P1

                                 POLICY REPORT
                           DEVELOPMENT AND BUILDING

                                      Date: September 25, 1996
                                      Dept. File: 95040-RW


   TO:       Vancouver City Council

   FROM:     Director of Land Use and Development

   SUBJECT:  Rezoning Application - 3001 Wall Street (CD-1)


   RECOMMENDATION

        THAT the Director of Land Use and Development be advised to process
        the  application by Baker McGarva Hart  Inc. (Architects) to rezone
        3001 Wall Street from CD-1 (Industrial) to a new CD-1 (Residential)
        in the normal manner.


   GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS

        The General  Manager of  Community Services RECOMMENDS  approval of
        the foregoing.


   COUNCIL POLICY

   Hastings Sunrise Plan   On May 28, 1985, Council approved a plan for the
   Hastings-Sunrise  local area  which sought to  preserve and  improve the
   residential,   commercial,   industrial,    recreational   and    social
   environments of the community.

   Industrial  Lands Strategy    On  March  14,  1995,  Council  adopted  a
   framework  to  guide future  decisions on  the  use of  industrial land.
   Among the area-specific policies, the Burrard Waterfront industrial area
   (which extends  from Gore Avenue to  Boundary Road) was  confirmed as an
   area to be retained for port and port-related industrial uses.

   Concerning the rezoning of industrial land, the policy states that if an
   inquiry/rezoning  application  is  submitted,  it will  be  reported  to
   Council  with  staff's assessment  of  its merits  according  to adopted
   criteria, resources required to process the application, and a direction
   for Council consideration.

   CityPlan  On January  18, 1996, Council approved that  rezoning requests
   which would prejudice future possibilities for neighbourhood centres not
   be considered until a Neighbourhood  Vision is approved for the  area in
   question,  and also  subject to  several criteria.   On  July  30, 1996,
   Council approved the "CityPlan Community Vision Pilot Program".

   Greenways Plan   On July 18,  1995, City Council approved  the Vancouver
   Greenways Plan, which includes a city-wide network of 14 greenways.


   PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

   In accordance with Council  policy, staff are seeking advice  on whether
   or not  to process an application  to rezone an industrial  site at 3001
   Wall  Street (zoned CD-1), which would   result in the replacement of an
   existing   storage  warehouse   with   a   135-unit  multiple   dwelling
   development.

   While  the  site  is situated  on  the  southerly  edge of  the  Burrard
   Waterfront  industrial area, on  the basis  of the  Hastings-Sunrise and
   Greenways  Plans  and  an  initial  assessment  of  the  proposal, staff
   recommend that the application be processed in the usual manner.

   BACKGROUND

   Site and Surrounding Zoning:  This  long and narrow site, 1.14  ha (2.82
   acres)  in size,  lies between  the CP  Rail line  and Wall  Street (see
   Figure 1 on the following page for site location and context).  Situated
   at  the eastern end  of the Wall  Street escarpment, the  site is sloped
   with a drop of about 9.1 m (30 ft.) from Wall Street to the foot of  the
   slope.   The site  is developed with  a large warehouse  building (Maple
   Leaf Storage) and has access from both Wall and McGill Streets.

   The site  and adjoining industrial  lands are zoned  CD-1 (#258).   This
   by-law is based on  M-2 zoning except  that height above 9.1 m  (30 ft.)
   and floor  space ratio (FSR) above  2.0 are conditional, to  30.5 m (100
   ft.) and FSR 5.0 respectively.  A CP Rail line runs along the north edge
   of  the site.  New Brighton Park is located to the north-east beyond the
   rail  line and  Hastings  Park  is  situated  south  of  McGill  Street.
   Adjoining the site to  the west is  a site zoned C-2  and occupied by  a
   vacant office building.   To the south-west of Wall Street is an area of
   one-family dwellings zoned RS-1S.

                                   Figure 1































   Proposed  Development:  The  application   proposes  135  apartment  and
   townhouse dwellings units  in "mews" development ranging  in height from
   two to four storeys.  About half  the units would be accessible at grade
   from Wall Street while the other  half would be situated toward the foot
   of  the slope above a  level of parking.   An illustrative  site plan is
   shown in Appendix A.

   The FSR of proposed development  would be 1.03 after the property  owner
   or developer obtains an unutilized portion of Wall Street from the City,
   3  m (9.8  ft.) to  13 m  (42.7 ft.) wide,  along the  site's south-west
   property  boundary.     The  development  which  is   proposed  in  this
   application could not  be undertaken  without this  additional land,  as
   some of the proposed  development would encroach onto Wall Street.   The
   proposed development on the present site area would have an FSR of 1.20.

   DISCUSSION

   Industrial Lands  Strategy:  The site is part of  the Burrard Waterfront
   industrial  area which was confirmed in the Industrial Lands Strategy as
   an  area to  be  retained for  port  and port-related  industrial  uses.
   Council,  in  accordance with  the following  criteria, has  indicated a
   willingness to consider the rezoning of industrial land where a proposal
   is:

   (a)  based upon CityPlan or other City-initiated planning process; or
   (b)  located in a "let go" area; or
   (c)  located  in  an   area  designated   as  Highway-Oriented   Retail/
        Industrial, and consistent with large-scale retail use; or
   (d)  located within the False Creek Flats  and within the context of the
        City-initiated planning study (now underway).

