P1
POLICY REPORT
BUILDING AND DEVELOPMENT
Date: March 14, 1997
Dept. File No. PEM-97003
C.C. File: 5307-1
TO: Vancouver City Council
FROM: Director of Land Use and Development
SUBJECT: CD-1 Text Amendment: 505-595 West Pender Street
(Conference Plaza, 526-528 West Hastings Street)
RECOMMENDATION
THAT the application by Malcolm Elliot, to amend CD-1 By-law No.
7209 (Lots 1 and 2, Plan LMP 28567, and LMS 2371, all of Block 24,
DL 541) to add Service Uses to the list of uses permitted on the
site, be referred to a Public Hearing, together with:
(i) draft CD-1 amending by-law, generally as contained in Appendix
A; and
(ii) the recommendation of the Director of Land Use and Development
to approve the application.
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
Central Area Plan, adopted December 3, 1991.
PURPOSE AND SUMMARY
This report assesses an application to amend the text of CD-1 By-law No.
7209 to add Service Uses to the list of uses permitted on the site. No
additional floor space is planned. As these uses are permitted in the
surrounding zoning districts and encouraged in grade-level space on
adjoining streets, staff recommend that this application be approved.
DISCUSSION
Existing Development: This large site is being developed with a mix of
uses, as follows:
14 770 m2 (159,000 sq. ft.) residential tower,
5 763 m2 (62,000 sq. ft.) office and retail uses,
2 735 m2 (31,600 sq. ft.) retention and interior conversion of the
heritage Toronto-Dominion Bank building as a conference centre, and
14 770 m2 (159,000 sq. ft.) hotel.
The residential tower and podium of commercial uses, south of the lane,
are completed and occupied. The hotel and conference centre north of
the lane are still under construction and restoration/ renovation.
The rezoning of the site from DD (Downtown District) area B to CD-1 to
accommodate this development was approved at Public Hearing in June
1993, increasing the maximum floor space ratio from 7.0 to 7.3 through a
heritage bonus. After the former Toronto-Dominion Bank building at
560-580 West Hastings Street obtained a heritage designation under
Schedule A of the Heritage By-law, CD-1 By-law No. 7209 was enacted in
September 1995.
Permitted Uses: The uses permitted in this CD-1 District are limited
to:
Dwelling Units;
Retail;
Office;
Hotel;
Hall;
School - University or College; and
Accessory Uses.
This list is more restrictive than the uses permitted in the adjoining
B and C areas of the DD, which include:
Office Commercial;
Retail Commercial;
Other Commercial;
Residential;
Hotel;
Light Industrial;
Public and Institutional;
Social, Recreational and Cultural;
Parks and Open Space; and
Parking Area and Parking Garage.
The "Other Commercial" Uses include the Service Uses listed and defined
in Section 2 of the Zoning and Development By-law.
The DD zoning regulations also have a requirement in the surrounding
area for "continuous ground floor retail, retail-commercial and service
uses" on Hastings, Seymour, Pender and Richards Streets.
Only two Service Uses are presently permitted on the site: Hotel and
School - University or College. A wider range of Service Uses which
might be appropriate, particularly in the grade-level commercial floor
space, was not considered in the assessment of the original rezoning
application.
Proposed Additional Uses: The application proposes that Service Uses be
added to the list of uses permitted on the site. Staff support this
request given that these uses are permitted in the surrounding district,
and given the requirement for continuous ground floor retail and service
uses fronting on the streets abutting the site.
The category of Service Uses includes 30 separate use terms (see
Appendix A). Eight of these uses are service-industrial uses which
might be incompatible in a commercial district, but since they are
allowed in the surrounding zoning districts in the category "Light
Industrial", and since these uses would be conditional approval uses in
a CD-1 District, staff recommend that all 30 Service Uses be permitted
on this CD-1 site (see Appendix A).
Parking: Provision of adequate parking is an issue which frequently
arises when changes of use or additional uses are proposed on a site,
particularly if the new uses have a higher parking requirement and if
there is no surplus parking on the site.
