ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT Date: October 9, 1996 Dept. File No. GMcG TO: Vancouver City Council FROM: Director of City Plans SUBJECT: Heritage Designation of Grauer House (364 West 10th Avenue) RECOMMENDATION A. THAT the Grauer House, located at 364 West 10th Avenue, listed on the Vancouver Heritage Register in the "A" evaluation category, be designated as a Protected Heritage Property; FURTHER THAT the interior features of the vestibule (including the stained and varnished fir wall wainscotting, the beamed and coffered ceiling, the two stained glass windows) and the staircase and the stone retaining wall near the periphery of the site facing 10th Avenue be included in the designation. B. THAT the Director of Legal Services bring forward for enactment an amendment to the Heritage By-law. 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. PURPOSE This report seeks Council's support for the designation of the building at 364 West 10th Avenue and certain interior and landscape features, as Protected Heritage Property in exchange for zoning and parking relaxations. BACKGROUND The Grauer House is located on the eastern half of the property at the corner of 10th Avenue and Yukon Street. It is listed on the Vancouver Heritage Register in the "A" evaluation category and is a neighbourhood landmark. The site is zoned RM-4 and borders the RT-6 Mount Pleasant zone to the south. Development Application Number DE401251, received on May 6, 1996, proposes to convert Grauer House into three residential units. The exterior of the building and the interior vestibule and staircase will be preserved. The proposal also includes construction of a thirteen-unit, three-storey multiple dwelling, with one level of underground parking, and a two-unit 'coach house'. Inasmuch as the relaxations are considerable, the Director of Land Use and Development has made heritage designation a condition of development application approval. (See Appendix A for selected Development Application drawings - on file in City Clerk's Office). MAP DISCUSSION Heritage Value. The Grauer House, listed in the "A" evaluation category on the Heritage Register, was originally designed and built by J.C. Turnbull, who occupied it briefly. It was later acquired by Jacob Grauer, a postmaster at Eburne, whose two sons became public figures: one was Reeve of Richmond, and Dal, served as president of the B.C. Electric Company. The Grauer House, a replica of 1829 Parker Street in Grandview-Woodland, is a very good example of the Queen Anne style. The front elevation includes an outstanding combination of forms and Edwardian Builder ornamentation, unique third storey porch with curved walls and an original ashlar granite retaining wall near the periphery of the property. Its interior is an example of the best of the middle class homes of the early turn-of-the century Vancouver. The carefully detailed and dynamic entrance hall represents the transition from the complex asymmetry of the Victorian era to the evolving formality of the Edwardian era. All walls are panelled with fir wainscotting and the ceiling is wood beamed in a coffered pattern. The dark stained and varnished woodwork gives the entry a sombre formality but is enlivened by the bright stained glass windows on two walls. The interior entrance hall is in excellent condition. Compatibility with Community Planning Objectives. The application meets the intent of the RM-4 zoning in every aspect: "to permit medium density residential development, including a variety of multiple dwelling types, to encourage the retention of existing buildings and good design, and to achieve a number of community and social objectives through permitted increases in floor area". The applicant designed the westerly elevation of the multiple dwelling to respect the existing RT-6 streetscape which begins south of the lane along Yukon Street. Condition and Economic Viability. Virtually all of the original exterior finishes of the Grauer House have survived intact, although some are in immediate need of restoration. The Manager of Real Estate Services has reviewed and supported the applicant's financial proforma and concluded that the developer's profit will not be excessive due to the additional costs of refurbishing the heritage aspects of the existing dwelling. He further concluded that no extra-ordinary financial benefit will be inherent in this development proposal. Support Required to Enable Conservation. The additional floor space and other requested relaxation, if approved, would enable the owner to restore and designate the Grauer House including the interior entrance hall and stone retaining wall. Prior to enacting the designation by-law, a letter from the owner will be submitted to the satisfaction of the Law Department, stating that they accept the relaxations to be granted under Development Application Number DE401251 as just and fair compensation for the designation and that they waive future compensation demands. Therefore, no additional support to achieve appropriate conservation of the heritage property is required. Zoning Considerations. Irrespective of heritage, the RM-4 District Schedule allows the Director of Planning to approve relaxation of any RM-4 regulation, including the floor space ratio to the maximum of 1.45. In addition, because the proposed development will contribute to the conservation of heritage property, the Director of Planning can relax the parking requirement and further relax the floor space regulation, subject to designation of the property. Relaxations include: Permitted/Required Approximate Proposed FSR* 1.45 1.6 (10% increase) Floorspace* 1,684 m2 (18, 125 1,858 m2 (20,000 sq.ft.) sq.ft.) Parking* 29 20 Minimum rear yard 7.65 m (25.1ft.) 0.61 m (2 ft.) Minimum west side yard 6.00 m (19.7 ft.) 1.83 m (6 ft.) Minimum east side yard 1.80 m (6 ft.) 0.61 m (2 ft.) Minimum front yard 6.10 m (20 ft.) 4.72 m (15.5 ft.) Maximum height new building 10.7 m (35 ft.) 11.3 m. (37 ft.) Max. height existing 10.8 m (35.5 ft.) 12.2 m. (39.9 ft) building Number of principal 1 3 buildings* Side yard containing angle 135 degrees 175 degrees Garage entrance ramp width 7.0 m 3.66 m (23.0 ft.) (12.0 ft) *heritage relaxations requested Notification. As part of the Development Application review process, 28 neighbours were notified. Five responses were received. A 10th Avenue neighbour called supporting the project, subject to the preservation of the interior entrance hall, which was not identified in the original application submission. The other four respondents were concerned the garage ramp will result in the loss of the street character along 10th Avenue and increased traffic. The parking garage ramp is proposed on 10th Avenue because the 3.7 m (12 feet) grade difference between the lane and the Avenue makes it unworkable to ramp down from the lane. To minimize the ramp's impact and to ensure the project enhances the strong 10th Avenue street character, the ramp width has been reduced from the City standard of 7.0 m (23 feet) to 3.66 m (12 feet), planting has been added along the street edge, and the following measures have been required as "prior to" conditions of development permit issuance: - redesign of the ramp to significantly reduce its impact on the existing street trees and on the Brewery Creek commemorative station; - retention of the ashlar granite retaining wall along 10th Avenue and Yukon Street except where ramp and walkway openings are proposed; - addition of a planting trellis over the ramp to enhance the aesthetics of the ramp opening; and - retention of the historic Grauer House. The Director of Legal Services has prepared the necessary Heritage By-law amendments and requirements have been met for notification, as specified in the Vancouver Charter. Comments of the Vancouver Heritage Commission. The Vancouver Heritage Commission reviewed this application on June 3, 1996. It supported the requested relaxations in exchange for the heritage designation of the Grauer House. The Commission, however, expressed concerns over the proposals to raise the house and to move the front door and requested the applicant investigate whether any interiors of the house were worth conserving. CONCLUSION The development proposal for 364 West 10th Avenue is compatible with the community planning objectives, with the intent of the zoning and with Council's long-term goal to protect heritage resources through designation. The requested floor space increase and other relaxations will ensure the conservation of the heritage building and other identified heritage features is economically viable. Therefore, it is recommended that Council amend Schedule A of the Heritage By-law to designate the Grauer House, including its interior vestibule hall and staircase, and the stone retaining wall near the periphery of the site, as a Protected Heritage Property. * * *