ADMINISTRATION REPORT

Date: June 24, 1998

Author/Local: M. Cho/6496

CC File No. 2604-1

TO:	Vancouver City Council
FROM:	Director of Community Planning on behalf of the Land Use and Development
SUBJECT:	3718 West Broadway Development Application Number DE403195 Owner of Development: 4145 Investments Ltd.

CONSIDERATION

The Director of Planning submits the following for consideration:

THAT the Director of Planning be advised that Council would favour the approval for the construction of a four-storey retail/residential building at 3718 West Broadway as submitted under Development Application Number DE403195.

GENERAL MANAGER’S COMMENTS

The General Manager of Community Services submits the foregoing for CONSIDERATION.

COUNCIL POLICY

At its meeting on June 2, 1998, Council instructed the Director of Planning to:

A.refer all proposed height relaxations under Sections 4.3(a) and (b) C-2 Residential Guidelines to Council for advice;

B.delete Section 4.3(c) of the C-2 Residential Guidelines permitting height relaxations over 16.8 m pending a full review of the C-2 zone;

C.amend the C-2 Residential Guidelines to add a general clause indicating that projects should have a very good architectural design and should use quality exterior materials and that projects should be referred to Urban Design Panel for advice;

D.report back to Council before the summer break with a timetable, work program and resourcing to undertake a C-2 review; and

E.instruct staff that the Guidelines take precedence where there is a conflict between the District Schedule and the Guidelines.

SUMMARY

In accordance with Council’s instructions of June 2, 1998, the Director of Planning is referring this development application to Council for advice as the proposal requires a building height relaxation and for floor space ratio (FSR). The proposed development is for the construction of a four-storey retail/residential building and will require a height relaxation from 40.0 ft. to 44.35 ft. (worse case condition) at the northeast portion of the building. The site has a slope of approximately 9.0 ft. which qualifies it for a height relaxation of 5.0 ft. beyond the 40.0 ft. height limit. The applicant has submitted a view analysis in support of the height relaxation which shows that a very minimal amount of views from a nearby C-2 development will be blocked. The applicant is prepared to lower the building an additional 1.0 ft. from that submitted in the original development application. The corner site, with C-2 zoning adjacent on all sides, can accommodate the proposed FSR of 2.82, of which 2.32 is for residential uses. Given the lack of neighbourhood opposition and based on the foregoing, the Director of Planning is therefore inclined to support this application. However, before making a decision, this application is being referred to Council for advice.

PURPOSE

This report seeks Council’s advice on a development application requesting permission to construct a four-storey retail/residential building, where the proposed building exceeds

12.2 m (40.0 ft.) in height.

SITE DESCRIPTION AND BACKGROUND

The site is located at the southwest corner of West Broadway and Alma Street. The site and surrounding zoning are shown on the attached Appendix ‘A’.

On April 7, 1998, Council’s motion requested "that staff provide a report back on C-2 zoning and ways to deal with developments on the basis of outright use only". On April 21, 1998, Councillor Clarke clarified that staff’s report back "should consider whether or not the C-2 zoning provisions, including guidelines and relaxations, are suitable in locations where the zoning is applicable, given the adjacencies to other zoning areas, which in some cases are single family residential areas".

At its meeting on June 2, 1998, Council instructed the Director of Planning to: refer all proposed height relaxations to Council for advice; amend the C-2 Residential Guidelines; refer C-2 projects to Urban Design Panel for advice; report back on a work program and resourcing to undertake a C-2 review; and instruct staff that the Guidelines will take precedence where there is conflict between the District Schedule and the Guidelines.

DISCUSSION

The proposal involves the construction of a four-storey building containing retail on the first storey and residential (27 dwelling units) on the second to fourth storeys with two-and-one-half levels of underground parking, having vehicular access from West Broadway and commercial loading from the lane. The existing lane is not open to Alma Street. The site has a north to south slope of approximately 9.0 ft.

Simplified plans, including a site plan and elevations of the proposal have been included in Appendix ‘B’.

The proposed development has been assessed against the C-2 District Schedule and C-2 Residential Guidelines and generally meets the intent.

Height

A height relaxation of 4.35 ft. is requested of the Director of Planning for this application. Staff can confirm that the applicant will reduce the entire building an additional 1.0 ft. from that submitted, which will then require a relaxation of 3.35 ft. In accordance with the Guidelines, height relaxations up to 5.0 ft. in C-2 are considered by the Director of Planning for sites that have a slope of 5.0 ft. or greater. This site qualifies for such a height relaxation. In the consideration of any height relaxations, the Director of Planning must first evaluate the impact of the proposed development upon neighbouring sites to ensure that any overshadowing or reduction of views for surrounding neighbours is minimized. Consideration should also be given to street character, overall building bulk, open space and amenity.

The notification process highlighted view reduction concerns of neighbours and landowners directly south of the proposed development. Staff initially met with respondents to further understand their concerns about height. Staff instructed the applicant to also meet on site and take photographs for an analysis to clarify the loss of view resulting from the proposed development. The view analysis is attached as Appendix ‘C’. (Note: The view analysis, which indicates the 40.0 ft. height limit line, does not represent the 1.0 ft. height reduction that the applicant will provide). Overshadowing is not an issue, given the site’s location relative to nearby development and its orientation.

The view analysis indicates that the uppermost (fourth storey) units for sites across the lane to the south will not be adversely affected by the proposed development. Residential units that are located on the second or third storey, including those for the recently approved development, will be somewhat affected. It is important to note that view impact for these lower units is created by the wall height along the lane which is under the height limit of 40.0 ft.

Floor Space Ratio

A maximum achievable FSR of 2.2 is identified for residential uses for mixed-use C-2 proposals on corner sites in the C-2 Residential Guidelines. Staff support an additional 0.12 FSR given this site’s corner location, C-2 zoning adjacencies in all directions, the Engineering requirement to provide an additional building line setback of 7.0 ft. for future road widening and high quality architectural design and materials.

Urban Design Panel

At its meeting on June 17, 1998, the Urban Design Panel unanimously supported the proposed development and offered the following comments:

"The context of the site among other C-2 developments, and the slope of the site, has tended to favour this proposal by allowing a much more graceful response than has been seen in other C-2 locations. The Panel found the architectural quality very supportable. Its simple expression has a certain charm and is very appropriate for this particular use."

A copy of the UDP minutes are attached as Appendix ‘D’.

Notification

As part of the review of this development application, 230 neighbouring property owners were notified of the proposal. In addition, a site sign was placed on the site. In response, Planning staff received one letter of objection and one letter in favour within the notification area, and one letter of objection outside of the notification area.

The objections include concerns with height relaxation, building material details, and parking and loading access along West Broadway. These concerns have been addressed by staff, taking into consideration the C-2 District Schedule and Guidelines, and advice from the UDP and the Engineering Department.

CONCLUSION

The proposed development has been assessed against the C-2 District Schedule and C-2 Residential Guidelines, and responds to the stated objectives. Further, based on the view analysis submitted, a height relaxation of 3.35 ft. is supported, given the minimal view impact upon the neighbouring sites to the south and the site’s ability to accept a minimal increase in FSR. Planning staff therefore, support approval of this development application, subject to various conditions to be met prior to issuance of the development permit. However, before making a decision on this application, the Director of Planning is seeking any advice which Council may wish to provide.

NOTE:ATTACHMENTS TO THIS REPORT THAT DO NOT HAVE ELECTRONIC COPY ARE AVAILABLE ON FILE IN THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE.

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver