ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: June 25, 1998

Author/Local: M. Cho/6496

CC File No. 2605

TO:	Vancouver City Council
FROM:	Director of Community Planning on behalf of Land Use and Development
SUBJECT:	4250 Fraser Street Development Application Number DE403106 Owner of Development: Can-West Roofing

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 4250 Fraser Street as submitted under Development Application Number DE403106.

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;

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. The 24 dwelling units are to be rental accommodation for senior citizens, subsidized by the Shelter Assistance for Elderly Renters (SAFER) program and run by the Downtown East side Residents Association (DERA). The proposed building will require a height relaxation from 40.00 ft. to 42.94 ft. at the main roof parapet on the Fraser Street elevation. Staff believe that the proposed parapets would not negatively affect any neighbouring property. In addition, two enclosed access stairs leading to the proposed common roof deck reach a height of 47.17 ft. The relaxation for the roof access stairs is not supported. The proposal is for 2.45 FSR residential. The Guidelines advise that the 2.0 FSR may be the maximum residential floor area achievable on a mid-block site, however, the proposal meets the intent of the Guidelines with respect to setbacks and height, and the greater FSR will provide an increased number of affordable rental housing units. Given the generally good quality of the design and the lack of neighbourhood opposition, staff believe the additional FSR and the relaxation for the main roof should be supported. Before making a decision, the Director of Planning is referring this application 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 on the east side of Fraser Street between East 26th and 27th Avenues. 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 is 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 with retail on the first storey and residential (24 dwelling units) on the second to fourth storeys with one level of underground parking having vehicular access from the rear lane. The dwelling units are proposed to be rental accommodation for senior citizens, subsidized by the SAFER program and run by DERA. Most of the dwelling units provided are close to and comply with the minimum size of 37 square metres (398 sq. 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

The applicant is requesting a height relaxation beyond the 12.2 m (40 ft.) outright height permitted. As proposed, the two access stairs leading to the proposed common roof deck are at a height of 47.17 ft. The main roof parapet on the Fraser Street elevation is at a height of 41.33 ft., with a small portion of it at 42.94 ft. The parapet on the east, or rear, elevation is at a height of 41.89 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. The crossfall of the grade on this site is 4.3 ft. which is marginally less than that suggested by the Guidelines. 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.

Staff feel that the architectural design and exterior materials (brick and stucco) are of generally good quality, and believe that the height relaxation required for the articulated parapets on the Fraser Street elevation are desirable in terms of architectural design. Staff are recommending that the height of the rear parapet be reduced to the minimum acceptable for good building practice. Given that the parapet heights being proposed will not negatively affect any neighbouring property, and lack of neighbourhood opposition, staff would support this relaxation. However, given Council’s instructions, staff are seeking Council’s advice before varying from the Guidelines.

A common roof deck would provide a significant amenity for the residents of this building, given the small sizes of the suites and many of the balconies. However, common roof decks require two separate enclosed fire exit stairs through standard height doors and stairwells, with the result that a relaxation of more than 7 ft. is required for this amenity. In the past, staff have recommended approval of height relaxations related to roof decks only when the required height could be accommodated within the provisions of Section 10.11.1 (architectural appurtenances) of the Zoning and Development By-law. This provision, however, allows only a 1.1 m (3.6 ft.) increase over the maximum permitted height. Therefore, in this case staff would recommend against the approval of this relaxation.

Floor Space Ratio

The applicant is proposing 2.45 FSR residential and 0.46 FSR commercial, for a total of 2.91 FSR. Section 4.7 of the Guidelines advise that 2.0 FSR residential may be the maximum residential floor area achievable on a mid-block site of this type. Staff believe that the applicant has met the intent of the Guidelines with respect to setbacks and height and that the greater FSR will provide an increased number of affordable rental housing units.

On balance, staff therefore believe that the additional FSR is supportable in the form proposed.

Urban Design Panel

Referring the application to the Panel would have caused a significant delay for the applicant as a consequence of Council’s August break, which would have been against Council’s policy of expediting applications for rental housing of this type. Staff believe that the proposal is superior to many C-2 applications in terms of design and materials, and have therefore judged that it would be in the best interests of the public and the applicant to expedite its review by Council. The application can be referred to the Urban Design Panel if Council believes it is necessary.

Notification

As part of the review of this development application, 102 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 from within the notification area. The respondent objects to the development believing traffic and parking problems that already exist will worsen.

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, the minor height relaxations for the building parapets, as well as the FSR proposed are supported. Planning staff therefore, support approval of this development application, subject to various conditions to be met prior to the 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