P5
POLICY REPORT
BUILDING AND DEVELOPMENT
Date: July 11, 1995
Dept. File No. JH
TO: Vancouver City Council
FROM: Associate Director of Planning - Central Area
in consultation with
Manager of the Housing Center
SUBJECT: Gastown Land Use Plan - Proposed Terms of Reference
RECOMMENDATIONS
A. THAT the Terms of Reference for the Gastown Land Use Plan, as
described in Appendix B, be approved in principle, and staff
be authorized to refine them in consultation with the
community; and
B. THAT a budget allocation of $6,000.00 be approved to
supplement $4,000 already in the Planning Department's 1995
budget, to cover the costs of public consultation; source of
funds to be Contingency Reserve.
GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The General Manager of Community Services RECOMMENDS approval of A
and B.
COUNCIL POLICY
At a Public Hearing in September 1994, when considering an application
to add "Special Needs Residential Facility" (SNRF) as a conditional use
in Gastown (HA-2), Council refused the application and instructed the
Planning Department to undertake a Land Use Study of the HA-2 District.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this report is to obtain Council's approval, in
principle, of the draft Terms of Reference for the Gastown Land Use Plan
and approval of a budget for the City to undertake this work. A related
report on the East Downtown Housing Plan will also be before Council at
the same time.
BACKGROUND
The Province designated about 130 properties in Gastown as Historic
Sites in 1971. The City followed in 1974 with the creation of HAŸ2, a
specific zoning district for Gastown, which encompassed an area slightly
larger than the designated sites - see map in Appendix A. In the
immediately following years, there was a high level of civic staff
involvement in Gastown, much of which was focused on improvements to the
public realm.
Concern with the erosion of historic character in Gastown and Chinatown
led the City and the Province, in 1988, to participate in a joint study
with the goal of producing comprehensive heritage management plans for
both of these historic areas. The consultants who conducted this work
produced a body of recommendations, some of which have been implemented,
mostly in Chinatown. Their work can form the foundation for a revival
of this task in Gastown.
The Gastown Business Improvement Society and its predecessor, the
Gastown Historical Society, have prepared area plans from time to time.
Only one - the Gastown Community Action Plan, 1979 - has ever been
forwarded to City Council for endorsement. Their most recent document,
"Suggestions Leading to a Community Plan for Gastown", was discussed
with members of Council and City Officials in December 1992.
The need to complete a plan for Gastown is becoming more pressing:
there are increasing conflicts between middle and low income interests,
a changing context due to nearby megaprojects which may create new
opportunities and problems, and increasing frustration with building
code issues which hinder heritage conservation efforts.
DISCUSSION
Heritage Management Plan The preparation of a comprehensive heritage
management plan for Gastown is still a priority. The concerns that
precipitated the consultant study in the late 1980s remain. Since then,
individual decisions on land uses have become increasingly controversial
- e.g., 8 East Cordova, Bridge Housing and the nearby Woodwards project.
It is therefore considered appropriate that land use issues should be
the first area of work to be undertaken. The remaining components of
the Management Plan would follow - e.g., zoning regulations, design
guidelines, heritage incentives etc.
Terms of Reference for the Land Use Plan (detailed in Appendix B) The
objective of this work is to determine appropriate uses for the Gastown
historic area. The result of this work will likely include:
- a revised intent statement in the zoning schedule;
- revised lists of outright and conditional uses;
- new guidelines for some uses;
- possibly some new definitions for some uses;
- recommendations on upgrading and enforcement; and
- priorities for public investment.
It is intended that the following issues will be examined and
appropriate zoning actions or policies recommended. This list will
surely change as the work gets underway. A better understanding of the
relationship between land uses and the health of the historic district
will develop as the work unfolds.
- SNRFs - Should they be permitted? If so, what types?
- Market and non-market housing - Is there an optimal mix?
- SROs - Should more be permitted? How can existing ones be
upgraded?
- Social Service Centres - Who should they serve?
- Retail - Where should retail be required or not required?
- Tourism - What uses support tourism? Should the prime tourist
area correspond with the HA-2 boundaries?
- Entertainment - To what extent should entertainment uses be
permitted? How can conflicts with residents be minimized?
- Liquor - Should the current moratorium be modified?
- Speciality Uses - Should speciality uses, such as art
galleries or design businesses be specifically promoted?
- "Outright" vs. "conditional" controls - which uses should be
in each category?
- By-law limitations - What are the impacts of other by-laws
(e.g., Building, Parking) on the preferred uses?
Some of these issues (e.g., retail) can be dealt within the Gastown
community alone, whereas some issues (e.g., housing) are broader and
will need to respond to a larger context. In terms of housing, this has
been anticipated in the Draft Terms of Reference by noting cross
references to the East Downtown Housing Plan.
It is appropriate that Council's appointed advisory committee (GHAPC)
should be the focus for day-to-day community discussion for this work.
In preparation, GHAPC has struck a sub-committee consisting of five
members and has decided to augment this sub-committee with additional
five representatives to create a ten person task force. So far, the
sub-committee has suggested that the following be included: Four Sisters
Co-op, Affordable Housing Society, a social service agency, as well as
two property owners (from the GBIS) possibly an SRO owner and a cabaret
owner.
The Planning Department supports the approach of using an expanded task
force as a key component of the public consultation process. As with
any process, broader public dialogue would also be sought. In co-
operation with GHAPC, staff will convene general community discussion
and co-ordinate discussions with adjacent neighbours, on topics which
affect them. In addition, there will be an on-going information
programme of newsletters, etc. Special efforts will be made to involve
those who are typically difficult to reach.
This approach has been discussed with GHAPC on numerous occasions and,
although the Terms of Reference are still somewhat generalized, is
consistent with GHAPC's comments.
Relationship to Other Studies For issues, such as housing, liquor
licensing, major social service centres and greenways, etc., Gastown can
be seen as part of the larger east downtown or downtown area, and will
have to be integrated into studies on those topics. As part of the East
Downtown Housing Plan, for example, overall objectives will be framed
and Gastown's preferences will be discussed at the local level.
Gastown's special heritage status will be a significant factor in
recommending policies. These recommendations will be assessed in light
of the parallel East Downtown Housing Plan (Administrative Report dated
July 11, 1995 - A10 of the July 25, 1995 Council Package). In addition,
the information that will be provided through the consultant's work on
the East Downtown Impact Study will also be a valuable foundation to the
work of the Gastown Land Use Plan.
Social Service Centre issues, insofar as they affect Gastown residents,
will be dealt with in the Gastown Land Use Plan. Services that will be
required for the larger community will be better understood once the
Housing Plan and Impact Study are complete for all of East Downtown and
a profile of future residents can be compiled. A health and social
services study for the East Downtown area will likely be required after
the Housing Plan and Impact Study are completed. If so, it will be
conducted in consultation with GHAPC and staff will report back.
Budget This work item is on the work program of existing staff in the
Planning Department. Staff from other departments have been asked to
participate and have adjusted their work programmes accordingly. The
Planning Department has allocated $4,000 in its 1995 budget towards this
work. We have now reviewed the public consultation approach and require
an additional $6,000. This total amount would be used to pay for room
rentals, printing, mailing, advertising, facilitation, display
materials, equipment rentals and staff overtime.
CONCLUSION
The Gastown Land Use Plan is an important first step towards the
creation of a Heritage Management Plan for Gastown. This work had been
started some time ago, with inconclusive results. The need for this
work is increasingly pressing, and it is now appropriate to proceed,
parallel with work on the East Downtown Impact Study and the East
Downtown Housing Plan.
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