ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: September 30, 1996
TO: Vancouver City Council
FROM: General Manager of Community Services
SUBJECT: Roundhouse Childcare Centre/
Concord Presentation Centre Proposal
RECOMMENDATION
A. THAT Council approve the temporary relocation of the Concord
Presentation Centre on the Roundhouse school/childcare site
as per the terms and conditions noted in Appendix I, on the
understanding that Concord will proceed with delivering its
Roundhouse childcare requirement for a September 1, 1998
opening.
B. THAT Council require Concord to pay all extra costs as per
the terms and conditions noted in Appendix I.
C. THAT Council authorize the Director of Legal Services to
amend the existing Roundhouse childcare legal agreements
with Concord to include the terms and conditions noted in
Appendix I, and to execute an agreement to license at a
nominal rate, from the date that land title is turned over
to the City until September 30, 2002.
COUNCIL POLICY
The Roundhouse rezoning report which included the Roundhouse childcare
requirement, was referred to public hearing on September 24, 1991.
The legal agreement pertaining to the childcare requirement was signed
July 22, 1993. The rezoning was enacted July 29, 1993.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this report is to present Council with an update on the
development issues related to the Roundhouse childcare facility and to
seek Council approval for a solution jointly proposed by City staff
and Concord Pacific, in consultation with the Vancouver School Board
staff.
BACKGROUND
The proposed Roundhouse childcare facility is one of the five
childcare facilities negotiated as a condition of rezoning for False
Creek North. It is to be constructed and equipped by the developer,
at no cost to the City, and turned over to the City for ongoing
operation. The facility will provide sixty-nine spaces of childcare
and a joint-use family place/school aged program area.
Initial plans called for the childcare facility to be built within and
on the roof of the proposed elementary school, thereby linking
construction of the permanent childcare facility to the completion of
the school. A new strategy was required for the following reasons:
1. Interest in and demand for childcare services in the area are
growing. It is anticipated that the Roundhouse childcare centre
will quickly fill to capacity if we target a September 1998
opening date.
2. The School Board is unlikely to receive capital funding approval
from the Ministry of Education to build the new school for at
least five years. The Ministry of Education will only consider
new construction requests once there are sufficient numbers of
school-aged children living in the area.
3. A rooftop childcare centre severely limits future school
expansion options.
4. Concord's occupancy permits for other market sites in the
Roundhouse area, are contingent upon the childcare requirement
being delivered.
For the past year, Social Planning has explored a number of possible
approaches to expedite the timely development of childcare services in
the Roundhouse area including: childcare portables, leasing temporary
space, financing the design and construction of the school shell in
order to facilitate the permanent construction of the childcare
centre, finding a new location for the childcare facility. All of
these options, however, create significant financial and/or logistical
difficulties for the City, the childcare operator, the developer, the
School Board or other community interests. Fortunately recent
discussions with Concord have uncovered a creative solution that seems
to have real potential for all parties.
DISCUSSION
With the assistance of Concord, it has been determined that a
permanent childcare facility could be built in advance of the school
as a self-contained two-storey structure on the proposed
school/childcare site and adjacent to David Lam Park. It appears that
this facility could be designed to meet the programming needs of the
childcare operations without unduly compromising the design of the
future school or underground parking. There would, however, be some
additional design and construction costs involved in this phased-in
approach and under current legal agreements these would be the
responsibility of the City and School Board. Concord has indicated a
willingness to cover these extra costs and to commit to a childcare
opening date target of September 1998. In return, Concord would like
permission to locate its Presentation Centre on the school/childcare
site for at least six years.
City and School Board staff have reviewed preliminary schematics drawn
up by Concord's architects. The proposal includes:
- the temporary siting of the Presentation Centre with
required at-grade parking;
- the development of a permanent childcare facility on-site;
the later addition of the Roundhouse school.
Under this proposal, the childcare facility and the Presentation
Centre would co-exist on-site for four of the proposed six-year
period. While the Presentation Centre would compromise the size of
the childcare outdoor play area, this disadvantage is far outweighed
by the positive advantages of avoiding disruption of service and
relocation logistics of other options. At time of the removal of the
Presentation Centre, only minor modifications would be required to
provide appropriate outdoor play space for the childcare facility.
The design of the childcare facility would be such that when school
construction does proceed, the school facility could be constructed
with little or no disruption to the childcare service.
This proposal has benefits for all parties:
The City:
- The intended family/child presence in the neighbourhood is
established.
- Timely delivery of the developer's existing childcare
requirement.
- No need to co-ordinate or finance temporary or relocation
childcare options.
- No additional design or construction costs for a phased-in
approach.
- An efficiently designed, permanent childcare facility immediately
adjacent to David Lam Park.
- Developer's strong commitment to a collaborative venture.
Childcare Operator:
- A permanent, ground-oriented location adjacent to the park but
still providing second storey security for the infants and
toddlers.
