ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date November 4, 1997

Dept. File No. PSM\MD’A

TO:Vancouver City Council

FROM:Director of Community Planning on behalf of Land Use and Development

SUBJECT:Heritage Designation of 1551 Angus Drive (former Thomas Shaughnessy House)

RECOMMENDATIONS

A. THAT the former Thomas Shaughnessy house at 1551 Angus Drive, listed on the Vancouver Heritage Register in the ‘A’ evaluation category, be designated as a protected heritage property; and

B. THAT the Director of Legal Services bring forward for enactment an amendment to the Heritage By-law.

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.

PURPOSE

This report recommends that Council amend Schedule "A" of the Heritage By-law to designate 1551 Angus Drive as a protected heritage property.

BACKGROUND

Development Application DE402382 proposes to renovate the existing single family dwelling of 628.19 m² (6,762 sq. ft.), and to build an addition of 556.45 m² (5989.79 sq. ft.) on the rear. The application also includes a request for a relaxation of floor space totalling 87.93 m² (946.49 sq. ft.) and height.

DISCUSSION

Heritage Value

Completed in 1910-11, this house was originally designed for Sir Thomas Shaughnessy, President of the CPR (Canadian Pacific Railway). The house is a good example of the English Arts and Crafts style with front facing asymmetrical gable ends and cross gable roof form. Other notable design features include a central tower, wood casement windows with leaded glass, half-timber detailing in the gable ends and a pediment over the doorway. The house is significant because it was constructed for Sir Thomas Shaughnessy (although he never actually lived in the house) and was one of the first homes to be built in First Shaughnessy. The site also features garden and landscape elements such as mature trees and plants that contribute to its heritage value. The building is listed in the "A" evaluation category on the Vancouver Heritage Register.

Compatibility with Community Planning Objectives

The house is located in the First Shaughnessy District (see site plan below).

map

The First Shaughnessy Official Development Plan states several broad goals relating to heritage including:

- To strengthen a unique architectural and historical area;

- To promote conservation and restoration of meritorious pre-1940 homes;

-To preserve and enhance the cultural, social, economic, architectural and historical elements of First Shaughnessy;

- To promote excellence in architectural design and construction that is compatible with the character and quality of most pre-1940 houses in the area; and

-To build upon the heritage conservation efforts of the City as embodied in the Official Development Plan by pursuing other complementary actions.

The development application proposes to retain and add to the existing building in a manner that is sympathetic to the original building’s design. The Director of Community Planning is satisfied that the proposed renovation of the existing building, and the design of the addition is in keeping with the goals of the First Shaughnessy Official Development Plan.

Compatibility of Conservation with Lawful Uses of the Property and Adjoining Land

The development application conforms to the regulations of the First Shaughnessy Official Development Plan with the exception of a height and a floor space relaxation of 87.93 m² (946.49 sq. ft.) which have been requested by the applicant to assist in the retention of the heritage house. This floor space relaxation is further described in this table:

	Permitted	Proposed (Existing Building with New Addition)	Effective (Proposed Area Less Garage Space)*
Total m2	1096.71 m2	1184.64 m2	1118.82 m2
Total sq. ft.	(11,805.30 sq.ft.)	(12,751.79 sq.ft.)	(12,043.29 sq.ft.)
FSR	0.45	0.49	0.46
Relaxation		87.93 m2 (946.49 sq.ft.) 8.0 %	22.11 m2 (237.99 sq.ft.) 2.0 %

* The "effective" FSR figures are presented to give a picture of the amount of useable interior floor area, which is being bonused in the proposal. Of the proposed relaxation, 708.50 sq.ft. is comprised of parking area. In addition to the fact that this portion of the proposed relaxation does not constitute useable interior floor area, it should be noted that under the First Shaughnessy Official Development Plan, an unspecified amount of floor area may be excluded for parking provided it is located within the principal building, and provided it is situated below living accommodation. Instead of configuring the building addition to enable this exclusion of floor space for parking, the architect has given precedence to configuring the addition in a manner sensitive and appropriate to the existing building.

The Director of Planning is prepared to support the floor space relaxation subject to the heritage designation of the building. A further relaxation is being requested with respect to allowable building height. The maximum height allowable is 10.7 m (35 feet). Theproposed addition becomes over height at its far end by 1.7 m (5.66 ft.) as the natural topography of the site drops away. The Director of Planning has the authority to allow a relaxation of height where literal enforcement would result in unnecessary hardship in carrying out any preservation, restoration and renovation of buildings or properties on the First Shaughnessy Heritage Inventory. The Director of Planning is satisfied that the proposed height relaxation will assist in the preservation, restoration and renovation of this Heritage "A" listed building.

Condition and Economic Viability

The building is in fair condition and has only had minor modifications made to it. The renovation work proposed in this development application is extensive. After reviewing the structural engineer’s analysis, staff and the Vancouver Heritage Commission accepted the applicants request for partial retention of the front facade. The existing stucco facade is applied to a brick backing and would not remain intact while the house is temporarily raised to allow a new foundation to be built. Therefore the stucco will be replicated and the existing exterior wood detailing would be revitalized. Renovation work also includes a new foundation; new wood windows that replicate the existing wood windows, except for the stained glass windows which are to be restored; restoration and painting of the exterior woodwork; installation of a new roof; and the upgrading of plumbing and electrical and interior finishes (see Appendix A for plans and elevations of proposed work).

The requested floor space and height relaxations are compensation for the additional cost of the retention and replication work to be undertaken and designation of the building. The Manager of Real Estate Services has reviewed and supported the applicant’s financial proforma and concluded that the relaxations would not provide any additional net benefit to the owners.

Support Required to Enable Conservation

The property owners have submitted a letter (on file with the Law Department) accepting the increase in permitted floor space and permitted height to be granted under DE402382 as just and fair compensation for the designation of 1551 Angus Drive 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 part of the development permit application process, 94 neighbours were notified, and a notification sign was placed on site. One letter was received in response from the neighbours to the east. The respondents were not in favour of a relaxation of either floor space or height, and concern was raised with respect to potential view loss, shadowing, and impact of adjacency of the proposed wing addition to the neighbouring property. The proposed wing, although relatively close to the neighbouring property, has been designed as anextension from the rear facing gable end of the existing house. Moving the wing further from the adjacent property would not respect the basic massing of the original structure. In response to these concerns, the architect prepared shadow diagrams and a view analysis illustrating the issues raised and met with the affected neighbours. As a result of these meetings the architect modified the roof design of the addition to address the concerns of the neighbours. Based on the information provided, the Director of Community Planning is satisfied that the proposed addition will not overshadow the adjacent property at critical times or block views from adjacent residences.

Comments of the First Shaughnessy Advisory Design Panel

The Shaughnessy Design Panel reviewed this development application on May 15, 1997 and June 5, 1997, and supported the proposed increase in floor space, the relaxation of height, and the modifications and addition to the house.

Comments of the Vancouver Heritage Commission

The Vancouver Heritage Commission reviewed and supported Development Application DE402382 on October 14, 1997. The comments of the Vancouver Heritage Commission were sought in addition to those of the Shaughnessy Design Panel to evaluate more detailed issues relating to the renovation of the building that arose during later stages of the development application process.

CONCLUSION

Council's long term goal is to protect heritage resources through designation. The owners of 1551 Angus Drive have agreed to the heritage designation of the building in return for a relaxation to the maximum permitted floor space and height. The proposed designation of 1551 Angus Drive is compatible with community planning 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 amend Schedule "A" of the Heritage By-law to designate 1551 Angus Drive as a protected heritage property.

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(c) 1997 City of Vancouver