of the Open Houses, as well as their comments, were recorded. Attendees were categorised as to whether they were connected to the College (i.e. students or staff) or whether they were local residents (It should be noted that some people connected to the College were also local residents). The attendance and issues raised are summarised below.

Attendance and Issues Raised

Open House 1 (February 24 2004)
The first Open House provided information about VCC’s development needs and aspirations and sought feedback on general issues of interest or concern.

Attendance

Issues raised

Local community

Staff / Students

· General queries relating to the type and quality of new facilities to be provided on the campus.
· The desire to maximise views to the north from buildings and spaces within the campus.
· The need to improve circulation around the site and to provide easy access to the new facilities.
· The need to increase the visual presence of the buildings on the site and make them more attractive, especially from     Broadway.
· The quality, range and amount of outdoor space that would remain after completion of the development.
· The need for additional or improved amenities on the campus that the public could use as well as students and staff e.g. library, food and beverage services, day care, social relaxing spaces and recreational/fitness spaces.

Open House 2 (April 1 2004)
The second Open House presented site development concepts which responded to the issues raised at the first Open House.

Attendance

Issues raised

Local community

Staff / Students

APPENDIX D
 

SUMMARY OF URBAN DESIGN PANEL WORKSHOPS

Workshop 1 (March 17 2004)
Staff introduced the project and planning process and explained that advice was sought on the key principles and conceptual directions. The Proponent’s Architect reviewed the site context and outlined the issues to be considered. The following summarises the Panel’s comments on each of these issues:

Principles and Overall Concept

Height and Density

Broadway Frontage

7th Avenue Crossing

Great Northern Way

Streetscape / Neighbouring Development

Workshop 2 (April 28 2004)
Staff introduced the workshop and provided clarification of the intent and status of the view corridors across the site from Broadway. Staff outlined the latest urban design proposals and requested advice on the following key issues:

The Panels comments on each of these issues is summarised below:

View corridors / Broadway presence

The Spine

7th Avenue Pedestrian Bridge

Density Distribution and Scale

APPENDIX E
 

PROPONENT’S COMMENTS

pe20040722.htm

 

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