A1 ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT Date: July 4, 1995 Dept. File No. 3422 TO: Vancouver City Council FROM: Manager of the Housing Centre SUBJECT: Demolition Fee Refund - 3424-3446 West Broadway RECOMMENDATION THAT the Demolition Fee of $18,000 paid by Khatsalano Equity Housing Co-operative be reimbursed, with the funds to be paid out of the Demolition Fee Reserve. GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS The General Manager of Community Services RECOMMENDS approval of the foregoing. COUNCIL POLICY Council Policy is to charge a demolition fee of $1,000 per multiple residential unit and $500 per single family unit demolished. The fees are held in the Demolition Fee Reserve. Social housing projects are exempt, as are rental projects where the rental units demolished are replaced. PURPOSE This report recommends that the demolition fee paid by Khatsalano Equity Housing Co-operative at 3424-3446 West Broadway be reimbursed. BACKGROUND In 1990 CMHC began the redevelopment of the 344 units of post-war veterans rental housing in 16 projects along West Broadway and West Fourth. The sites were underdeveloped and the number of veterans declining. CMHC intended to replace the housing for the remaining veterans and their families on 4 or 5 of the sites, and to market the remainder to pay for the replacement housing and earn a return on CMHC's assets. In 1992 Khatsalano Equity Housing Co-operative leased one of CMHC's veteran's housing sites at 3424-3446 West Broadway. The site was occupied with 18 rental units. It was the first non-replacement project that CMHC marketed, in this case by way of a 60 year lease for affordable ownership housing.DEMOLITION FEE When applying for their Demolition Permit, which required the demolition of the 18 units, the Co-op paid the demolition fee of $1,000 per unit or $18,000 in total. Subsequently CMHC approached the City seeking an exemption from Demolition Fees for their remaining sites. Exemptions are permitted if units are replaced by rental housing on a 1-for-1 basis or if they are replaced by social housing. CMHC argued that while some of their sites were being developed for market housing, 239 units of replacement rental housing for the remaining veterans and their families and 36 units of social housing was being built on the others, and their project should be treated as a single project for the purpose of the by-law, in which case it would be exempt from demolition fees. This position was accepted by Housing & Properties and subsequent developments on CMHC's sites have not paid demolition fees. Khatsalano Equity Housing Co-op has asked that they be reimbursed for the demolition fee they paid. On the basis of equity and consistency, it is recommended that the fee be reimbursed. No interest would be paid. The Demolition Fee Reserve would be the source of funds. * * * * *