SUPPORTS ITEM NO. 1
PUBLIC HEARING AGENDA
SEPTEMBER 26, 1995
POLICY REPORT
BUILDING AND DEVELOPMENT
Date: September 12, 1995
Dept. File No. MDA/GMcG
TO: Vancouver City Council
FROM: Director of Land Use and Development
SUBJECT: Floorspace Relaxation and Heritage Designation -
2836-2838 Birch Street (1299 West 13th Avenue)
RECOMMENDATION
A. THAT Council supports a floor space relaxation of 375.0 m›
(4,037 sq.ft.) from 1.72 FSR to 2.04 FSR as proposed in
Development Application DE217803.
B. THAT Council approves the designation of 2836-2838 Birch
Street, being listed on the Vancouver Heritage Register in the
"B" evaluation category, as a Protected Heritage Property.
GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The General Manager of Community Services RECOMMENDS approval of A
and B.
COUNCIL POLICY
Council Policy on heritage designation states, in part, that legal
designation will be a prerequisite to accepting certain bonuses and
incentives. Where the increase in floor area exceeds 10% of the
allowable, Council's approval is required.
PURPOSE
This report seeks Council's support for an increase in density at 2836-
2838 Birch Street in exchange for the rehabilitation, upgrading and
heritage designation of the building as Protected Heritage Property.
DISCUSSION
Heritage Value
There are currently two houses nearly identical on this site, which are
listed in the B category on the Vancouver Heritage Register. The
northerly of the two, and the one retaining more of the original
detailing, is to be retained and relocated to the southern
half of the site. The building dates from 1910 when it was built by the
owner S.J. Stevens. It is a good example of the Queen Anne style and is
notable for its large corner turrets, and a sizable central dormer; the
lower storey is clad in siding and the upper storey in shingles.
Compatibility with Community Planning Objectives
The site is located on the northeast corner of West 13th Avenue and
Birch Street in the Fairview Heights RM-3 Zoning District (see location
plan, Appendix A).
The intent statement of the RM-3 District Schedule is to "... permit
medium density residential development, including high-rise apartment
buildings, and to secure a higher quality of parking, open space and
daylight access through floor area bonus incentives. While RM-3 does
not make reference to preservation of neighbourhood character, the
applicant has achieved a medium density development with a tower
component while preserving an important heritage building. Preservation
of the existing building meets city-wide heritage objectives.
Zoning Considerations
The site is zoned RM-3 which permits 1.0 FSR outright and, on this size
site, a maximum 1.72 FSR conditionally. The proposal is to retain and
relocate the northerly house and upgrade it to building code
requirements. This existing house will be rehabilitated and altered to
contain four dwelling units. A new eight storey building with seven
dwelling units is proposed for the northern part of the site. The
proposal requires relaxations to all yards, vertical and horizontal
angles of daylight, and the floor space ratio as outlined in the
following table:
Permitted Proposed Effective
(Proposed area
less covered
heritage porch
deck area)*
Area (m›) 1,993.2 2,368.2 2,252.1
Area (sq.ft.) 21,455 25,492 24,242
F.S.R. 1.72 2.04 1.94
Relaxation 18.6% 12.8%
* RM-3 does not have a provision, as there is in some other zones where
preservation is encouraged, to exclude the area of heritage porches from
FSR calculations. The "effective" FSR figures are presented to give a
picture of the amount of usable interior floor area which is being
bonused in this proposal.
Council approval of the relaxation to the FSR is requested by the
applicant as the relaxation exceeds the maximum permitted on the site by
more than 10%. Other relaxations can be supported by the Director of
Land Use and Development by way of Section 3.2.5 of the Zoning and
Development By-law.
Condition and Economic Viability
The building is in good condition and will be upgraded to meet Vancouver
Building By-law requirements.
Support Required to Enable Conservation
The additional floorspace, if approved, will enable the rehabilitation
and designation of the building to occur. Real Estate Services'
financial analysis of this heritage project supports the requested floor
space relaxation of 375.0 m› (4,037 sq.ft.).
The property owner has submitted a letter (on file with the Law
Department) accepting the relaxations to the floor space ratio, yards,
and vertical and horizontal angles of daylight to be granted under
DE217803 as just and fair compensation for the designation of 2836-2838
Birch Street and waiving any future compensation demands. Therefore, no
additional support to achieve appropriate conservation of this building
is required.
Notification
The Director of Legal Services has prepared the necessary Heritage By-
law amendments and requirements have been met for notification as
specified by the Vancouver Charter. As a consequence of the building
being relocated as part of this development application the civic
address and legal description of the building will change. When the
building has been moved a housekeeping amendment will be brought forward
to Council to identify the building by its new civic address and legal
description. This amendment will not require a Public Hearing.
Comments of the Vancouver Heritage Commission
The Vancouver Heritage Commission (VHC) considered the rehabilitation
proposal on August 21, 1995 and September 11, 1995 and resolved:
THAT the Vancouver Heritage Commission commends the applicants for
its continuing research and development and cooperation with
heritage staff and the Commission;
AND THAT the VHC, in light of the improvements to the architectural
design presented at the last meeting, can now support the FSR
relaxation as requested;
FURTHER THAT the VHC supports the retention of the exterior surface
materials of the building;
AND FURTHER THAT the VHC supports the "replacement" of the windows,
which should replicate the original windows' material, proportion
and operation as closely as possible.
CONCLUSION
Council's long-term goal is to protect heritage resources through
designation. The owners of 2836-2838 Birch Street have agreed to the
heritage designation of the building in return for certain zoning
relaxations. These include yard and vertical and horizontal angles of
daylight relaxations and a floor space relaxation of 375.0 m›(4,037
sq.ft.) from 1.72 FSR to 2.04 FSR. The proposed designation of 2836-
2838 Birch Street is compatible with City-wide heritage objectives and
the zoning for the site. The owners have agreed the retention of the
building to be economically viable and they have agreed that they will
not seek any compensation from the City in the future. Designation of
the building will ensure that it is protected from inappropriate
alterations or demolition in the future.
Therefore, it is recommended that Council support the floorspace
relaxation and amend Schedule A of the Heritage By-law to designate
2836-2838 Birch Street as a protected heritage property.
* * *