The CD-1 By-law for the site requires parking for all non-residential
uses, except hotel, to be in accordance with Parking By-law requirements
for the DD (Area I). As the Parking By-law does not have different
parking requirements for office, retail or service uses, changes of use
in existing floor space can be approved without concern for parking
provision.
CONCLUSION
The Director of Land Use and Development recommends that this
application be referred to a Public Hearing and approved.
* * * *
APPENDIX A
DRAFT CD-1 BY-LAW AMENDMENT PROVISIONS
505-595 West Pender Street
Uses Presently Permitted:
Dwelling Units;
Retail;
Office;
Hotel;
Hall;
School - University or College; and
Accessory Uses customarily ancillary to the above uses.
Proposed Additional Uses:
Service Uses (which include):
Animal Clinic,
Auction Hall,
Barber Shop or Beauty Salon,
Bed and Breakfast Accommodation,
Body-rub Parlour,
Cabaret,
Catering Establishment,
Drive-through Service,
Funeral Home,
Hotel,
Laboratory,
Laundromat or Dry Cleaning Establishment,
Laundry or Cleaning Plant,
Motor Vehicle Repair Shop,
Motor Vehicle Wash,
Neighbourhood Public House,
Photofinishing or Photography Laboratory,
Photofinishing or Photography Studio,
Print Shop,
Production or Rehearsal Studio,
Repair Shop - Class A,
Repair Shop - Class B,
Restaurant - Class 1,
Restaurant - Class 2,
Restaurant - Drive-in,
School - Arts or Self-Improvement,
School - Business,
School - Vocational or Grade,
Sign-Painting Shop, and
Work Shop.
APPENDIX B
COMMENTS FROM REVIEWING AGENCIES, THE PUBLIC AND THE APPLICANT
Engineering Services: The General Manager of Engineering Services advises that Engineering has no objection to the
proposed rezoning and no recommended conditions of approval to be addressed prior to CD-1 By-law enactment.
Fire Department: The Fire Prevention Engineer advises that there are no Building By-law issues raised by this
application.
Public Input: An application information sign was installed on the site on March 12, 1997. Staff have not mailed a
notification letter to surrounding property owners for the reason that the application requests that the same Service
Uses be permitted on this site as are permitted and encouraged in grade level space on abutting streets and surrounding
area. However, the applicant was requested to, and has notified by letter all the individual strata lot owners on the
site of the proposed rezoning.
Environmental Implications: The proposed rezoning will neither detract from nor contribute to the City s objective of
reducing atmospheric pollution.
Social Implications: The proposed rezoning has no implications with respect to the City s Children s Policy and the
Statement of Children s Rights.
Applicant s Comments: The applicant has been provided with a copy of this report and agrees with its recommendation.
* * * *
APPENDIX C
APPLICANT, PROPERTY OWNER AND DEVELOPER INFORMATION
APPLICANT Malcolm Elliot, Architectura
PROPERTY OWNER several
DEVELOPER n/a
SITE INFORMATION AND STATISTICS
STREET ADDRESS 505-595 West Pender Street (also 526-528 West Hastings Street,
550-580 West Hastings Street, 438 & 468 Seymour Street, and
469, 479 & 489 Richards Street)
LEGAL DESCRIPTION Lots 1 & 2, Plan LMP 28567,and LMS 2371,all of Block 24, DL 541
DEVELOPMENT STATISTICS
USES PERMITTED IN USES PERMITTED IN PROPOSED
DD (Area C ) CD-1 BY-LAW ADDITIONAL USES
LAND USES Office Commercial; Dwelling Units; Service Uses
Retail Commercial; Retail;
Other Commercial; Office:
Residential; Hotel:
Hotel; Hall;
Light Industrial; School - University or
Public and College;
Institutional; Accessory Uses.
Social, Recreational
and Cultural;
Parks and Open Space;
Parking Area and
Parking Garage.