Vancouver City Council

	NOTICE OF MEETING   Special Council Meeting   AGENDA
		DATE:	Tuesday, May 1, 2007
		TIME:	7:30 p.m.
		PLACE:	Council Chamber Third Floor, City Hall

PLEASE NOTE:

•  A complete video stream of the meeting will be available the day following the meeting.

•  Agendas and reports are available on the City of Vancouver web site at http://www.vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/councilmeetings/meeting_schedule.cfm approximately one week before the meeting date.

•  Note from Meeting Coordinator: Council agreed to refer enactment of the By-law amendments to the Regular Council meeting on May 15, 2007.

•  Minutes from the meeting. These Minutes will be adopted at the Regular Council Meeting on May 29, 2007.

For information, or to register to speak, please call Nicole Ludwig, Meeting Coordinator at 604.871.6399, e-mail nicole.ludwig@vancouver.ca

 

ROLL CALL

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

1.   Single Room Accommodation (SRA) Draft By-law

Vancouver City Council, at its meeting immediately following the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment meeting on February 15, 2007 , approved the following motion, which includes a referral to a public meeting in order to hear from speakers:

A. THAT Council, having conditionally approved conversion or demolition permits for the following SRA- designated properties, and as the conditions have been met and the resulting conversion or demolition permits issued, now approve the removal of the following properties from Schedule A of the SRA By-law:

.

434 Richards Street   (Empress Rooms);

909 Richards Street   (Roseberry House);

746 Richards Street   (Passlin Hotel);

24 Water Street   (Grand Hotel); and

.

FURTHER THAT Council, having authorized an exemption from the requirements of the SRA By-law of all 19 SRA-designated rooms at the following property, now approve the removal of this property from Schedule A of the SRA By-law:

    347 West Pender Street (New Backpackers Hotel).

B.  THAT Council authorize the Director of Legal Services to bring forward amendments to the SRA By-law and any consequential changes to the License By-law, generally in accordance with the draft amendments attached as Appendix A of Policy Report Single Room Accommodation (SRA) By-law Status Report , dated November 30, 2006, that would:

•  remove from Schedule A of the SRA By-law the properties listed in A above;

•  increase the conditional $5,000 per room fee to $15,000 per room, which Council could attach to the approval of a conversion or demolition permit for deposit into the City's reserve fund for the creation of replacement housing; subject to a report back on the success of achieving the City's minimum 1:1 replacement policy for low income housing;

•  require Council to consider the recent history of an SRA hotel when presented with an application to convert or demolish its designated rooms;

•  require an owner or operator of an SRA building to maintain for each designated room a standardized "room registration form" (Appendix E of Policy Report Single Room Accommodation (SRA) By-law Status Report , dated November 30, 2006 );

•  require an owner or operator of an SRA building to identify on the business license specific room numbers of the maximum 10% of SRA units which are available for rent to temporary guests; and

•  include provisions that would improve the effectiveness of and promote compliance with the By-law; and

  FURTHER THAT the draft By-law be referred to a public meeting, following the format of a public hearing, to provide an opportunity for persons to make their views known to Council.

C. THAT Council consider on a case-by-case basis the requirement for applicants wishing to demolish SRAs to enter into a Housing Agreement to secure affordability; and

  FURTHER THAT staff report back in one year with an update on the SRA by-law, including SRO losses, the development of replacement housing, the appropriate conditional fee, and any emerging issues.

 

The previously distributed Policy Report dated November 30, 2006 is attached for information .

 

Note from Meeting Coordinator: the proposed amended SRA By-law is available on the Housing Centre's webpage

RISE FROM COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

 

ADOPT REPORT OF COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

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