- Confirmed project time-lines with sufficient lead-time to address
design and start-up issues.
- Opportunity to establish community visibility and identity prior
to the building of the school.
- Opportunities for collaborative partnerships with the developer.
- Continuous operation even during the school construction phase.
Community:
- Delivery of the Roundhouse childcare services in a timely fashion
for use of young families living or working in the neighbourhood.
- Development of the site and a sense of a completed neighbourhood.
- Increased surveillance of the park.
- Continued use of the Presentation Centre by various community
groups when Concord is not actively marketing.
School Board:
- Utilization of the site so the neighbourhood does not react
negatively to the development of the school at a later date.
- Preliminary Development Permit design costs covered by Concord.
- Parameters of school design set and lead-time available to
develop plans which adjust to fixed childcare facility.
- Simplified construction process for underground parking and
school facility.
- Opportunity to operate school facility independently without
incorporation of childcare facility.
Concord:
- An excellent temporary location for the Presentation Centre which
does not tie up any of the market sites or incur site costs.
- Delivery of its childcare obligation and release of occupancy
permit holds.
- Provision of a permanent childcare facility (no portables)
- The increased marketability of a neighbourhood which feels
completed.
- Opportunities for collaborative partnerships with the childcare
operator when marketing to families.
If Council agrees that this proposal should be pursued, the existing
legal agreements pertaining to the childcare and the school, require
minor revisions. As well, an agreement to license is necessary to
allow the Presentation Centre on-site, when the City takes ownership
of the land and the childcare facility in September 1998. Staff from
Concord, the City and the School Board have worked together to develop
a set of terms and conditions which address the various issues to the
satisfaction of all parties (See Appendix I).
It is recommended that Council approve the temporary relocation of the
Concord Presentation Centre onto the future childcare/ school site for
a period of up to six years ending September 30, 2002, on the
condition that Concord agrees to the terms outlined in the attached
Appendix I. Given the developer is agreeing to assume responsibility
for all additional design and construction costs to achieve this
solution and will be making an annual payment in lieu of taxes, it is
also recommended that only nominal rent be charged against the
Presentation Centre for the initial six-year term of the license. Any
option to renew after that period, should be subject to approval from
the School Board and negotiation of a market rate.
It is further recommended that Council authorize the Director of Legal
Services to execute the necessary legal agreements and/or revisions of
current legal agreements to address all of the recommended terms and
conditions.
CONCLUSION
City and School Board staff have been working with the developer to
resolve how the required Roundhouse childcare facility could proceed
in advance of the construction of the proposed elementary school. A
creative solution is being proposed which ensures the delivery of a
permanent childcare facility in a timely fashion, maintains the
integrity of future school development and allows the developer to
temporarily locate the Presentation Centre for up to a six-year
interim period on the school/childcare site with the conditions as
noted above. It is recommended that Council approve this proposal and
direct City staff to execute the necessary legal agreements and work
plans.
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APPENDIX I
ROUNDHOUSE CHILDCARE/CONCORD PRESENTATION CENTRE
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
The Concord Presentation Centre may be temporarily located onto the
future Roundhouse childcare/school site for a period of up to six
years ending September 30, 2002, on the condition that Concord agrees:
- to cover all costs associated with locating and removing the
Presentation Centre, including landscaping the site and
providing on-site parking as required;
- to cover the costs of the Preliminary Development Permit phase
for the future school and the childcare facility, working
closely with School Board and City staff;
- to proceed with the required design and construction of the
childcare facility, in a timely fashion to meet the September
1998 opening date, working in collaboration with City staff,
the School Board staff and the child-care operator to ensure
that the design and exterior appearance of the childcare
facility function appropriately as a stand alone facility and
later as an integral component of the school/childcare complex.
All additional costs for the childcare facility, the temporary
at-grade parking and landscaping to be paid by the developer;
- to make an annual payment to the City in lieu of property
taxes, for that portion of the site used for the Presentation
Centre and its parking, from the date that the City takes
ownership of the land until the expiry of the agreement to
license;
- to pay any costs associated with re-designing and completing
the ground level outdoor play area for the childcare facility
after the removal of the Presentation Centre;
- to pay all costs associated with completing the roof top
outdoor play areas for the childcare facility at time of school
construction;
- to pay the costs associated with the underground parking
required for the school and childcare facilities as per the
existing agreement;
- if school construction is not imminent, to pay any costs
associated with temporary landscaping of the Presentation
Centre site, once the Presentation Centre is removed so the
site blends with the childcare outdoor area and surrounding
park;
- to cover the costs of integrating the existing electrical
distributor into the landscape plan of the Presentation Centre
and into the design and construction of the school/childcare
complex;
- that the City may give Concord 36 months notice to vacate any
time after the City takes possession of the site, if the School
Board confirms that there is sufficient demand to proceed with
the capital planning process for the school and the
construction of the school needs to commence no later than the
end of such notice period.
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