CITY OF VANCOUVER

REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES

STANDING COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL ON

PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT

MARCH 5, 1998

A Regular Meeting of the Council of the City of Vancouver was held on Thursday, March 5, 1998, at 5:15 p.m. in the Council Chamber, Third Floor, City Hall, following the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment meeting, to consider the recommendations of the Committee.

PRESENT:	Mayor Philip Owen Councillor Don Bellamy Councillor Nancy A. Chiavario Councillor Jennifer Clarke Councillor Alan Herbert Councillor Daniel Lee Councillor Don Lee Councillor Gordon Price Councillor Sam Sullivan
ABSENT:	Councillor Lynne Kennedy (Civic Business) Councillor George Puil (Civic Business)
CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE:	Judy Rogers, Deputy City Manager
CLERK TO THE COUNCIL:	Nancy Largent

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MOVED by Cllr. Bellamy,

SECONDED by Cllr. Price,

THAT this Council resolve itself into Committee of the Whole, Mayor Owen in the chair.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Report of Standing Committee on Planning and Environment

March 5, 1998

Council considered the recommendations of the Committee, as contained in the following clauses of the attached report:

Cl.1: Royal Diamond Casino Inc. - Casino-Class 1

Building A, 770 Pacific Boulevard South

CL.2 (a) Oakridge Langara Policy Statement:: Reserve Sub-Area Policy; and

(b) Proposed Rezoning of 915-55 West 57th Avenue &

7225-35 Laurel Street

Cl. 3 Vanier Park/Kits Point Traffic and Parking Study

Cl.4. Urban Safety Commission

Clauses 1 through 4

MOVED by Cllr. Clarke,

THAT the recommendations of the Committee, as contained in Clauses 1 through 4, inclusive, of this report, be approved.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

RISE FROM COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MOVED by Cllr. Bellamy,

THAT the Committee of the Whole rise and report.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

ADOPT REPORT OF COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MOVED by Cllr. Bellamy,

SECONDED by Cllr. Price,

THAT the report of the Committee of the Whole be adopted.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

The Council adjourned at 5:20 p.m.

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REPORT TO COUNCIL

STANDING COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL

ON PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT

MARCH 5, 1998

A Regular Meeting of the Standing Committee of Council on Planning and Environment was held on Thursday, March 5, 1998, at 2:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber, Third Floor, City Hall.

PRESENT:	Councillor Jennifer Clarke, Chair Mayor Philip Owen Councillor Don Bellamy Councillor Nancy A. Chiavario Councillor Jennifer Clarke Councillor Alan Herbert Councillor Daniel Lee Councillor Don Lee Councillor Gordon Price Councillor Sam Sullivan
ABSENT:	Councillor Lynne Kennedy, (Civic Business) Councillor George Puil (Civic Business)
CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE:	Judy Rogers, Deputy City Manager
CLERK TO THE COMMITTEE:	Nancy Largent

ADOPTION OF MINUTES

The Minutes of the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment meeting of February 5, 1998, were adopted.

RECOMMENDATION

1. Royal Diamond Casino Inc. - Casino-Class 1

Building A, 770 Pacific Boulevard South File: 2633-1

The Committee had before it an Administrative Report dated January 27, 1998 (on file), in which the Chief License Inspector, in consultation with the Director of Community Planning, recommended that Council endorse an application by Royal Diamond Casinos Inc. to change its location from one Plaza of Nations Building to another, as an interim use. The General Manager of Community Services recommended approval, as reflected in the recommendation of this report.

Paul Teichroeb, Chief License Inspector, reviewed the application and rationale for recommending approval. Mr. Teichroeb noted it is a relocation of an existing casino within the same area, complies with the Casino-Class 1 Regulations, and no neighbourhood impacts are expected.

Gary Jackson, Royal Diamond Casinos Inc., appeared to support the application and answer any questions.

