CITY OF VANCOUVER

REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
STANDING COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL ON
PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT

MAY 20, 1999

A Regular Meeting of the Council of the City of Vancouver was held on Thursday, May 20, 1999, at 3:05 p.m., in Committee Room No. 1, Third Floor, City Hall, following the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment meeting, to consider the recommendations of the Committee.

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

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MOVED by Cllr. Clarke,
SECONDED by Cllr. Bellamy,

THAT this Council resolve itself into Committee of the Whole, Deputy Mayor Don Lee in the chair.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Report of Standing Committee
on Planning and Environment
May 20, 1999

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

Cl.1: Split-Island Gasoline Service Stations - Hours of Operation

MOVED by Cllr. Clarke,

THAT the recommendation of the Committee, as contained in Clauses 1 of this report, be approved.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

RISE FROM COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MOVED by Cllr. Clarke,

THAT the Committee of the Whole rise and report.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

ADOPT REPORT OF COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MOVED by Cllr. Clarke,
SECONDED by Cllr. Bellamy,

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

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

ENQUIRIES AND OTHER MATTERS

1. Empire Landmark Hotel Sign File: 2851/RTS: 742

Councillor Price requested that staff provide an update on the Empire Landmark Hotel sign.

The Deputy City Manager agreed to have staff investigate and inform Council of the sign's status.

2. Rezoning Application - 400 Great Northern Way

(St. Francis Xavier School) File: 5304-1/RTS: 444

Deputy Mayor Don Lee expressed concern that the rezoning referral report for St. Francis Xavier School may be received after the normal deadline for the Regular City Council meeting of June 1, 1999, and requested that the City Manager accept it as a late report for the June 1st agenda.

The Deputy City Manager agreed to do so.

The Council adjourned at 3:10 p.m.

- - - - -

REPORT TO COUNCIL

STANDING COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL
ON PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT

MAY 20, 1999

A Regular Meeting of the Standing Committee of Council on Planning and Environment was held on Thursday, May 20, 1999, at 2:00 p.m. in Committee Room No. 1, Third Floor, City Hall.

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

+ Denotes presence for part of the meeting

RECOMMENDATION

1. Split-Island Gasoline Service Stations - File: 3053/RTS: 743

Hours of Operation

The Committee had before it a Special Advisory Committee on Disability Issues Report dated January 26, 1999 (on file), addressing a request from Chevron Canada Ltd. regarding a City by-law definition which requires split-island gas stations to offer full service at all times when the station is open for business. Chevron has proposed an amendment to the current by-law requirement to allow gasoline stations to offer only self-service during the hours of midnight to 6:00 a.m. The Committee advised Council that it considers the current by-law to be both adequate and appropriate, and recommended that it beappropriately enforced, and the Committee's input be sought prior to any modification being made to the existing by-law.

Commenting on the Committee's report, the City Manager pointed out both technical and public interest questions raised. The City Manager recommended that should Council wish to consider Chevron Canada's proposal, the Planning Department be instructed to report back, in consultation with the Director of Legal Services, on whether it is technically possible to implement the proposal.

Randy Johnson, Chevron Canada Ltd., reviewed Chevron's proposal, noting that some stations would continue to offer both self-serve and full service on a 24 hour basis. Signage and a brochure could be provided directing customers to 24-hour full-service locations within the city. If this proposal is not approved, and the existing by-law is enforced, a substantial number of stations could not continue to remain open for 24 hours a day due to economics. Few customers actually utilize the full service except during peak hours.

The following speakers supported the position of the Disability Issues Committee:

Vince Miele, Special Advisory Committee on Disability Issues
Bruce Chown, Special Advisory Committee on Seniors
Paul Tubbe, BC Paraplegic Association (brief filed).

Following are some of the comments made:

· the by-law has not been enforced for some years, and people all over the city have been unable to obtain gas because of the lack of full service;
· the Disability Issues Committee is not requesting that all stations remain open 24 hours, only that those stations which are open be required to provide full service as well as self service;
· universal access is an important principle which the current by-law upholds; it is more important to have less stations remain open 24 hours but offer full service than to have more stations open without full service; and
· access difficulties and security concerns of seniors and persons with disabilities were described.

Mr. Miele and Mr. Chown requested that, should Council instruct staff to report back, their respective Special Advisory Committees be consulted during preparation of the report.

Dave Thomsett, Senior Planner, Land Use Control, and Michael Twynstra, Manager, Property Use Inspection, explained the current by-law provisions and responded to questions about enforcement and access provisions of the Building By-law.

The Committee was prepared to consider Chevron's proposal, following a report back. Staff were requested to discuss this issue with the Petroleum Products Institute as well asChevron, and to estimate the number of stations which would no longer provide 24 hour service if the by-law were enforced. Staff were also asked to consider whether provisions regarding physical accessibility could apply in the case of gas station pumps.

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

RECOMMENDED

THAT the Planning Department be instructed to report back, in consultation with the Director of Legal Services, on whether it is technically possible to implement the proposal put forward by Chevron Canada, regarding hours of operation for split-island gasoline service stations.

- CARRIED

(Councillor Sullivan opposed;
the Mayor not present for the vote)

The Committee adjourned at 3:05 p.m.

* * * * *

(c) 1998 City of Vancouver