ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
BUILDING AND DEVELOPMENT
Date: Oct. 03, 1995
Dept. File No. GMcG
TO: Vancouver City Council
FROM: Director of Land Use and Development
SUBJECT: Floor Space Relaxation and Heritage Designation -
225-255 Broadway
RECOMMENDATION
A. THAT Council supports a floor space relaxation of 465.2 m›
(5,008 sq. ft) from 3.0 FSR to 3.73 FSR as proposed in
Development Application DE400089;
B. THAT Council approves the designation of the principal facades
of the Vernon Building at 225-255 East Broadway, listed on the
Vancouver Heritage Register in the "C" evaluation category, as
a Protected Heritage Property.
GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The General Manager of Community Services RECOMMENDS approval of A
and B.
COUNCIL POLICY
Council policy on heritage designation states, in part, that legal
designation will be a prerequisite to accepting certain bonuses and
incentives. Where a floor space increase exceeds 10% of the allowable,
Council's approval is required.
PURPOSE
This report seeks Council's support for an increase in density at 225-
255 East Broadway in exchange for the rehabilitation, upgrading and
heritage designation of the building as Protected Heritage Property.
DISCUSSION
Heritage Value
The Vernon Building, named after the original builder, F.T. Vernon, is
located at the intersection of Kingsway and East Broadway (see location
map Appendix A) and is a prominent landmark in Mt. Pleasant. It was
designed by Townley and Matheson Architects, who also designed the
Vancouver City Hall.
The building is listed in the "C" evaluation category on the Vancouver
Heritage Register and is contextually important since it is one of a
collection of brick heritage buildings. The historic Brewery Creek runs
underground near the southeast corner of the site.
The original portion of the Vernon Building was constructed in 1930 with
a full basement, ground floor and a second storey that occupied
approximately 30% of the footprint area. The partial second floor was
located in the southeast corner of the site. The remainder of the second
floor was constructed at a later date.
Compatibility with Community Planning Objectives
The Community Development Plan for Mount Pleasant (adopted by Council on
October 6, 1987) encourages Council to adopt policies to offer
incentives such as added floor space when developers maintain existing
buildings. The Mt. Pleasant Plan also calls for the revival of the
Brewery Creek Water Course and supports incentives to achieve this. The
current development application proposes the partial retention and
partial rebuilding of the exterior wall of this significant building and
the incorporation of art work, symbolizing the Brewery Creek Course,
into the sidewalk. The applicant and Planning and Engineering staff
will work together to develop a sidewalk treatment acceptable to all
parties. The retention and rehabilitation of the historic Vernon
Building is also consistent with the City's overall goal of preserving
as many resources as possible on the Heritage Register. Therefore, the
retention and rehabilitation of the Vernon Building and interpretive
component for Brewery Creek are compatible with both community and city-
wide planning objectives.
Zoning Considerations
The proposed development is consistent with the intent of the C-2
District Schedule which seeks to encourage ".... commercial activities
and personal services that require central locations to serve large
neighbourhoods, and to provide for dwelling uses designed compatibly
with commercial uses". This development application proposes ground
floor retail units along Kingsway and Broadway, which will enhance
pedestrian activity, and an additional four levels of residential use
above.
The following relaxations are required to assist in the reconstruction
of the exterior facades of the building: rear yard setback; 9 parking
spaces; loading access to one commercial unit and the floor space as
outlined in the following table:
Permitted Proposed (i.e. Effective
existing (proposed area
building with less above
new additions) grade parking
area)*
Area (m›) 2,781.7 3,455.9 2,990.7
Area (sq. ft.) 29,943 37,198 32,190
F.S.R. 3.0 3.73 3.23
Relaxation 24.3% 7.7%
* The "effective" FSR figures are presented to give a picture of the
amount of useable interior floor area, which is being bonused in the
proposal. The financial benefit of having some of the parking above-
grade is the savings in excavation costs.
Council approval of the floor space relaxation is requested as the total
relaxation, which includes the above-grade parking floor space, exceeds
the maximum permitted on the site by more than 10%. Other relaxations
are supported by and can be approved by the Director of Land Use and
Development by way of section 3.2.5 of the Zoning and Development By-
law.
Condition and Economic Viability
The building is in poor condition with respect to seismic stability. The
face brick and mortar of the exterior facades are in very good
condition, but the structural system behind has experienced
deterioration and movement. The building will be fully upgraded to meet
the Vancouver Building By-law, including any seismic deficiencies, as
part of the work to be completed. The owners will be compensated for the
additional cost of upgrading the heritage facades through the floor
space relaxations requested in this report.
Rehabilitation work on the heritage building will include dismantling
existing exterior walls, constructing new structural walls and
reinstalling the face brick and decorative cast concrete panels. The
new building mass to be added to the site has been designed to make the
heritage facade the prominent feature of the site (see Appendix B). A
three-storey addition to the top of the original building will be set
back several feet and finished in contrasting materials so as to be
distinct from the heritage building and blend into the background. This
approach of distinguishing the new facade from the original facade is
strongly supported by staff.
Support Required to Enable Conservation
The additional floor space, if approved, will enable the rehabilitation
and designation of the building to occur. The financial analysis of this
heritage project by Real Estate Services supports the requested floor
space relaxation. In a letter, on file with the Law Department, the
owners accept the relaxation to be granted under DE400089 as just and
fair compensation for the designation of 225-255 East Broadway and waive
any future compensation demands. Therefore, no additional support to
achieve appropriate conservation of this building is required.
Notification
The Director of Legal Services has prepared the necessary Heritage By-
law amendments and requirements have been met for notification, as
specified by the Vancouver Charter.
Comments of the Vancouver Heritage Commission
The Vancouver Heritage Commission considered the rehabilitation proposal
on July 10, 1995. The Commission commended the applicant for the design
solution and supported the requested relaxations of the floor space and
lane setback. The Commission was concerned and wanted to know the amount
and condition of the original bricks that will be re-used, the colour of
the new bricks and the detailing of the canopies. It is documented in
the revised application that the bricks and other heritage components of
the original facades can and will be reused.
CONCLUSION
Council's long term goal is to protect heritage resources through
designation. The owners of 225-255 East Broadway have agreed to the
heritage designation of the building and its partial retention and
reconstruction, in return for relaxations to the maximum permitted floor
space, rear yard setback requirement, parking and loading requirements.
The proposed designation of 225-255 East Broadway is compatible with
community planning objectives and the zoning for the site. The owners
have agreed that the proposed development, with the relaxations granted,
is economically viable and will not seek any future compensation from
the City. Designation of the building will ensure that it is protected
from inappropriate alterations or demolition in the future. Therefore,
it is recommended that Council supports the floor space relaxation and
amends Schedule B of the Heritage By-law to designate 225-255 East
Broadway as a Protected Heritage Property.
* * * * *
General Mgr/Dept. Head Report dated: Oct. 03, 1995
Author: Gerry McGeough
Date: Phone: 7091 IRTS Number:CC
This report has been Concurring Departments
prepared in consultation Law Department - B. Porter
with the departments listed Manager Real Estate-B. Maitland to
the right, and they
concur with its contents.
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