POLICY REPORT

DEVELOPMENT BUILDING

Date: September 19, 1997

Dept. File No. 97004-RWW

C.C. File No. 5304

TO: Vancouver City Council

FROM:Director of Central Area Planning on behalf of Land Use and Development

SUBJECT:Rezoning of 8405-8435 Granville Street

RECOMMENDATION

THAT the application by Hardal Management Inc. to rezone 8405-8435 Granville Street (Lots A, 5 & 6, Block 5, DL 325, Plan 4061) from C-1 and C-2 Commercial Districts to C-2C Commercial District, be referred to a Public Hearing, together with the recommendation of the Director of Land Use and Development to approve.

FURTHER THAT the Director of Legal Services be instructed to prepare the necessary By-law for consideration at Public Hearing.

GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS

The General Manager of Community Services RECOMMENDS approval of the foregoing.

COUNCIL POLICY

The Marpole Plan, adopted by Council in October, 1979, which supports the Granville Street commercial district between West 64th and West 70th Avenues as Marpole’s commercial core area.

PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

This report assesses an application to rezone three properties at 8405 to 8435 Granville Street from C-1 and C-2 Commercial Districts to C-2C Commercial District.

Staff recommend that the rezoning be referred to Public Hearing and be approved.

DISCUSSION

The Marpole Plan: Commercial Areas

Commercial zoning along this portion of Granville Street stretches from West 63rd Avenue through to Marine Drive at Hudson Street with one residential break south of West 71st Avenue). Most of this strip is zoned C-2 (district-serving commercial), with some small frontages being zoned C-1 (local-serving commercial).

In 1979, the strip contained discontinuous store fronts and auto-oriented retail and services uses. The Marpole planning process concluded that the central portion of the strip should be recognized as the commercial core area, while the remainder of the strip should continue in its role of providing for local shopping and auto-oriented uses. Policy No. 34 of the Marpole Plan states:

"Granville Street, between 64th and 70th Avenues, should be emphasized as Marpole’s commercial core area:

Action

Direct the Director of Planning to review the existing C-1 and C-2 zoning schedules in effect between 64th and 70th Avenues to deal with the following objectives:

-exclusion of major auto-oriented uses;

-encouragement of pedestrian-oriented shopping; and

-building design to improve the continuity of the streetscape and enhance the image of ‘gateway’ to the City."

A further action statement called for a tree planting and sidewalk beautification program within the commercial core which was subsequently completed.

No action was taken on the zoning review due to other work program priorities. Subsequent to the Marpole Plan, commercial frontages in other neighbourhoods have been rezoned to C-2C, a zoning district that responds to the qualities noted in the action statement (see Appendix A for background).

Proposed C-2C Zoning

The existing C-1 zoning is a remnant of a large C-1 District which extended along the whole of this section of Granville Street prior to the 1960s. A specific Council action pertaining to the widening of the street allowed property owners for a number of years to apply for rezoning to C-2 with dedication for widening as a condition of approval.

Rezoning from C-1 to C-2 would make sense in the context of these 1960s’ rezonings, except that development under C-2 may not be consistent with the objectives of the Marpole Plan. While the zoning review hasn’t occurred, a CD-1 rezoning was approved in 1988 for the former White Spot site (east side of 8100-8200 Block Granville Street) where the form of development meets the plan objectives in achieving a satisfactory pedestrian-oriented street front. The subject site could also be rezoned to CD-1, but since C-2C is a zone which will ensure that the Marpole Plan objectives are met, staff support the introduction of this zone. Staff would support other applications for C-2C along Granville Street between West 64th and West 70th Avenues.

Staff feel that an overall zoning review of Marpole’s commercial core area is still warranted, but believe that this should occur in the context of either the CityPlan visioning program or a zoning study. While there is no apparent urgency for such a study, it is noted that there is still considerable redevelopment potential within the strip, including the Safeway site immediately south of the subject site.

CONCLUSION

Planning staff conclude that this application is consistent with the commercial area policies in the Marpole Plan, and that the application should be referred to Public Hearing and approved.

