CD-1 Text Amendment: 550 Burrard Street (Bentall V)

POLICY REPORT
DEVELOPMENT AND BUILDING

Date: May 30, 1997
Dept. File No. 96049-LC
CC File: 5303-1

TO: Vancouver City Council

FROM: Director of Central Area Planning, on behalf of
Land Use and Development

SUBJECT: CD-1 Text Amendment: 550 Burrard Street (Bentall V)

RECOMMENDATION

THAT the application by Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership to amend
CD-1 By-law No. 6884 for 550 Burrard Street (Lots C, D and E, Blk
30, DL 541, Pl. LMP7821) to add hotel and other uses, increase the
floor space ratio (FSR), increase the height and reduce the parking
requirement, be referred to a Public Hearing, together with:

i) plans received December 18, 1996;

ii) draft CD-1 By-law amendments, generally as contained in
Appendix A; and

iii) the recommendation of the Director of Central Area Planning on
behalf of Land Use and Development to approve, subject to
conditions contained in Appendix B.

FURTHER THAT the Director of Legal Services be instructed to
prepare the necessary by-law for consideration at Public Hearing.

GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS

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

COUNCIL POLICY

Relevant Council policies for this site include:

CD-1 By-law No. 6884 which was enacted on September 24, 1991.

Central Area Plan, adopted December 3, 1991, which supports the
retention of the hotel bonus in the CBD and encourages the creation
or enhancement of pedestrian interest and comfort on non-retail
streets.

PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

This report assesses an application to amend CD-1 By-law No. 6884, which
applies to the site at 550 Burrard Street, to add hotel use and to
expand the list of other permitted uses to include those permitted in
the adjacent Downtown District (DD). The application also requests
amendments to allow an increase in the FSR in accordance with the 15%
hotel density bonus permitted in the DD, to increase the height of the
proposed tower from 134.7 m (442 ft.) to 137.2 m (450 ft.), and to
reduce the parking requirement from a minimum of 932 spaces to 739
spaces.

Staff support the uses, height and density proposed in this application.
The hotel use would provide more activity to this area of the downtown
and is consistent with the policy to encourage hotels in the CBD. The
height is consistent with the maximum height that could be approved in
the adjacent area of the DD to the west. Also, it does not intrude into
any adopted view corridor. Furthermore, the increased height and
density can be accommodated in a building which is similar in scale to
the one previously approved. Staff do not support the proposed parking
reduction which would be inconsistent with the parking requirements
elsewhere in the Downtown District, however a compromise is proposed by
staff.

Staff recommend that the application be referred to a Public Hearing,
with a recommendation that it be approved subject to conditions.

DISCUSSION

Use: The CD-1 By-law currently specifies office use and limited retail,
service, cultural and recreational, institutional, and parking uses, all
of which were considered as suitable for a site which would include an
office tower, public parking, and the YWCA. The application proposes to
expand the permitted uses to broader use categories which would include
hotel use, to allow the same range of uses as permitted in the adjacent
Downtown District. The amendment would allow the owners of the site to
proceed with Tower V of the Bentall Centre as a mixed-use development
containing office space on the upper floors and a major hotel in the
lower levels.

Staff support the addition of these uses, as a mixed-use development
would add to the diversity of the downtown core as well as providing a
more dynamic project. The proposed hotel use is also consistent with
the Central Area Plan which encourages hotel uses in the Central
Business District (CBD).

Density: The maximum density under the existing CD-1 zoning is 9.47
FSR, of which 2.47 FSR is the result of a density transfer from 901
Hastings Street (Hornby street-end park) (see Appendix C). The
requested hotel density bonus would permit a 15% increase in density in
the portion of the building used for guest accommodation and ancillary
space. Staff consider this density acceptable as it is consistent with
the density bonus available in the adjacent CBD to encourage hotel use.
The lower floor-to-floor height requirements of hotel use allow the
additional density to be accommodated within a tower that would be
similar in scale to the previously approved form of development but with
an additional five floors. This density bonus would not be available
should Bentall decide not to include a hotel component.

