POLICY REPORT
BUILDING AND DEVELOPMENT
Date: May 7, 1996
Dept. File No. F635
TO: Vancouver City Council
FROM: Director of Land Use and Development and Manager of the
Housing Centre
SUBJECT: Floor Space Relaxation, Heritage Designation and Low Cost
Housing Proposal 577 Richards Street
RECOMMENDATION
A. THAT Council approve the designation of the principal
facade of 577 Richards Street, currently listed on the
Vancouver Heritage Register in the "B" evaluation category,
as a Protected Heritage Property;
FURTHER THAT Council instruct the Director of Legal
Services to bring forward the by-law for enactment.
B. THAT Council approve, in principle, for this site a Housing
Agreement, to be drawn to the satisfaction of the Director
of Legal Services and Manager of the Housing Centre, which
would, in part, for 20 years, have all residential
accommodation rented on a monthly basis, have 56 rooms
rented at the shelter portion of social assistance for a
single person to those receiving government assistance, and
have the remaining 76 rooms available to anyone at market
rates to a maximum monthly rent of $375.00;
C. THAT Council support a residential floor space relaxation
of approximately 1,090.6 m2 (11,739 sf.) from 3.0 FSR to
5.1 FSR and a total floor space relaxation of approximately
462.6 m2 (4,980 sf.) from 5.0 FSR to 5.83 FSR as proposed in
Development Application DE217368.
GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The General Manager of Community Services RECOMMENDS approval of A,
B, and C noting that these recommendations are presented as a
package which should be wholly adopted or wholly rejected.
COUNCIL POLICY
Council policy on heritage designation states, in part, that legal
designation will be a prerequisite to accepting certain bonuses and
incentives.
The Downtown ODP states that "the Development Permit Board may, for any
development which includes low cost housing, permit an increase in floor
space ratio, subject to prior approval by City Council and the securing
of a Housing Agreement to ensure the inclusion of the low cost housing".
Council heritage and low cost housing policies both state that where a
floor space increase exceeds 10% of the allowable, Council approval is
required.
Council policy is for staff to give priority processing to development
applications which include heritage or rental housing.
PURPOSE
This report seeks Council's support for an increase in the maximum
permitted residential and maximum permitted total density at
577 Richards Street, in exchange for the restoration and heritage
designation of the principal facade and the securing of low cost housing
units (see map Appendix A).
BACKGROUND
A development application, which included a request for a floor space
relaxation, was initially submitted in February 1994. It was refused
because there was no heritage retention component and at that time the
provisions did not exist in enabling legislation for by-law relaxations
based on provision of low cost housing. A second application, DE217368,
was made on December 6, 1994. Following modifications to the project,
the current proposal can be supported by staff.
The development application proposes to retain the principal facade and
the first structural bay of the Hotel St. Clair and to demolish the rest
of the building. This is to be replaced with a newly constructed
rooming house with 129 sleeping units and a ground floor commercial
component.
DISCUSSION
Compatibility with Community Planning Objectives
The intent section of the Downtown District (DD) Official Development
Plan includes the following goals: "to improve the general environment
of the Downtown District as an attractive place in which to live, work,
shop and visit"; and "to encourage more people to live within the
Downtown District." The proposed commercial and residential uses for
this development meet these goals.
Heritage Value
577 Richards was built in 1911 for Captain H. Pybus and was designed by
Samuel B. Bird, who was also the architect for Chalmers Church. The four
storey building is wood frame and the front facade is clad in concrete
that has been cast to appear like stone. An articulated parapet, large
brackets over the first floor and keystones above the upper storey
windows are some of the decorative features of the building. It is
listed in the 'B' evaluation category on the Vancouver Heritage
Register.
Zoning and Related By-law Considerations
Based on the hardships of heritage retention and the provision of low
cost housing, the applicant is requesting a relaxation of the maximum
permitted residential floor space from 3.0 FSR to 4.96 FSR. This
includes the conversion of 1.13 FSR permitted commercial floor space to
residential plus a bonus of 0.83 FSR. The applicant is also requesting
a total floor space relaxation from 5.0 FSR to 5.83 FSR. Since the
proposed floor space increase will exceed 10% of the allowable,
Council's approval is required. Table 1 below describes the approximate
floor space calculations:
Table 1
PERMITTED PROPOSED
Floor Res. 1672.2m2 (18,000 sf.) - max. allowed 1672.2m2 (18,000 sf.)