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APPENDIX A

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Site, Surrounding Zoning and Development This 550 m² (5,920 sq. ft.) site is comprised of three parcels on the southwest corner of Granville Street and West 68th Avenue. Two of these parcels are zoned C-2 (district-serving commercial) and one is zoned C-1 (local-serving commercial). The site has a frontage of 18.9 m (62 ft.) and a depth of 29.1 m (95.5 ft.). It is presently developed with older two-storey commercial buildings with offices above. Lands to the north, south and east fronting Granville are mostly zoned C-2 Commercial District, while lands to the west are zoned RS-1 One-Family Dwelling District.

Redevelopment of the site is not proposed at this time. However, redevelopment could occur at any time under existing or proposed zoning.

C-2C Zoning Starting in 1977 with the first Kitsilano local area planning program, variations of the original C-1 and C-2 Zoning schedules have been created to achieve identified public objectives. The C-2C zoning was specifically structured to foster pedestrian oriented, district-serving shopping areas.

Since 1977, C-2C has been introduced into Grandview-Woodlands (Commercial Drive), Mount Pleasant (East Broadway and Main Street) and the Joyce ALRT Station area, and has generally been successful in achieving its intended objectives. The following elements of the zoning foster a pedestrian oriented environment:

-only pedestrian friendly uses are listed as outright;

-only residential uses are permitted on the third floor, except that this condition may be relaxed by the Development Permit Board where it is satisfied that residential use is inappropriate or impractical;

-no general office except for entrances can be located within a depth of 10.7 m (35 ft.) of the front wall of the main floor of the building; and

-maximum frontage for any commercial use is 15.3 m;

-floor space ratio cannot exceed 1.20 in the case of office uses, 1.50 in the case of a site used for purely residential uses, and 3.00 in all other cases.

Public Input A notification letter was sent to nearby property owners on March 14, 1997 and a rezoning information sign was posted on the site on March 31, 1997. A small number of telephone calls were received seeking clarification of the effects of the rezoning. No one has opposed the rezoning.

APPENDIX A

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One enquirer was pleased that the proposed zoning would moderately reduce the potential height, from 12.2 m (40 ft.) under C-2 to 10.7 m (35 ft.) under the proposed C-2C (note: relaxation may be permitted to 12.2 m/40 ft.).

Comments of the City Engineer The City Engineer has no objection to the proposed rezoning.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS

The mixed-use nature of the proposed C-2C zoning is likely to produce housing in conjunction with service, office and retail uses. Cumulatively in an area this could contribute to the objective of reducing atmospheric pollution by reducing the reliance on the private automobile.

SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS

There are no major positive or negative social implications to this proposal. There are no implications with respect to the Vancouver Children's Policy or Statement of Children's Entitlements.

COMMENTS OF THE APPLICANT

The applicant has been provided with a copy of this report and requests that the application be forwarded to Public Hearing.

APPENDIX B

APPLICANT, PROPERTY, AND DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL INFORMATION

APPLICANT AND PROPERTY INFORMATION

Street Address	8405-8435 Granville Street
Legal Description	Lots A, 5 and 6, Block 5, DL 325, Plan 4061
Applicant	Edward Ratzoy, Architect
Property Owner	Hardal Management

SITE STATISTICS

	GROSS	DEDICATIONS	NET
SITE AREA	550.1 m2	None	550.1 m2

DEVELOPMENT STATISTICS

	DEVELOPMENT PERMITTED UNDER EXISTING ZONING	POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT UNDER PROPOSED ZONING
ZONING	C-1 and C-2	C-2C
USES	Commercial/Residentia l	Commercial/Residential
MAX. FLOOR SPACE RATIO	1.2 (C-1)* and 3.0** (C-2) * 0.75 for residential & **2.50 for residential	C-2C - 1.2 for solely office, 1.5 for solely residential; 3.0 for mixed use
MAXIMUM HEIGHT	9.2 m (C-1) 12.2 m (C-2)	10.7 m (relaxable to 12.2 m)

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(c) 1997 City of Vancouver