Parking: The CD-1 By-law requires that parking be provided in
accordance with the Parking By-law, with an additional 400 spaces
provided for transient (public) parking. A total of 962 parking spaces
would be required for an office development, including parking for the
YWCA and the transient parking. According to the CD-1's current parking
requirements a total of 932 spaces would be required for a mixed
office/hotel development should the hotel use be approved. The rezoning
application originally proposed a total of 684 spaces based on the
rationale that fewer parking spaces are required because the spaces can
be shared between the different uses in the building. Hotel guests and
visitors could use parking spaces at night that are used by the office
workers during the day. The application also proposed that some of the
parking required for the hotel's guests could be accommodated by the
transient parking spaces.

After reviewing the parking requirements for the site which is located
in an area of the downtown which staff have identified as being parking
deficient, Engineering staff concluded that a minimum of 801 parking
spaces would be required to meet the parking demands of the uses (351
spaces for hotel/office uses, 50 spaces for YWCA and 400 spaces for
transient parking). This figure also takes into account the
time-varying demand of the hotel/office uses.

After discussions with Engineering staff, the applicant has increased
the proposed parking only to 739 spaces (289 spaces for hotel/office
uses, 50 spaces for YWCA and 400 spaces for transient parking). As a
compromise, staff suggest that 15% of the parking requirement for the
hotel/office and YWCA uses (approximately 60 spaces) could be waived if
the applicant agrees to provide payment-in-lieu and demonstrates that as
much parking as physically and economically reasonable has been planned
for and provided on the site. The applicant is requesting that the
final decision on the parking requirement be made by Council at a Public
Hearing (see Appendix D: Applicant's Comments).

CONCLUSION

Staff support the proposed amendments to the existing CD-1 By-law to
expand the uses, increase the height and allow a density bonus for hotel
use. Staff do not support the proposed parking reduction in an area of
the downtown which is considered parking deficient, however a compromise
is proposed by staff.

Staff recommend that the application be referred to a Public Hearing
with a recommendation from the Director of Central Area Planning on
behalf of Land Use and Development that it be approved, subject to draft
CD-1 By-law provisions generally as shown in Appendix A, and to proposed
conditions of approval as listed in Appendix B.

* * * * *
APPENDIX A

DRAFT CD-1 BY-LAW AMENDMENTS

1. Amend Section 2, of CD-1 By-law No. 6884, by deleting clauses (a)
to (w) and replacing with the following:

(a) Cultural and Recreational Uses,

(b) Institutional Uses,

(d) Parking Uses,

(e) Retail Uses,

(f) Service Uses, and

(g) Accessory Uses customarily ancillary to the above uses.

2. Amend Section 3, Floor Area, by numbering the first paragraph as
3.1 and adding the following new section 3.2 after clause 3.1 (b):

"3.2 The Director of Planning may permit an increase in the floor
area for hotel use, provided that the increase in no case
exceeds a maximum of 15% of the floor area of that portion of
the building having floor-to-floor dimensions of less than 3.1
m (10 ft.) and used for guest accommodation and ancillary
corridors, service and access areas."

3. Amend Section 4, Height, by replacing the figures "134.72 m (442
ft.)" with "137.2 m (450 ft.)".

4. Amend Section 5, Off-Street Parking, by deleting the title and
first paragraph and replacing with the following:

"Off-Street Parking and Loading

Parking, loading and bicycle spaces must be provided, developed and
maintained in accordance with the applicable provisions of the
Parking By-law, except that:

(a) a minimum of 400 spaces must be provided for public parking
purposes,

(b) a minimum of 50 accessory parking spaces must be provided for
the YWCA,

(c) a minimum of 351 accessory parking spaces must be provided,
for a mixed-use development including both hotel and office
uses, and

(d) in all other cases, the number of parking spaces will be in
accordance with Area I of the Downtown District provisions of
the Parking By-law."

