ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: January 8,1998

Yardley McNeill/7003

CC File No. PH356

TO:	Vancouver City Council
FROM:	Director of Community Planning on behalf of Land Use and Development
SUBJECT:	Heritage Designation of 679 East Georgia Street

RECOMMENDATION

A.That the property at 679 East Georgia Street, listed on the Vancouver Heritage Register in the "B" evaluation category, be designated as a Protected Heritage Property;

B.THAT Council instruct the Director of Legal Services to 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 679 East Georgia Street as a Protected Heritage Property in exchange for zoning and parking relaxations.

BACKGROUND and SUMMARY

Development Application DE402662 proposes the adaptive re-use of a former produce store located on the northwest corner of Georgia and Heatley Streets, in the RT-3 zone. The building is listed on the Vancouver Heritage Register in the "B" evaluation category, and is presently occupied by two rental units. The proposed alterations are to convert the heritage building into three market dwelling units, and construct three single family dwelling infill buildings in the rear yard (see Appendix A).

The Director of Planning has approved this application with conditions. Approval includes a number of relaxations permitted under the District Schedule relaxation provisions, as well as the Parking By-law relaxations related to heritage sites. Council designation of the heritage building is one of the conditions.

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DISCUSSION

Heritage Value

Completed in 1901 for Edwin Cassidy, this building has served as a grocery store from the time it was built until 1975. The upper storey of the building has always been occupied as residential space, typically by the operator of the grocery store. The building has a two-storey rectangular plan with a gabled roof and the original storefront remains intact as does the angled entry door that is oriented to the corner. The building is also part of a grouping of structures of a similar style, age and characteristics and is a neighbourhood landmark due to its prominent siting on the block. The building is listed in the ‘B’ evaluation category on the Vancouver Heritage Register.

Compatibility with Community Planning Objectives

The property is located in the Strathcona residential area, and is zoned RT-3. The intent of the RT-3 zoning is to retain the unique architectural character within the area. The district was primarily constructed from 1880 through to 1900. The site is located on an "A streetscape" within the RT-3 district, which signifies a streetscape of predominantly Vancouver Heritage Register buildings.

The proposal meets the intent of the zoning by conserving a character building, and further, supplies additional housing opportunities through the creation of six dwelling units.

Zoning Considerations

The RT-3 District Schedule allows the Director of Planning the following flexibility:

"The Director of Planning may relax any regulation of this Schedule for multiple conversion dwellings and infill on a corner site, for the purpose of preserving pre-1920 buildings important to the character of the neighbourhood, having regard to the intent of this schedule and all applicable policies and guidelines adopted by City Council."

The Parking By-law allows the Director of Planning to relax the provisions of the By-law with regard to the following:

"the retention of a heritage site, a building in an HA District or a building on the Heritage Register, provided that in the case of a building on the Heritage Register that is neither a heritage site nor in an HA District the Director of Planning may require that the owner of the building consent to its designation as a heritage site, without compensation, prior to issuance of any development permit issued pursuant to this provision for relaxation;"

Given that the proposed development will contribute to the conservation of a heritage building, and subject to designation of the property, the Director of Planning is prepared to relax the floor space ratio and parking requirements, in addition to further relaxations as described below:

RT-3 District Schedule & Parking By-Law Regulations	Required/Permitted	Proposed
FSR	.95(522.8m²)( 5628 sq.ft.)	1.10(605.4m²)(6517 sq.ft.)
Parking	6 spaces	5 spaces
Max. Aggregate access width to parking areas	10m(33.3 ft)	13.2m(43.5 ft)
Max. Site coverage	50%	56.9%
Max. Height of bldgs in the Rear Yard *	8.5m(27.9ft.)	9.5m(31.07ft)
Min. Rear Yard setback from property line to infill	1.5m(5ft)	0.3m(1.04ft)
Min. Side yard setback	1.5m(4.92ft)	1.2m(4.0ft.)

* A relaxation for a portion of the rear infill roof line is required due to the slope in grade up from Heatley Street. See the section under Notification, which describes the rationale behind the relaxation.

Notification

As part of the Development Application process, a sign was placed on the site and letters of notification were sent to 39 surrounding residents. Of the notified households, five responses were received, four expressed support for the proposal, and one expressed opposition. The opposing response was a petition containing 25 household signatures (nine signatures from within the notified area). In addition, the Director of Planning received eight letters from outside the notified area, and six of those were in opposition to the proposal.

The major concerns raised in the letters of opposition were the loss of two existing "artist live-work" units presently occupying the heritage building, the loss of parking along Heatley Street, and the effect of the rear infill on the lower level apartment unit in the building across the lane.

The heritage building is presently occupied by two rental units; however the City has no record of approving the second dwelling use. In addition, no policy exists within the RT-3 area that would regulate the loss of rental housing. Although the project is not specifically developing rental units it would create an affordable form of market strata-titled housing for the area. Six family oriented units are proposed in place of two outright single-family dwellings permitted under the Zoning.

The loss of parking along Heatley Street is due to the increase in driveway access points to the parking garages. As required under the Parking By-law, each dwelling unit must supply one parking space. The Director of Planning is prepared to relax one of the required spaces. Given the retention of the heritage building, and the slope on the site which rises approximately 1.8m (6ft.) from Heatley Street to the inside property line, accessing the parking from the lane was not considered a reasonable alternative to Heatley Street.

With regard to the effect on the adjacent building across the lane, the proposal is consistent with the RT-3 zoning which permits infill buildings as a conditional use, and requires them to be placed within the rear yard adjacent to the lane. The style of the buildings was determined by the character of buildings in the area. An effort was made to reduce the height of the eave lines adjacent to the lane by orienting the gable roofs to Heatley Street. Due to the slope of the site, it necessitates a minor height relaxation for the roof line of the rear infill. The Director of Planning considers this an acceptable response, but has requested in the form of a "prior to" condition, that the applicant co-ordinate the side elevations of the infill building with the side elevation of the building across the lane to mediate any privacy and overlook created with overlapping windows or doors.

Legal Services

The Director of Legal Services has prepared the necessary Heritage By-Law amendments and the requirements for notification, as specified by the Vancouver Charter, have been met.

At the request of the owner, enactment of the By-law amendment will occur once the prior-to-conditions have been met. Staff support this recommendation.

Conditions and Economic Viability

The heritage building's exterior and structure are in sound and stable condition. The street-oriented facades will be preserved and upgraded as they exist, while interventions to bring more light into the units will be made on the west facade which is least visible from the street.

The Manager of Real Estate Services analyzed the project and determined that the additional floor area proposed does not create significant profit.

Comments of the Vancouver Heritage Commission

The application was presented to the Vancouver Heritage Commission in July 1997 as an enquiry. The Heritage Commission supported the proposed relaxations in return for designation of the building.

Conclusion

The proposed development of 679 East Georgia Street offers an opportunity to creatively adapt the original corner store into additional family-oriented housing for the area. The proposal is compatible 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 is economically viable. Therefore, it is recommended that Council amend Schedule A of the Heritage By-Law to designate the property at 679 East Georgia Street as a Protected Heritage Property.

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(c) 1997 City of Vancouver