The following motion by Mayor Owen was put and carried. The Committee, therefore,

RECOMMENDED

THAT the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment endorse the request by Royal Diamond Casinos Inc., to relocate their Casino-Class 1 to Building A, Plaza of Nations, 770 Pacific Boulevard South, as an interim use for two years having considered the opinion of the area residents and business operators as determined through the neighbourhood notification process.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

(Councillor Sullivan not present for the vote)

2. (a) Oakridge Langara Policy Statement: Reserve Sub-Area Policy; and

(b) Proposed Rezoning of 915-55 West 57th Avenue &

7225-35 Laurel Street File: 8017

The Committee had before it a Policy Report dated February 17, 1998 (on file), in which the Director of Community Planning, on behalf of Land Use and Development, reported on the Oakridge Langara Policy Statement Reserve Sub-Area Policy, and on a rezoning proposal for 915-55 West 57th Avenue &7225-35 Laurel Street falling within an applicable sub-area. The policy requires that all property owners within a sub-area support a rezoning initiative, and one of the seven property owners in this area does not support the rezoning proposal referenced.

The General Manager of Community Services and Director of Community Planning put forward the following recommendations:

Ai.THAT Council confirm the policy for reserve sub-areas in Oakridge/Langara requiring "demonstrated unanimous desire by property owners within a block to apply for rezoning";

Aii.THAT "demonstrated unanimous desire" be interpreted to mean that all property owners support a rezoning initiative, but that all properties need not be included in the rezoning; and

Aiii.THAT the reserve sub-area on the north side of the West 57th Avenue between Oak and Laurel Streets could be divided into two sub-areas, with the dividing line established between Salvation Army and the subject rezoning site; and

B.THAT the applicant for 915-55 West 57th Avenue and 7225-35 Laurel Street be advised to withdraw the application, until such time as all owners in the easterly reserve sub-area are supportive of a rezoning proposal.

Rob Whitlock, Community Planner, reviewed the Reserve Sub-Area Policy and the history and configuration of the subject site. Mr. Whitlock indicated that the rezoning application offers an opportunity to clarify Council's position with respect to strict interpretation of the policy and whether it is too restrictive in its present form. Available options were briefly outlined.

cont’d

Clause No. 2 Cont’d

Jon Ellis, speaking on behalf of the applicant, reviewed the history of the development of subdivision patterns in Vancouver. The applicant became interested in this site, initially, because the Oakridge Langara Policy Statement identifies the northeast corner of Oak and 57th Avenue as an area in which rezoning will be considered. The proposal would maintain and enhance the existing housing pattern in the area. The applicant has gone through a lengthy cooperative process, and has achieved the consent to redevelop from six of seven owners. Mr. Ellis requested that Council permit the application to proceed.

The following property owners in the reserve sub-area supported the applicant and requested that Council permit the application to proceed:

Eric Hong Tai

Suzanne Hoy

Colan Hoy

David Zeng

Jim Corlett (pictures filed)

Following are some of the points made by the foregoing:

·area property owners were not aware of the Reserve Sub-Area Policy, and should have been consulted;

·it is unfair to the majority of owners if the owners of a single property can prevent a rezoning application from even being considered;

·the application should proceed to Public Hearing to permit Council to hear from the public and make its decision accordingly based upon the common good;

·division into two separate sub-areas was opposed;

·one lot in the area is so large that it is difficult for the owner to prevent its being used for dumping;

·the privacy of the objecting owner would be well protected by existing holly and other tall trees;

·the objecting owners have the option to retain their property as it is if they do not wish to participate in the rezoning.