5. Delete Section 6, Off-Street Loading.

6. Add Acoustical Provisions as per the RM-4N District Schedule.

APPENDIX B

PROPOSED CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL

(a) That the proposed form of development be approved by Council in
principle, generally as prepared by Musson Cattell Mackey
Partnership, and stamped "Received City Planning Department,
December 18, 1996", provided that the Director of Planning may
allow minor alterations to this form of development when approving
the detailed scheme of development as outlined in (b) below.

(b) That, prior to approval by Council of the form of development, the
applicant shall obtain approval of a development application by the
Director of Planning, who shall have particular regard to the
following:

(i) design development to the tower base to contribute to
animation of the Burrard sidewalk and to integrate the base
with the entrance to the office tower;

Note to Applicant: Consideration should be given to lowering
ground floor in relation to sidewalk
elevations.

(ii) design development to provide a minimum setback of 0.75 m (2.5
ft.) to the ground floor of the building from the southerly
property boundary (Dunsmuir Street);

(iii) design development to Dunsmuir Street ground floor to
provide pedestrian interest along the full frontage.

Note to Applicant: Proposed baggage storage should be
relocated and exit stairs reconfigured.

(iv) design development at the Dunsmuir/Burrard Streets corner to
provide greater visibility from the street of lobby
activities;

(v) design development to improve the podium roof to provide an
attractive outlook from surrounding buildings;

(vi) delete taxi spaces from the lane right-of-way;

(vii) design development to the Burrard Street vehicular entry
to accommodate right turns off Burrard Street onto the
site;

(viii) design development to the autocourt kiosk area to reduce
its impact on pedestrians, giving careful consideration
to details such as light level, landscaping, ceiling
design and the interface with the sidewalk on Burrard
Street;

(ix) design development to improve visibility to the pedestrian
arcade and autocourt area;

Note to Applicant: This can be achieved by extensive glazing
in the office tower lobby and retail and
by providing openings in the blank wall at
the parking entrance.

(x) design development to ensure that bicycle parking, showers and
changing facilities conform to the requirements of the Parking
By-law and the Building By-law;

(xi) design development to reduce opportunities for theft in the
underground;

Note to Applicant: Theft from auto and bicycle theft are the
most prevalent crime in the downtown.
Open exit stairs have shown to provide
easy access to underground parking areas
as well as creating nuisance
opportunities. These exit stairs should
be relocated within the building envelope,
with only the door exposed.

(xii) design development to delete the exit alcove on Dunsmuir
Street; and

Note to Applicant: This can be achieved by relocating exit
doors away from the property line.

(xiii) suitable arrangements made to the satisfaction of the
General Manager of Engineering Services and the Director
of Finance, to provide payment-in-lieu for up to 15% of
the required accessory parking (401 spaces) if it can be
demonstrated that as much parking as is physically and
economically reasonable has been planned for and will be
provided.

(i) make suitable arrangements to the satisfaction of the General
Manager of Engineering Services, for the relocation of the
ALRT ventilation shaft onto the site. Note to Applicant: This will require negotiations between the
applicant, City, and B.C. Transit to
determine an acceptable location and
design.

APPENDIX C

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Site: The site includes three legal parcels with a total area of 5
971.7 m2 (64,225 sq. ft.) located between Burrard Street and Hornby
Street. The Hornby Street portion of the site is developed with the new
YWCA building. The site also includes 638 underground parking stalls
(under the new YWCA and Lot C), of which 400 are transient (public)
spaces operated by the Downtown Parking Corporation (DPC), and a
temporary surface parking facility (located on Lot C) facing Burrard
Street. The original YWCA building is still standing, although it is
vacant

Surrounding Area: The area around the site is zoned Downtown District
(DD) and is regulated by the Downtown Official Development Plan (DODP).
Immediately adjacent to the site and forming the remainder of the south
end of the block are four lots which include the site for a proposed
small hotel "Le Soleil" currently occupied by a 2-storey commercial
building and the Marc building. South of the site across Dunsmuir
Street is the Park Place office tower, to the north is the Manulife
building, to the east is a parkade and office buildings, and to the west
are the Bentall I, II and III towers.

