POLICY REPORT

Development and Building

Date: December 16, 1997

Author/Local: LChallis/7135

LU&D No.: 96006

CC File No.: 5303-1

TO: Vancouver City Council

FROM:Director of Central Area Planning on behalf of Land Use & Development, in consultation with the General Manager of Parks & Recreation

SUBJECT:Proposed Rezoning of 2521-2547 Clark Drive

and Portions of China Creek Park

RECOMMENDATION

A.THAT the application by Real Estate Services of the City of Vancouver to rezone the site at 2521-2547 Clark Drive [Lot H, Block 159, DL 264A, Plan LMP 27782] from RT-2 Two-family Dwelling District to RM-4N Multiple Dwelling District be referred to a Public Hearing, together with the recommendation of the Director of Central Area Planning on behalf of Land Use and Development to approve, subject to conditions contained in Appendix A;

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

B.THAT the Director of Land Use and Development be instructed to make application to rezone the portions of China Creek Park shown in Figure 1 from RT-2 Two-family Dwelling District (Site 2), RM-4N Multiple Dwelling District (Sites 3 and 4) and RT-5 Two-family Dwelling District (Site 5) to RS-1 One-family Dwelling District, and that the application be referred to Public Hearing;

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

C.THAT, subject to approval of the rezoning at Public Hearing of portions of China Creek Park, the Subdivision By-law be amended as described in this report;

FURTHER THAT the Director of Legal Services be instructed to bring forward the amendment to the Subdivision By-law at the time of enactment of the Zoning By-law.

GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS

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

COUNCIL POLICY

The Community Development Plan for Mount Pleasant (adopted October 6, 1987) recommends that the isolated RT-2 District at 2521-2547 Clark Drive be rezoned for apartment development.

PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

This report assesses an application to rezone the site at 2521-2547 Clark Drive (Site 1 on Figure 1 below) from RT-2 Two-family Dwelling District to RM-4N Multiple Dwelling District. The site, which was purchased by the City to permit a strip of land to be taken for road widening purposes, was identified in the Mount Pleasant Community Plan as a zoning anomaly which should be rezoned to a district schedule that permits multiple dwellings. The proposed RM-4N District Schedule is consistent with the adjacent zoning on Broadway and includes acoustical provisions to deal with noise impacts on busy streets.

Staff support this application because the proposed rezoning would increase the number of residential units available in the area, would allow for multiple dwelling development that includes acoustical provisions, and is consistent with the Mount Pleasant Community Plan. Staff recommend that the application be referred to a Public Hearing, with a recommendation that it be subject to conditions.

This report also recommends that the Director of Land Use and Development be instructed to apply to rezone portions of China Creek Park from RT-2, RM-4N and RT-5 to RS-1, which is the zoning that applies to the majority of China Creek Park. The proposed rezoning would make the zoning for this park consistent with most parks in the city.

Figure 1

FIGURE 1 HEREDISCUSSION

2521-2547 Clark Drive: This parcel originally consisted of four parcels that were purchased by the City in 1995 for road widening. Since the amount of land required for road widening was significant at 6.7 m (22 ft.), and would have left the lot dimensions at 9.3 m (30.5 ft.) by 25.3 m (83 ft.), permitting only a very small one-family dwelling on each parcel, Real Estate Services consolidated the parcels into a single parcel at the time of the road dedication. Under the existing RT-2 District Schedule, the maximum residential development permitted on this parcel is limited to a two-family dwelling.

The Mount Pleasant Community Plan recognizes this site as a zoning anomaly and recommends multiple dwelling as the preferred use on this site. The RM-4N District Schedule permits multiple dwelling use and would be an extension of the RM-4N zoning that already exists along Broadway. RM-4N also includes acoustical provisions which would ameliorate the impacts of living on Clark Drive. The RM-4 and RM-4N Guidelines that apply to the rest of Mount Pleasant would be amended to also apply to this site, guiding the form of development that could be built.

Real Estate Services could either sell the property for private development or make the site available for a non-market housing development. A separate ‘in-camera’ report by the Manager of the Housing Centre recommends that, subject to enactment of this proposed rezoning, the site be made available for non-market housing

China Creek Park: When the application for 2521-2547 Clark Drive was received, staff noticed that rezoning this site would leave a small portion of the adjacent China Creek Park zoned RT-2. Staff also noticed that although the majority of China Creek Park is zoned RS-1, other portions around the park’s edges are zoned RT-5 and RM-4N. Because the Vancouver Charter requires that the redesignation of a permanent park requires a 2/3 vote of both Council and Park Board, rezoning is not necessary to protect the park from development. However, Planning staff, in consultation with Park Board staff, recommend that rezoning the RT-2, RT-5 and RM-4N portions of the park to RS-1 would remove these anomalies and provide the park with zoning that is consistent with most other parks in the city.

