ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: March 7, 1996
Dept. File No. JB/DM
TO: Vancouver City Council
FROM: Director of Land Use and Development
SUBJECT: Proposed CD-1 Text Amendment: 475-487 Alexander Street
RECOMMENDATION
THAT the Director of Land Use and Development be instructed to make
application to amend CD-1 By-law No. 7434 to increase the maximum
permitted floor space ratio to 2.17, to increase the maximum
permitted height to 20.6 m and to reduce the required off-street
parking to 25 spaces, generally in accordance with Appendix A;
FURTHER THAT the Director of Legal Services be instructed to
prepare the necessary amending by-law;
AND FURTHER THAT the application and amending 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 for this site is embodied under CD-1 By-law No. 7434.
PURPOSE
This report initiates amendments to CD-1 By-law No. 7434, for 475-487
Alexander Street, to permit slight increases in density and height and a
slight reduction in parking. The form of development, approved in
principle by Council, would not be affected.
BACKGROUND
At a Public Hearing held on March 16, 1995, Council approved the
rezoning of 475-487 Alexander Street from M-2 Industrial District to CD-
1 Comprehensive Development District to allow partial retention of a
two-storey listed heritage Class 'B' building (Japanese Hall/Japanese
School) and an addition on the lands immediately to the east. The
addition consists of a 4-storey plus mezzanine building containing a
hall, language labs, classrooms and related accessory uses. The zoning
was enacted on June 6, 1995.
DISCUSSION
The CD-1 By-law provides for a maximum density of 2.10 FSR and a maximum
height of 20.4 m (66.93 ft.). As a result of a technical plan check
done for the current development application, staff have found that the
proposed development exceeds the maximum permitted density by about
117.1 m› (1,260 sq. ft.), or 0.07 FSR, and exceeds the maximum permitted
height by 0.11 m (0.36 ft.). There is also one less parking space than
the 26 required in the By-law. The excess floor area is a result of
elevator shafts and stairwells not having been included by the applicant
in his gross floor area calculations submitted with the rezoning
application. The excess height was a consequence of more detailed
building grade information provided in the Development Application
drawings than was used by the applicant in the CD-1 submission. The
off-street parking has been reduced by one space to accommodate an exit
door and bicycle storage room, also not indicated in the original
submission.
Staff make it clear to applicants that the development statistics
provided by an applicant at the rezoning stage will be taken as correct
(i.e., staff do not undertake a detailed plan check). Applicants are
requested to ensure the contemplated development could fit within the
development statistics submitted, if the rezoning is approved. This is
reiterated when the draft CD-1 by-law is first prepared and forwarded to
the applicant prior to Public Hearing.
Notwithstanding assurances received from applicants, staff usually
provide a small amount of flexibility in the draft CD-1 By-law
provisions to facilitate some minor adjustments to the built form.
While the subject CD-1 By-law does afford some flexibility, it is not
enough to address the problems described above, resulting from omissions
on the plans submitted at the time of rezoning.
Because the additional density, building height and reduced parking does
not affect the proposed form of development presented to Council at
Public Hearing, staff recommend that the CD-1 By-law be amended to
increase the FSR to 2.17, increase the height to 20.6 m (67.58 ft.) and
reduce the off-street parking to 25 spaces. The General Manager of
Engineering Services has no objection to the proposed parking amendment.
Both the applicant and the property owner have been contacted and
consent to the proposed amendments.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS
There are no environmental or social implications as a result of the
proposed by-law changes.
CONCLUSION
Planning staff support the amendments to CD-1 By-law No. 7434, generally
as outlined in Appendix A, and recommend that an application be made and
referred to a Public Hearing, together with a recommendation of approval
from the Director of Land Use and Development.
* * *
APPENDIX A
Page 1 of 1
Draft Amendment
CD-1 By-law No. 7434
(475-87 Alexander Street)
Amend Section 3.1 (Floor Space Ratio) as follows:
- delete the figure "2.10" and replace with the figure "2.17".
Amend Section 4 (Height) as follows:
- delete the figure "20.4" and replace with the figure "20.6".
Amend Section 5 (Off-Street Parking and Loading) as follows:
- delete the figure "26" and replace with the figure "25".