Background: The site was rezoned from DD to CD-1 in 1991 in a complex
rezoning which included:

transfer of density from a site at the north foot of Hornby Street
(now redeveloped as an urban park with an underground parkade);
replacement of public parking from a DPC parkade which faced Hornby
Street;
a new YWCA building facing Hornby Street (now constructed); and
a 34-storey office tower facing Burrard Street with a pavilion
(Palm Court) on the corner of Burrard Street and Dunsmuir Street.

The office tower and pavilion were never constructed due to changes in
the market conditions and a decreased demand for office space.

Proposed Development: The application proposes a mixed-use development
in a 35-storey tower with a 4-storey podium. The top 17 floors of the
tower would be occupied by offices, the lower 18 floors would contain a
498-room hotel and the podium would accommodate the lobby for the office
component and hotel facilities including the lobby, reception area,
restaurant, lounges, ballroom, meeting rooms and a health club. These
functions would provide a lively face to the Dunsmuir Street and
Burrard Street corner.

Parking Access and Circulation: Access to the existing underground
parking is provided from Hornby Street, under the new YWCA building, at
the northeast corner of the site. This is also the proposed access to
the office/hotel development's parking facilities. The current
application also proposes limited access to the site from Burrard Street
to provide the hotel with a highly visible entry. Although normally
access would be prohibited from either Burrard Street or Dunsmuir Street
because of safety, street function or design considerations, staff
support limited, right turn "in only" access from Burrard Street to the
hotel's autocourt, which is intended to provide the hotel with a
distinguishable entrance primarily for the purpose of passenger drop off
by buses and taxis and for guests who arrive by car. These vehicles
would exit onto Dunsmuir and Hornby Streets via two existing public
lanes.

Form of Development: The position and configuration of the building
core are determined to a large extent by structural elements that were
built with the underground parking garage. For this reason the tower
remains at 45 degrees to the city grid. The basic massing remains very
similar to the previously approved form of development but now benefits
from a slightly slimmer tower form, as the floorplates have been
reduced from approximately 1 700 m2 to 1 500 m2 (18,300 sq. ft. to
16,200 sq. ft.).

The height of the tower has been increased slightly from 134.72 m (442
ft.) to 137.2 m (450 ft.) but is still within the maximum height
permitted in the adjacent area of the Downtown District to the west.
The proposed height would not impact view corridors and is significantly
below the approximately 160 m (525 ft.) limit identified in the Downtown
Vancouver Skyline Study. In addition to the slight increase in height
of the tower, the podium has more mass at the Dunsmuir/Burrard corner.
The base treatment of the tower is also higher than the previous
proposal. Staff and the Urban Design Panel support the slightly taller
tower and higher base, but agree that further design development is
required to integrate the base with the tower/office entrance.

In the current proposal, the podium has been brought forward to the
Dunsmuir Street property line. Staff propose that the podium be set
back 0.75 m at ground floor on Dunsmuir Street to provide a pedestrian
right-of-way to accommodate future pedestrian and transit needs. (See
Appendix B.) This requirement would be consistent with the previously
approved form of development which included a greater setback in the
approved development permit plans.

The previous proposal included a semi-public enclosed space along the
lines of an arboretum, the "Palm Court", located in the podium at the
southwest corner (Burrard and Dunsmuir Streets) of the site. In the new
proposal, the lobby and other public function areas of the hotel would
replace the "Palm Court". The Burrard Street portion of the podium
would have a transparent exterior which would present passing
pedestrians with a building that is visually alive during both day and
evening hours of the week. The "Palm Court" was seen as a major public
amenity in the earlier scheme, however staff and the Urban Design Panel
expect that with further design development the current proposal has the
same opportunity to feel public and could be more animated. (Conditions:
Appendix B; Plans: Appendix E.)