   Criterion (a) would apply in  this case as a result of  policies adopted
   following a City-initiated planning process (Hastings-Sunrise Plan).  

   Hastings-Sunrise  Plan:    Recommendations   regarding  the  site   were
   contained in  the Hastings-Sunrise  Plan,  approved by  City Council  in
   1985:

   -    discourage commuter  traffic from  Wall Street (Policy  2.3, Action
        1);

   -    identify and implement  an alternative  to the use  of the  Renfrew
        Street overpass (Policy 2.4, Action 2);

   -    develop  New  Brighton  Park  into  a  major  waterfront  facility,
        including  a westerly  entrance  to the  parking  lot (Policy  4.7,
        Actions 1-7);

   -    phase out hazardous  goods movement  by rail or  road (Policy  7.3,
        Action 1);

   -    redevelop the  Westroc Industries Ltd.  site (3001 Wall  Street) on
        the southerly side of the CP rail line, in the future, with housing
        (Policy 7.4, Action 2); and

   -    protect the cliff face (Policy 7.6, Actions 1-2).

   The plan identifies  the site and the abutting C-2  site as suitable for
   future housing development:
        "The 3.5  +/- acre parcel ...  between the railway  tracks and Wall
        Street  would  best be  taken out  of  industrial use  in  order to
        provide a  strong visual linkage between  the residential community
        and the park.  The area should be used for multiple family housing,
        low in scale and stepped down the hillside." (Page 111)

   While this rezoning application does not include the C-2 zoned parcel to
   the  west, future  development  potential of  that commercial  parcel is
   important in the  assessment of the application.   Issues of design  and
   use compatibility will need to be addressed.

   A number of initiatives are underway as a result of the plan:

   -    The  City and the Vancouver Port Corporation will proceed this fall
        with construction of a new  overpass at McGill and Wall Streets  to
        improve  truck  access to  port  lands.   This  will result  in the
        closure of the Renfrew Street overpass.

   -    As  part  of  Engineering  Services'  program  of  traffic  control
        measures and  arterial improvements to discourage  commuter traffic
        from local  streets  and redirect  it onto  arterial streets,  Wall
        Street  will end in  a cul-de-sac at  McGill Street.   This project
        will  also start  this fall.   Direct  access  to Wall  Street from
        McGill Street  will no  longer be  possible, eliminating  truck and
        commuter traffic from this section of Wall Street.

   -    The  Board  of  Parks and  Recreation  is  working  to improve  New
        Brighton  Park, including  expansion,  improved  access,  increased
        parking and direct access to the water.

   -    The  phase-out of hazardous goods  movement by rail  on the eastern
        portion of the Vancouver waterfront, agreed to in 1983, is expected
        to  occur  in  the near  future  as  hazardous  goods destined  for
        Vancouver Island pulp mills are rerouted to  Tilbury Island.

   The overall effect of all the initiatives is as follows:

   1.   this site  is generally  becoming less accessible,  particularly to
        truck  traffic, which will  make it less  attractive and marketable
        for industrial purposes;

   2.   the general intent of  the new overpass and changes to  Wall Street
        is  to  reduce  the  level  of  truck  traffic  through  the  area,
        particularly as it affects residents on Wall Street; and

   3.   the expansion of New Brighton Park to the west results  in the site
        becoming  progressively  more  isolated from  adjoining  industrial
        activity.

   These  initiatives   make  the  site  increasingly   more  suitable  for
   residential purposes, consistent with the proposed rezoning.

   CityPlan:   On January  18,  1996, City  Council approved  the following
   recommendation  in  considering  the  report  titled   "Rezoning  During
   Neighbourhood Visioning Process - CityPlan Implementations":

        "THAT Council's  policy on neighbourhood rezonings  be as described
        in  Appendix A of the policy report  dated January 18, 1996 that is
        to  continue  to  consider   rezonings  that  conform  to  existing
        city-wide and neighbourhood plans and policies, but not to consider
        rezoning requests  which  would prejudice  future  possibility  for
        neighbourhood centres, until a Neighbourhood Vision is approved for
        the area."

   The proposed rezoning is  generally consistent with the Hastings-Sunrise
   Plan s recommendations for the  site.  Furthermore, it is  most unlikely
   that the area surrounding the Wall Street site will serve as a focus for
   a neighbourhood centre  because of  its location at  the most  northerly
   edge  of the Hastings-Sunrise community.  Consequently, staff are of the
   opinion  that  this proposal  will not  set "significant  new directions
   and/or precludes options for the neighbourhood process...".

   Greenways:  Wall  Street  is identified  as  a  link  in  the  potential
   "Harbour  Route"  Greenway which  would  extend  from Boundary  Road  to
   Portside Park and which would overlook the Burrard Inlet waterfront.

   The rezoning could  assist in implementing this greenway  as part of the
   redevelopment, as a bonafide public benefit.

   Staff Resources:   While the  application is  complex and the  amount of
   community  interest has yet  to be determined,  it is  not expected that
   undue  staff resources will be  required to process  this application as
   compared to other similar CD-1 rezonings.  No additional staff resources
   would therefore be required.

   CONCLUSION

   Subject  to assessing  the applicant's  recommendations  for remediation
   measures  for  the  effects of  rail  noise  and  vibrations (which  the
   applicant's consultant  believes can  be managed), staff  recommend that
   the rezoning  for 3001  Wall Street  be processed  in the  usual manner,
   including  notification of  surrounding property  owners and  respective
   community groups.

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