Area - conv. from
comm. 629.5m2 ( 6,776 sf.)
- bonus 461.1 ( 4,963 sf.)
Total Res. 2762.8m2 (29,739 sf.)
Comm. 1114.8m2 (12,000 sf.) 485.3m2 ( 5,224 sf.)
Total 2787.0m2 (30,000 sf.) 3248.1m2 (34,963 sf.)
FSR Res. 3.0 (max.) 4.96
Comm. 2.0 (max.) 0.87
Total 5.0 (max.) 5.83
The residential parking requirements for low-income SRO units are not
specifically listed in the Parking By-law. The proposed 11.1 m2
(120 sf.) sleeping units are designed for 129 low-income singles. The
site lies within easy walking distance of transit. The proposed
development provides three parking spaces and one loading bay for the
retail/commercial area as required by the Parking By-law. One additional
space is provided for the manager of the residential portion of the
project. A relaxation is requested based on the type of tenancy that the
SRO units accommodate, and on the site location and financial hardship.
The number of residential parking stalls would be reduced from the 39
required to 1. The Director of Land Use and Development is able and
prepared to approve the parking relaxation.
The Zoning and Development By-law requires that 43 hand basins be
provided. The proposal is for 40 hand basins as well as 10 additional
sinks provided in two food preparation areas on each floor. The Housing
Centre believes that the additional sinks and food preparation areas
enhance the livability for the tenants and warrant relaxing the hand
basin requirement. The by-law also requires 11 bath tubs and is silent
on showers. The proposal is for 2 bath tubs on the upper two floors and
22 showers throughout the floors, which staff believe will better suit
the residents' needs. On the advice of the Manager of the Housing
Centre, the Director of Land Use and Development is prepared to approve
these relaxations.
Economic Viability and Support Required to Enable Heritage Conservation
and Low Cost Housing
The relaxations to the maximum residential floor space, maximum total
floor space, parking, hand basins and bath tubs, if approved, will
enable the restoration and designation of the principal facade and the
secured (20-year) provision of low cost housing. The financial analysis
by Real Estate Services supports the requested floor space relaxations.
The analysis attributed approximately 60% or greater of the value of the
relaxations to the securing of low cost housing for 20 years and 40% to
the heritage facade retention and restoration.
a) Heritage Conservation
The property owner has submitted a letter (on file with the Law
Department) accepting the relaxations to the floor space to be granted
under DE217368 as just and fair compensation for the designation of 577
Richards Street and waiving any future compensation demands. Therefore,
no additional support to achieve appropriate conservation of this
building is required.
b) Low Cost Housing
There are currently 35 residential units on site, most of which rent for
$350 per month without hot plate or fridge. The rooms are about 93 m2
(100 sf.) and common bathrooms are "down the hall".
The new units would be approximately 11.1 m2 (120 sf.) with outlets
provided for cooking facilities, fridge and cable. In the basement,
laundry and locker space will be available. The rooms will be on floors
two through seven. A typical floor will contain 22 sleeping units, 4
toilets, 2 urinals, 4 showers and 2 small food preparation areas with
double sinks. On the second floor there will be a small lobby/lounge
and on the fifth floor there will be a 30.7 m2 (330 sf.) lounge
overlooking the street. The side lightwells are 3.4 m (11 ft.) deep.
This proposal is the first opportunity to use the low cost housing
provisions which were incorporated into the Downtown District ODP in
1995. This is also an example of the private market building new SRO
units. The application has been the focus of much discussion among
staff and the applicant resulting in modifications to the plans. The
proposal is for basic accommodation which will increase supply of
much-needed affordable housing in the downtown core. Over one-third of
the rooms will be secured for a 20 year period at rents affordable to
welfare recipients. The quality of the accommodation will be an
improvement over the existing residential hotel.
