P1
POLICY REPORT
DEVELOPMENT AND BUILDING
Date: June 6, 1996
Dept. File No. RW
TO: Vancouver City Council
FROM: Director of Land Use and Development
SUBJECT: Proposed Rezoning of 1179 Keefer Street
RECOMMENDATION
THAT the application by Earl Cunningham to rezone 1179 Keefer
Street (Lots 18 and E-1/2 19, Block A, D.L. 182, LD 36, Plan 355)
from M-1 Industrial District to RT-3 Two-Family Dwelling District
be referred to a Public Hearing, together with:
(i) draft conditions of approval contained in Appendix A;
(ii) the recommendation of the Director of Land Use and Development
to approve the application;
THAT the Public Hearing be scheduled upon receipt of the necessary
letter of confirmation from the Ministry of Environment; and
FURTHER THAT the Director of Legal Services be instructed to
prepare the necessary by-law for consideration at the Public
Hearing.
GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The General Manager of Community Services RECOMMENDS approval of
the foregoing.
COUNCIL POLICY
Strathcona Planning Initiatives, adopted by City Council on June 25,
1992.
PURPOSE AND SUMMARY
This report assesses a rezoning application for a site in the Kiwassa
area of Strathcona. The proposed rezoning of this vacant M-1 corner
site to RT-3 will eliminate an isolated industrial site, development of
which under the existing zoning could seriously and adversely affect an
adjoining RT-3 residentially-developed property. The proposed rezoning
is consistent with Council-adopted policy for isolated M-1 sites in the
Kiwassa area (outlined in Appendix B).
Staff recommend that the application be referred to Public Hearing and
approved.
DISCUSSION
Land Use: Ultimately, it is hoped that the entire block will be
developed residentially through rezoning of all the remaining M-1
parcels to RT-3 in accordance with Council policy for the Kiwassa area;
however, the process will require consultation with the owners of M-1
properties regarding the impact of the zoning change on their existing
operations. It is expected that concerns may be raised by those other
owners and an extended dialogue will be necessary for which resources
will not be available until later this year or next year. In the
meantime, staff will support privately-initiated applications which are
consistent with Council's policies.
RT-3 rezoning will ensure that the site is developed with a compatible
form of residential development and will eliminate the possibility of an
industrial development occurring that could be totally insensitive to
the adjoining property, which is occupied by a character house listed on
the Heritage Register.
Soil Testing: A review of historical uses on the site indicates that
the rear portion of the site was used for automotive repair at one time.
Soil testing has been carried out by the applicant and the report has
been submitted to the Ministry of Environment (MOE). A response from
MOE is expected to take a number of weeks. While the report indicates
that there are no problems with the soil, City policy dictates that a
Public Hearing not be scheduled until a response is received from MOE
indicating their acceptance of the soil report. Should Council decide
to refer this application to Public Hearing, it would be scheduled upon
receipt of MOE's acceptance letter.
In the unlikely event MOE identifies the need for further testing and/or
remediation, scheduling of the Public Hearing will be deferred until
sufficient testing has been conducted to satisfy MOE's concerns or a
remediation plan has been approved.
CONCLUSION
Staff recommend that the application to rezone 1179 Keefer Street from
M-1 Industrial District to RT-3 Two-Family Dwelling District be referred
to Public Hearing and approved. The Public Hearing will be scheduled
upon receipt of the necessary letter from the Ministry of Environment.
* * *
APPENDIX A
Page 1 of 1
PROPOSED CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL
1179 Keefer Street
A. THAT, prior to enactment of the amending by-law, the applicant
shall, at no cost to the City:
(i) register at the Land Titles Office a consolidation of the
site; and
(ii) make arrangements, to the satisfaction of the General Manager
of Engineering Services, to underground all electrical and
telephone services within and adjacent the site, from the
closest existing suitable service point.
APPENDIX B
Page 1 of 2
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Background
The approved 1992 report entitled "Strathcona Planning Initiatives"
states that the residential character of Kiwassa should be reinforced by
reviewing the desirability of rezoning industrial-zoned sites with the
owners. The subject site, shown on the following page, is identified as
one of those sites.
The site is located in a block where 26 of the 34 legal parcels are
zoned RT-3 and developed residentially. Six of the eight remaining
parcels zoned M-1, scattered throughout the block, are developed with
industrial-type buildings. The two parcels making up the rezoning site
are presently vacant.
Existing Zoning
The existing M-1 Industrial District zoning provides for a variety of
industrial, retail, service, transportation and storage uses, both
outright and conditional. Maximum floor space ratio and height are 5.0
and 30.5 m (100 ft.) respectively.
Proposed Development
The RT-3 zoning will permit development of the site with a variety of
potential uses, including one-, two- and multiple-family dwellings, in
accordance with regulations and guidelines which will ensure
architecturally compatible and neighbourly development in relation to
the existing house to the west of the site.
Social and Environmental Implications
There are no social or environmental implications to the proposed
rezoning, and there are no implications with respect to the Vancouver
Children's Policy or Statement of Children's Entitlement.
APPENDIX B
Page 2 of 2
Figure Extract from "Strathcona Planning Initiatives"
(Approved by City Council June 25, 1992)
The following map identifies M-1 zoned sites where Council will support
rezoning to RT-3:
APPENDIX C
Page 1 of 1
Comments from the Public, Reviewing Agencies and the Applicant
Public
Notification Sign: Posted on April 29, 1996
Early Notification Letter: 75 letters mailed to registered property
owners on May 22, 1996
No response has been received to either the sign or the early
notification letter.
Reviewing Agencies
Engineering
"Engineering Services has no objection to the proposed rezoning provided
the following concerns are addressed prior to by-law enactment:
1. The site is to be consolidated.
2. All electrical and telephone services are to be undergrounded within
and adjacent the site, from the closest existing suitable service
point."
Permits and Licenses
The Environmental Protection Section of Permits and Licenses has
reviewed the soils assessment report and indicates that it is
acceptable, subject to review and confirmation by the Ministry of
Environment.
Applicant
The applicant has reviewed the report and provided the following
comments:
"I concur with, and agree to the conditions in your report dated
June 6, 1996, recommending the approval of my rezoning application
on the above mentioned property."
APPENDIX D
Page 1 of 1
APPLICANT, PROPERTY, AND DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL INFORMATION
APPLICANT AND PROPERTY INFORMATION
Street Address 1179 Keefer Street
Legal Description Lots 18 and E. 1/2 19, Block 19, D.L. 182, LD 36, Plan 355
Applicant Earl Cunningham
Property Owner Sophia Sorensen, Executor of the estate of Steve Nykolyn
Developer Earl Cunningham
SITE STATISTICS
GROSS DEDICATIONS NET
SITE AREA 459 m2 - 459 m2
DEVELOPMENT STATISTICS
DEVELOPMENT PERMITTED UNDER
EXISTING ZONING PROPOSED ZONING
ZONING M-1 RT-3
USES Industrial Residential
DWELLING UNITS None One-Family, Two-Family, MCDs,
Multiple Dwellings
MAX. FLOOR SPACE RATIO 5.0 0.60 - 0.75 - 1.0
MAXIMUM HEIGHT 100 ft. 10.7 m
MAX. NO. OF STOREYS N/A 2-1/2
FRONT YARD SETBACK None 3.7 m subject to relaxation
SIDE YARD SETBACK None 10% or 1.5 m maximum
REAR YARD SETBACK None 20 m maximum