Jacquie Forbes-Roberts, Director of Community Planning, responded to questions regarding public consultation on the Oakridge Langara Policy Statement. Ms. Forbes-Roberts also clarified that the intent of establishing reserve sub-areas was to permit development provided certain conditions are met.

cont’d

Clause No. 2 Cont’d

Milton and Bernice Wylie, the objecting property owners, requested Council to confirm the strict application of the policy and not permit the application to proceed: Following are some of the points made by the Wylies:

·theirs is a Class C heritage home;

·they wish to continue to live on their property and to enjoy it, whereas their neighbours wish to sell their homes and move on;

·enjoyment of their property would be negatively affected by increased traffic, noise and loss of privacy;

·neighbourhood stability is important, and there have already been changes in the area such as institutional buildings and a schoolyard.

Having concluded the hearing of speakers on this item, and noting the large number of speakers registered for the next agenda item, the Committee agreed to postpone debate and a decision on this matter.

The following motion by Mayor Owen was put and carried. The Committee, therefore,

RECOMMENDED

THAT a decision on this matter be referred to the Council meeting of March 10, 1998.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

3. Vanier Park/Kits Point Traffic and Parking Study File: 8014

The Committee had before it an Administrative Report dated February 12, 1998 (on file), in which the General Manager of Engineering Services, in consultation with the Manager of Building Management and Director of the Office of Cultural Affairs; sought Council's approval for a consultancy to measure and assess traffic and parking impacts within Kits point. The report also addressed a specific proposal by the Kits Point Residents Association (KPRA) to ban scheduled bus tours to Kits Point. The following recommendations were put forward:

A.THAT Council approve in principle a traffic and parking study of Kits Point/ Vanier Park based on the draft terms of reference attached to this report as Appendix "A", and that $25,000 be added to the 1998 Operating Budget for the consultant(s) and related work; and

THAT the traffic consultant(s) seeks input from local residents including the Kits Point Residents Association, the cultural institutions, bus tour operators, and City staff.

B.THAT the proposal to ban regularly scheduled bus tours to Kitsilano Point or to discontinue the bus tour stop at the Maritime Museum not be pursued, and that in the context of the strategies proposed by the traffic consultant's study, appropriate measures be developed to mitigate neighbourhood impact.

Doug Louie, Neighbourhood Transportation, Engineering Services, reviewed the history of traffic planning in Kits Point and staff's rationale for the recommendations. Staff have been working with area residents and the Kits Point cultural institutions to try to resolve their concerns; initiatives undertaken to date were outlined. The study is proposed in order to ascertain long-term solutions. In the interim, staff do not recommend approval of the KPRA proposal because of its potential impact on the cultural institutions. Rather, actions to mitigate the impact will be considered; some possible examples were reviewed.

The following speakers supported the recommendations of the General Manager of Engineering Services:

James Delgado, Vancouver Maritime Museum

David Valpy, Vancouver Maritime Museum

John Dickenson, Pacific Space Centre

Greg Evans, Vancouver Museum

Jim Storie, Vancouver Trolley Company

cont’d

Clause No. 3 Cont’d

Following are some of the points made by the foregoing:

·a reduction in the tour bus schedule would lead to a loss of revenues from tour bus passengers, some of whom visit the cultural institutions while on the bus tour, and some of whom become aware of the institutions and return because of the bus tour;

·the Maritime Museum suffered losses attributed to the ban on use of its parking lot in 1997;

·the grade to the Museum and Planetarium lot is too steep for handicapped access;

·the bus tours raise the public profile of the cultural institutions, which hope to expand;

·the City-owned institutions have been located in Vanier Park for many years, and if their access becomes too restricted, cannot remain viable in that location;

·a traffic study which improves access will be very welcome;

·the institutions and the trolley company wish to cooperate with City staff and residents to obtain a "win/win" solution; various initiatives already undertaken were outlined including maintenance measures to deal with bus noise;

·Vanier Park and Kits Point are popular attractions which tourists to Vancouver wish the opportunity to visit;

·statistics were provided regarding frequency of bus visits, and it was pointed out that Vancouver Trolley Company and Gray Line buses constitute only a portion of the bus traffic, which includes many school buses visiting the institutions, for example.