ALRT Ventilation Shaft: A ventilation shaft serving the ALRT (Skytrain)
imposes a large metal grate [12.5 m by 2.1 m (41 ft. by 7 ft.)] in the
sidewalk butting against the Dunsmuir Street curb. Its location was
designed for expedience at the time of ALRT construction, with the
expectation that when the adjacent property (550 Burrard Street)
redeveloped, the shaft would be redirected through the new structure.
The positioning of the shaft has drawbacks, such as limiting tree
planting and other boulevard enhancements, reducing pedestrian comfort,
and curtailing options for transit accommodation and road widening. To
overcome the limitations imposed by the present shaft position, a
collaborative effort by the developer, B.C. Transit and the City is
required. [See Appendix B: section (c)(i).]

Social and Environmental Implications: There are no implications with
respect to the Vancouver Children's Policy or Statement of Children's
Entitlements. The proposed rezoning neither contributes to nor detracts
from the objective of reducing atmospheric pollution.

APPENDIX D

COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC, REVIEWING AGENCIES AND THE APPLICANT

Public Input: A notification letter was sent to 51 nearby property
owners and a rezoning information sign was posted on the site on January
20, 1997. One phone call was received and one person came to City Hall
to receive additional information about the application. There were no
objections to the proposed rezoning.

Comments of the General Manager of Engineering Services: The General
Manager of Engineering Services has no objection to the proposed
rezoning, provided that the applicant complies with the conditions as
shown in Appendix B.

Urban Design Panel Comment: The Urban Design Panel reviewed this
proposed rezoning on January 29, 1997, and offered the following
comments:

"The Panel unanimously supported this application.

The Panel strongly supported the proposed change in use and thought the
hotel would be a valuable addition to this part of the downtown.

The massing of the tower was generally supported and the Panel thought
its slimmer form was an improvement over the previous proposal. The
majority of Panel members had no problem with the orientation of the
tower. One Panel member thought the top of the tower needed to be
refined, given its high visibility from the harbour and elsewhere to the
north. The additional height of the tower was not an issue with the
Panel.

Panel members commented that the base needs considerable design
development. The base of the tower and the architectural statement for
the office entry was seen as a bit weak. Integration of the base with
some single tower/office entrance was encouraged. The higher base was
strongly supported.

The importance of transparency at the Dunsmuir/Burrard corner was
emphasized for the next stage of the design. Design development of this
corner should also include the treatment of the roof. The "Palm Court"
of the earlier scheme was seen as a major public amenity that
contributed to the additional density permitted on this site. While
this proposal has the same opportunity, as yet it lacks the same degree
of publicness that was evident in the earlier proposal. Animation of
the lobby to the fullest extent possible should be reinforced in the
detail design development. The Panel thought there should be more uses
in the lobby. One Panel member commented it is unfortunate the check-in
desk is not at the ground level.

The vehicular access off Burrard was thought to be quite workable.

The entry to the proposed financial institution may need to be lowered
so that it can be entered directly.

The Panel had major concerns about the treatment of the lane as an
extension of entry to this and the adjacent hotel across the lane. Full
cooperation among this developer, the adjacent hotel developer and the
City Engineering Department was strongly urged so that the best can be
made of the lane as an entrance, i.e., continuance of the paving
pattern. It was noted that the upgrading of the laneways in this mid
block route would also be a major amenity for the city. It needs to be
a major, well designed through lane.

The importance of detailed design in the development of the autocourt
was stressed. Given the difficulty of getting covered autocourts to
work well, details such as light levels, landscaping, and detailed
design of the ceilings, etc., will need to be carefully considered."