In general discussions with people from the Downtown Eastside on small
living spaces, concerns have been expressed that housing standards,
particularly social housing standards, will be reduced if projects such
as this become the norm. Housing Centre staff suggest that the priority
for low-income housing should continue to be self-contained apartments
(i.e., dwelling units as opposed to housekeeping or sleeping units).
However this project represents a type of housing that meets the needs
of a small portion of the low-income population and should be approved
on that basis. It is important the supply of low-income housing be
increased to counter both homelessness and gentrification of the
existing low-income housing stock. This specific proposal has been
discussed with the Downtown Eastside/Strathcona Coalition and a
development permit application sign has been posted. No letters have
been received.
In return for density and other by-law relaxations, the owner has agreed
to enter into a housing agreement containing the following conditions
for 20 years:
- all rooms to be rented on a monthly basis;
- no fewer than 53 rooms will be rented at a maximum of the shelter
portion of welfare ($325 per month) to tenants who are receiving War
Veterans Allowance, Canadian Pension Commission Disability Pension,
Guaranteed Income Supplement, Spouses Allowance or income from
Guaranteed Annual Income for Need. Rents would escalate according to
increases to the shelter portion of welfare;
- no more than 76 rooms will be rented for a maximum of $375. Rents
would escalate with the Consumer Price Index (CPI);
- the residential accommodation and ancillary facilities will be
well-managed and meet all City by-laws; and
- the existing tenants displaced during site redevelopment will be
offered other comparable accommodation. When the new building opens,
previous tenants will be given the first opportunity to move back in.
The 53 rooms represent the floor space approximately equal to 2,301.7
m2 (11,739 sf.) which is the total of the density bonus of 461.1 m2
(4,963 sf.) and residential conversion from commercial of 629.5 m2
(6,776 sf.) above the 3.0 FSR permitted.
The current owner has discussed the possibility of management by a
non-profit society but no firm arrangements have been made. The owner
has said that if he cannot make such arrangements, the rooming house
will be managed by a private operator.
Condition
The existing building is in stable condition but cannot structurally
support additional storeys added on top of it. The principal facade and
first structural bay are to be retained and restored and existing wood
frame windows are to be refurbished. The new structure to be
constructed beside, behind and above it, will have its front facade
angled back from the street to offset the original facade. The new
facade has been designed to complement the existing, but with simplified
detailing to create a neutral backdrop for the highly decorative facade
of the Hotel
St. Clair.
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.
The Charter permits Council, by by-law, to enter into a Housing
Agreement. The by-law will be prepared for Council approval once the
Housing Agreement is finalized.
Comments of the Vancouver Heritage Commission
The Vancouver Heritage Commission considered the proposal on December 5,
1994 and on July 10, 1995 and supported the revised retention and
restoration treatment of the heritage facade and the design of the new
addition. The Commission is also on record as supporting the floor space
relaxations provided that the total relaxation granted be distributed
equitably between heritage and social housing goals. Staff believe this
request has been met.
CONCLUSION
Council's long term goal is to protect heritage resources through
designation and to encourage affordable low-income housing. The owner
of 577 Richards Street has agreed to the heritage designation of the
principal facade and to maintain the SRO units for 20 years in return
for relaxation of: the maximum permitted residential and total floor
space; and requirements for parking, hand basins and bathtubs. The
owner has agreed the retention of the principal facade and first
structural bay of the heritage building is economically viable and has
agreed that he will not seek any compensation from the City in the
future. Designation will ensure protection from inappropriate
alterations or demolition in the future. It is recommended that Council support relaxation to the maximum
permitted residential floor space and the maximum permitted total floor
space. It is also recommended that Council approve the designation of
the principal facade and, in principle, a housing agreement for this
site.
* * * * *
General Manager/Dept. Head Report dated May 7, 1996
Authors: Jill Davidson
Gerry McGeough Date
Phone:873-7670 IRTS Number
General Manager/Dept. Head
Concurring Departments
Date Law - Brian Porter - 7501
Manager of Real Estate -
Bruce Maitland - 7420
This report has been prepared
in consultation with the
departments listed to the
right, and they concur with its
contents.
HP2-7155.COV