CONSEQUENTIAL AMENDMENT

If the proposed rezoning of portions of China Creek Park are approved at Public Hearing, an amendment to the Subdivision By-law will be required, at the time of enactment, to apply the category "B" standards which apply to the remainder of China Creek Park to the parcels being rezoned.

CONCLUSION

Staff recommend that the rezoning application for 2521-2547 Clark Drive be referred to a Public Hearing with a recommendation from the Director of Central Area Planning on behalf of Land Use and Development to approve it, subject to the proposed condition of approval to amend the Mount Pleasant RM-4 and RM-4N Guidelines.

Staff also recommend that the Director of Land Use and Development be instructed to apply to rezone four portions of China Creek Park to RS-1, and that the application be referred to Public Hearing with a recommendation to approve it.

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APPENDIX A

PROPOSED CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL

(2521-2547 Clark Drive)

(a)THAT, if approved at Public Hearing, the by-law be accompanied at the time of enactment by the "Mount Pleasant RM-4 and RM-4N Guidelines" to be amended by resolution of Council.

APPENDIX B

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Site: The site at 2521-2547 Clark Drive includes one legal parcel with a total area of 940 m² (10,114 sq. ft.), and is located between the lane south of Broadway and East 10th Avenue. The site is presently vacant. The City of Vancouver purchased this property in 1995 for the purpose of widening Clark Drive to add a left turn bay at Broadway.

Surrounding Area: The area to the north of the site along Broadway is zoned RM-4N. There is a vacant parcel at the southwest corner of Broadway and Clark Drive which was also purchased by the City of Vancouver to allow for road widening. To the west of this parcel is a 3-storey rental multiple dwelling that was built prior to this area being rezoned in 1988 from RM-3A to RM-4N. To the west and south of the site is China Creek Park. The Nanook YMCA Day Care is located in the park immediately west of the site. To the east, across Clark Drive, is Queen Alexandra Elementary School.

Development Permitted Under Proposed Zoning: The application proposes RM-4N zoning which would allow a multiple dwelling designed to reduce noise impacts on the individual dwelling units. The RM-4N District Schedule permits a density of up to 1.45 FSR, which is an increase from the 0.60 FSR (0.75, conditionally, for multiple dwellings) permitted in the RT-2 District. This increased density should not negatively impact the adjacent properties. A new multiple dwelling would likely provide underground parking and parking access would be oriented toward either East 10th Avenue or the lane.

Development Proposal: The Housing Centre has been seeking a site for non-market family housing to be developed by the Helping Spirit Lodge Society and considers this site well-suited for this use because it is located near an elementary school, daycare, a park and public transit. The proposal is to build a 14-unit multiple dwelling, in conformance with the RM-4N District Schedule, to provide housing for low-income aboriginal women and their children. The Housing Centre has a separate report seeking Council’s approval to lease this site to Helping Spirit Lodge Society, subject to enactment of the proposed rezoning.

Environmental and Social Implications: The proposed rezoning contributes to the objective of reducing atmospheric pollution by increasing housing in a location that is well-served by public transit. There are no implications with respect to the Vancouver Children's Policy or Statement of Children's Entitlements.

APPENDIX C

COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC, REVIEWING AGENCIES,

AND THE APPLICANT

Public Input: On March 15, 1996, staff mailed a notification letter to 176 surrounding property owners. An information sign was installed on the site on March 25, 1996. Residents and nearby property owners have telephoned (2 calls), written (2 letters) or visited (1 visitor) staff at City Hall with questions and concerns about the application.

A Public Information Meeting was held on November 13, 1997 at Queen Alexander School to discuss the proposed rezoning and the proposal by Helping Spirit Lodge to build non-market housing if the site is rezoned. Notices were distributed to about 250 neighbouring property owners and tenants. Twelve residents attended the meeting.

The major concerns expressed by local residents included:

·430·the neighbourhood already has problems due to heavy traffic, truck routes and too many people (over-populated) and it does not need more high-density housing;·430

·430·the community should be compensated for lands lost to road widening and using this site to help buffer the rest of China Creek Park from the impacts of Clark Drive would give something back to the community;·430

·430·the site is not appropriate for housing because the location suffers from noise, dirt, odours and fumes; and·430

·430·China Creek Park has problems which impact it’s neighbours that are not being addressed, such as the late night use of the basketball courts.·430

A resident speaking in support of the proposed rezoning noted that the site is appropriate for residential development because it is located near a school, daycare, a park and transit.

General Manager of Engineering Services Comments: "I have no objections to the proposed rezoning."

Housing Centre Comments: "The Housing Centre supports rezoning this City-owned site from RT-2 to RM-4N. In spite of its busy location on Clark Drive, the proximity of Queen Alexandra Elementary School, China Creek Park and Nanook YMCA Day Care, make this an excellent inner city site for multiple family housing."

General Manager of Parks and Recreation Comments: The General Manager of Parks and Recreation agrees with the recommendations of this report.

Applicant's Comments: The applicant has been provided with a copy of this report andagrees with its contents and recommendations.

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(c) 1997 City of Vancouver