P2
POLICY REPORT
BUILDING & PLANNING
Date: November 28, 1995
Dept. File No. 3024
TO: Vancouver City Council
FROM: Director of Central Area Planning and
Manager of the Housing Centre
SUBJECT: Rezoning Application - Coal Harbour,
Marina Neighbourhood - CD-1 Bylaw No. 7200
RECOMMENDATION
THAT the Director of Planning be instructed to make application to
amend CD-1 Bylaw No. 7200 to:
- reduce the minimum number of non-market housing units
required in the Marina Neighbourhood from 122 to 99 and
require all to be designed for families.
- reduce the maximum number of dwelling units allowed in the
Marina Neighbourhood from 850 to 827, and in sub-area 2 from
364 to 341;
- convert 460 Sq. Metres of retail and service uses in sub-area
2 of the Marina Neighbourhood to residential uses; and
- exclude the amenity area in the social and rental housing
projects from the 3 000 Sq. Metre maximum permitted in the
Marina Neighbourhood.
FURTHER THAT the Director of Legal Services be instructed to
prepare the necessary by-law;
AND FURTHER THAT the application and by-law be referred to a
Public Hearing.
GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The General Manager of Community Services RECOMMENDS approval of
the foregoing.
COUNCIL POLICY
Council policy requires 20% of the units in major projects be
designated for non-market housing, and at least half of the
non-market units be designed for families. Alternatives to
non-market housing may be considered if funding is not available under
senior government non-market housing programs.PURPOSE
This report seeks Council approval to refer amendments to the
Marina Neighbourhood CD-1 Bylaw in Marathon's Coal Harbour development
to public hearing. The amendments would allow the two sites designated
for 41 family and 81 non-family (for a total of 122) non-market units,
to be consolidated and developed for 99 units of non-market family
housing. The amendments would also allow the conversion of 460 Sq.
Metres of unused commercial space to residential uses, and the
exclusion of the amenity space in the non-market and rental projects
from the current 3 000 Sq. Metre maximum.
BACKGROUND
At a public hearing on December 11, 1991, Council approved the rezoning
application for Marathon's Marina Neighbourhood. The CD-1 By-law
permits 850 units of housing, commercial space and a marina and
requires 122 core-need units, of which 41 must be designed for
families.
The social housing sites are located in sub-area 2 of the Marina
Neighbourhood. Also included in this sub-area are two towers
containing 242 condominiums and 1 998 Sq. Metres of retail and service
uses for which permits have been issued and construction begun. The
location of the social housing sites in sub-area 2 is noted on Figure 1
below.
FIGURE 1
SOCIAL HOUSING PROGRAMS
As a result of the Province's Commission on Housing Options (COHO), the
provincial Non-Profit Housing Program was revised to give priority to
families with children. At the same time the federal government ceased
funding new social housing. In 1995 only 420 Non-Profit Housing units
were made available in the lower mainland, primarily for families.
Marathon and staff reviewed the options last spring. It was agreed,
subject to approval of the necessary rezoning, that Marathon would
submit a proposal to BCHMC to develop the
8 620 Sq. Metres (92,783 sq. ft.) allocated to the social housing, plus
the conversion of 460 Sq. Metres (4,950 sq. ft.) of unused retail and
service space for a 99 unit mixed income family housing cooperative.
Under the current provincial program, 60% of the families would be
core-need and 40% could afford to pay low end of market rents.
BCHMC announced the 1995 Non-Profit Housing program in May, with a
deadline for submissions of July 31. Allocations were announced at the
beginning of November. The proposal to develop a 99 unit family co-
operative received a conditional allocation from BCHMC.
PROPOSED REZONING
A reallocation from non-family (seniors) to family units is
appropriate. While there is a continuing need for housing for core-
need seniors, housing for core-need and modest income families is a
higher priority. In the context of Marathon's Coal Harbour
development, there is a benefit in establishing a family presence as
soon as possible. The City should take advantage of the opportunity of
funding for larger mixed income family social housing projects to
establish families in this new neighbourhood and help bring about the
construction of the school.
The proposed rezoning to an all family non-market project requires
several amendments to the CD-1 By-law.
Maximum Number of Dwelling Units: The reduction in the number of core-
need units from 122 to 99 requires that the maximum number of
residential units allowed in the Marina Neighbourhood be reduced from
850 to 827, and in sub-area 2 of the Marina Neighbourhood from 364 to
341. There is no reduction in the 8 620 Sq. Metres (92,783 sq. ft.) of
non-market residential floor space since family units are larger than
non-family units.
Commercial Space: The Marina Neighbourhood CD-1 By-law allows a maximum
of 2 458 Sq. Metres of commercial space in the precinct (sub-area 2)
containing the core-need housing sites. The two mixed use projects in
sub-area 2 now under construction are allocated 1 998 Sq. Metres of the
retail and service space, leaving 460 Sq. Metres (4,950 sq. ft.) that
could be included in the social housing projects.
The provincial funding programs for social housing do not fund
non-residential uses, and alternative sources of financing would have
to be found. While local retail would help support the new community,
there are better locations not incorporated in a family oriented
project. The Cardero frontage where the commercial space would have
been located can be just as vital and safe if developed with street-
oriented townhouses as now proposed. As affordable family housing is
in short supply, it is considered a better use of the space.
It is therefore recommended that the CD-1 By-law be amended to allow
the 460 Sq Metres of unused commercial space in sub-area 2 to be
converted to residential space and incorporated into the social
housing. The conversion of the retail and service space would not
increase the overall floor area.
Amenity Space: The Marina Neighbourhood CD-1 allows a maximum of 3,000
Sq. Metres of amenity space that can be excluded from floor space
calculations. There are 4 market condominium sites and the two for
which Development Permits have been approved have consumed 1350 Sq.
Metres of amenity space leaving only 1650 Sq. Metres for the remaining
two market projects, the rental housing site and the social housing
sites. To ensure that sufficient amenity space is available for the
social housing and rental projects, it is recommended that the Marina
Neighbourhood CD-1 By-law be amended to exclude the social and rental
housing projects from the 3 000 Sq. Metre maximum.
Built Form: The current CD-1 contemplates separate family and
non-family (seniors) projects of similar size built on their own lots.
The family project was oriented to Cardero St. with the seniors project
oriented to Nicola St. A central open corridor separated the projects
and provided access to the children's play area on the north side of
the family building.
The project now proposed occupies a single site. Townhouses are
proposed on Cardero St. and a larger apartment building runs along
Hastings to Nicola. The courtyard has been retained, between the
townhouses and the apartment building, but has been shifted to the
west. The children's play area has been relocated to Hastings. The
new location is seen as an improvement, as it is larger and on the
sunny side of the site.
For the most part the proposed massing is similar to the current
zoning. The setbacks will be the same and so will the height with the
exception of a small (1.0 metre or 3.0 ft.) increase in the apartment
building and a small decrease in the height of the townhouses on the
west. No change would be required to the current CD-1 By-law, although
minor changes to the guidelines are necessary.
The changes proposed to the built form are seen as appropriate for
family housing and suitable to the site and context, and are supported
by staff.
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