Comments of the Applicant: The applicant has been provided with a copy
of this report and has provided the following comments:

"We have reviewed the report and there are three items on which we wish
to comment as follows:

1. The Amendment to Section 3, Floor Area

The Tower V proposal to include a 498 room hotel was chosen based
upon hotel market demand and supply conditions over nine months
ago. While this is still the applicant s goal, the hotel market is
changing so that a hotel with fewer rooms may be more appropriate.
For clarity, the applicant requires the ability to change hotel
floor space to office floor space on the understanding that the
total floor space will be reduced by the appropriate 15% hotel
bonus. It is assumed the proposed new Clause 3.2 will allow this
discretion.

2. Off Street Parking

The Shared Parking Study by N.D. Lea Consultants Ltd. analyzed the
parking requirement for hotel, office and transient uses. The
findings showed that a parkade of 700 stalls could adequately meet
demands due to the complimentary times of parkade use, i.e. hotel,
evenings and weekends, office in business hours in the week. The
applicant did add a further additional level of parking to the
original proposed 700 stalls for a new total of 739 stalls which is
clearly adequate. The applicant does not believe it is appropriate
to provide more parking thereby encouraging further vehicle use and
the fact that Tower V is well served by public transportation and
is adjacent to an ALRT station.

3. Comments on Proposed Conditions of Approval

(b)(xiii) Applicant believes there is sufficient parking provided
with 739 stalls.

This ventilation shaft has been in the sidewalk since the ALRT
opened over 10 years ago. Its inclusion into the Tower V site was
not a condition of the previous Tower V rezoning or the subsequent
Tower V Development Permit.

The design development requests set out in:

(b)(ii) to set back the building 2.5 feet on Dunsmuir Street
(b)(iii) relocate exit stairs and baggage storage
(b)(iv) provide greater visibility to lobby activities
(b)(xii) deletion of exit alcove on Dunsmuir Street

all require major revisions of the Dunsmuir Street frontage. The
inclusion of the ALRT ventilation shaft into this area of high
quality space will add a major level of complexity and create
structural and design costs into the parking level. The cost and
complexity of dealing with BC Transit and the City is likely to be
a lengthy process delaying the Tower V project.

Therefore, the applicant requests deletion of this condition of
approval."

APPENDIX F

APPLICANT, PROPERTY, AND DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL INFORMATION

APPLICANT AND PROPERTY INFORMATION

Street Address 550 Burrard Street
Legal Description Lots C, D and E, Blk 30, DL 541, Pl. LMP7821

Applicant Mussen Cattell Mackey Partnership

Architect Mussen Cattell Mackey Partnership
Property Owner Bentall Properties Ltd.(Lot C);Omers Realty
Corp. (Lots D & E)

Developer Bentall Properties Ltd.
SITE STATISTICS

GROSS DEDICATIONS NET

SITE AREA 5 971.7 m2 5 971.7 m2
(64,225 sq. (64,225 sq. ft.)
ft.)
DEVELOPMENT STATISTICS

DEVELOPMENT RECOMMENDED
PERMITTED UNDER PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT (if
EXISTING ZONING DEVELOPMENT different than
proposed)

ZONING CD-1 CD-1
USES Office and limited Office and all
Cultural and Cultural and
Recreational, Recreational,
Retail, Service Institutional,
and Parking Uses Retail, Service
(includes
hotel) and
Parking Uses

MAX. FLOOR 58 932 m2 (634,357 58 932 m2
AREA sq. ft.) (634,357 sq.
ft.) plus 15%
hotel density
bonus

MAXIMUM 134.72 m (442 ft.) 137.2 m (450
HEIGHT ft.) PARKING min. of 1/115 m2 739 spaces 801 spaces
SPACES (1/1,238 sq. ft.)
and max. of 1/100
m2 (1/1,076
sq.ft.) for
non-residential
uses, plus 50 for
YWCA and 400
public parking
[equivalent to
minimum of 962
spaces]

SIDE YARD none none 0.75 m
SETBACK (Dunsmuir St)