The following recommendations put forward by the Kits Point Residents Association (submission from the KPRA Traffic Committee Chair, on file):

Re recommendation A -

That the terms of reference for the consultant's study be modified from a "traffic and parking study" to an "alternate access road study" which includes a traffic and parking analysis to support a new access road;

Re recommendation B -

1.A reduction in the total duration of the city bus tours to between July 1 and September 15 only;

2.Only one tour bus every half hour as was proposed to the KPRA prior to licensing the trolley bus service;

cont’d

Clause No. 3 Cont’d

3.Buses only enter Kits Point between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.;

4.The buses have only one stop in Kits Point at the Planetarium.

The following area residents spoke in favour of one or more of the foregoing KPRA recommendations:

Walter Hardwick

Elise Leyland

Christopher White

Lynne Kent, KPRA

Beverly Mann (maps filed)

Marie-Claire Howard

Jack Rentanen

Janey Cruise, KPRA Traffic Committee (brief filed)

Hilary Wong

Bruce Wilkie

Dave Harris (brief filed)

Elisabeth Gram

Cindy Brooke

Following are some of the points made by the foregoing:

·the number of tour buses is too high, and produces unreasonable impacts on a residential community, including noise, air pollution, loss of privacy, and danger to pedestrians and playing children;

·it is not necessary to spend $25,000 on yet another traffic an parking study; there is no parking problem in Kits Point, and the only long-term solution to this problem is an alternate access road(s); therefore, any study should deal with that topic;

·interim solutions proposed by civic staff, such as blocking one exit from the Museum and Planetarium parking lot, will only displace the problem onto other residential streets;

·area residents have been faced with this problem for many years, and believe this is a time to seek long-term solutions rather than short-term "band-aids";

·residents enjoyed some relief from the incessant noise when tour buses did not go to the Maritime Museum parking lot last year, and it is only a short, pleasant walk from the Museum and Planetarium parking lot to the Maritime Museum;

cont’d

Clause No. 3 Cont’d

·great museum complexes throughout the world utilize a joint, single passenger disembarkation point; the walk is considered part of the experience;

·no residential neighbourhood in the city is subjected to as much invasion of privacy as Kits Point; in addition to the tour buses, there are a variety of events for which Vanier Park is heavily used, such as fireworks;

·the civic staff report is biased in favour of the institutions; nevertheless, the area residents are willing to work cooperatively toward a solution which will benefit all parties;

·a study carried out by the KPRA (Appendix C of the Administrative Report dated February 12, 1998) proves conclusively that there would be little loss of revenue to the cultural institutions if tour buses were banned or limited, since very few tour bus passengers actually enter).

Ian Adam, Assistant City Engineer - Transportation, responded to questions about the study parameters, and confirmed alternative access is among the items to be reviewed.

Having completed the hearing of delegations on this item, the Committee agreed to postpone debate and decision on this issue to the March 10, 1998 Council meeting, due to time constraints.

The following motion by Councillor Herbert was put and carried. The Committee, therefore,

RECOMMENDED

THAT a decision on this matter be referred to the Council meeting of March 10, 1998.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

4. Urban Safety Commission File: 3144

The relevant Administrative Report dated February 24, 1998 (on file) was referred form the Council meeting of March 3, 1998 to this meeting, in response to a delegation request. However, due to time constraints, it was agreed to postpone the delegations to the Planning and Environment Committee meeting of March 12, 1998. In the interim, there will be a Report Reference on this subject at the Council meeting of March 10, 1998, with a decision referred to the March 12th Committee meeting.

The following motion by Councillor Bellamy was put and carried. The Committee, therefore,

RECOMMENDED

THAT there be a Report Reference on this item at the Council meeting of March 10, 1998, and that a decision be referred to the March 12, 1998 Planning and Environment Committee meeting to permit delegations to be heard.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

The meeting adjourned at 5:15 p.m.

* * * * *

(c) 1997 City of Vancouver