Agenda Index City of Vancouver

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

TO: Vancouver City Council
FROM: Director of Current Planning
SUBJECT: 3325 Kingsway - Development Permit Number DE404251
 

CONSIDERATION

The Director of Current Planning submits the following for consideration:

GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS

COUNCIL POLICY

At its meeting on June 2, 1998, Council instructed the Director of Planning to:

A. refer all proposed height relaxations under Sections 4.3(a) and (b) of the C-2 Residential Guidelines to Council for advice;

B.delete Section 4.3(c) of the C-2 Residential Guidelines permitting height relaxations over 16.8 m pending a full review of the C-2 zone;

C. amend the C-2 Residential Guidelines to add a general clause indicating that projects should have a very good architectural design and should use quality exterior materials and that projects should be referred to the Urban Design Panel (UDP) for advice;

D. report back to Council before the summer break with a timetable, work program and resourcing to undertake a C-2 review; and

E. instruct staff that the Guidelines take precedence where there is a conflict between the District Schedule and the Guidelines.

SUMMARY

In accordance with Council's instructions of June 2, 1998, this development application is being referred to Council for advice as the proposal requires a building height relaxation and also proposes floor space ratio (FSR) in excess of that recommended by the C-2 Residential Guidelines.

A development application (DE400996), for a similar form of development, was refused on October 30, 1997 because the applicant did not fulfill some conditions of approval, including site consolidation. On June 7, 1999, the applicant submitted a new and revised development application that is generally consistent with the previous development refusal.

The new development application (DE404251) is for the construction of a four-storey wood frame retail/office/residential building and will require a height relaxation from 12.2 m/40.0 ft. to 13.8 m/45.64 ft. at the north side of the building (worst case condition). The site has a slope of more than 1.5 m/4.92 ft. which qualifies for consideration of a height relaxation. However, staff have concerns about the impacts of the fourth-storey height (five-storeys at the lane), massing and associated FSR facing the RS-1S sites to the north. In addition, a shadow analysis confirms that the proposed development will have a detrimental impact on several adjacent RS-1S backyards to the north. Staff therefore do not support the height relaxation requested.

The proposed mixed-use building is located on a midblock site and has an FSR of 2.87, of which 2.43 is above the first-storey as viewed from the rear. The 2.43 FSR is comprised of 2.21 for residential uses and 0.22 for office use. The commercial storey is at grade level along Kingsway but due to the steep slope of the site, this same storey appears as a second-storey from the lane. Consequently, this office area must be included in the FSR above the

first-storey. Given the slope of the site, staff's interpretation of the Guidelines for midblock sites suggests that a maximum achievable FSR above the first-storey would range from 1.8 to 2.0 for combined residential/office uses. Staff therefore recommend a reduction of 0.43 FSR, or 288.4 m¾/3,104.6 sq.ft., from that proposed, to better meet the intent of the Guidelines.

Overall, staff believe the proposal is too dense for the site when evaluating impact of massing and density-associated height upon the residential backyards to the north. However, the proposed building is generally well designed in terms of architectural design and detailing. The Director of Planning is therefore prepared to support revisions to this development application subject to design conditions to achieve a reduction in the height, massing and associated FSR to reduce impacts on the residential neighbours to the north. However, before making a decision, this proposal is being referred to Council for advice.

PURPOSE

This report seeks Council's advice on a development application requesting permission to construct a four-storey wood frame building containing retail/office/residential, where the proposed building exceeds 12.2 m/40.0 ft. in height and the FSR is in excess of that recommended by the C-2 Residential Guidelines.

SITE DESCRIPTION AND BACKGROUND

The midblock site is located on the north side of Kingsway, between Joyce Street and Stamford Street. The site and surrounding zoning are shown on the attached Appendix `A'.

A development application (DE400996) was refused on October 30, 1997, for the construction of a four-storey building (five-storeys at the lane) containing 18 dwelling units, with retail and residential on the first-storey, residential on the second- to fourth-storeys and two levels of underground parking, having vehicular access from the rear lane. The application had been approved with conditions; however, not all conditions were fulfilled as required, including site consolidation, hence that application was refused.

At its meeting on June 2, 1998, Council instructed staff to refer all "conditional" applications, located within the C-2 Zoning District and requiring a height relaxation, to them for advice. Staff were also instructed that the Guidelines take precedence where there is a conflict between the District Schedule and the Guidelines.

Subsequently, on June 7, 1999, a new development application (DE404251) was submitted that is essentially consistent with the refused proposal, with the exception of a substitution of two offices where previously one residential suite had been located at the rear of the first-storey facing the lane.

DISCUSSION

The proposal requires a height relaxation from 12.2 m /40.0 ft. to 13.0 m /45.64 ft., as well as a combined residential/office FSR of 2.43, which is above the first-storey as viewed from the rear, that significantly exceeds the range from 1.8 - 2.0 FSR, as suggested in the Guidelines.

Simplified plans, including a site plan and elevation of the proposal, have been included in Appendix `B'.

The proposal has been assessed against the C-2 District Schedule and C-2 Residential Guidelines and, with a few exceptions, generally meets the intent. The most significant issues are discussed below.

Height

A height relaxation of 0.18 m/0.58 ft. to 1.72 m/5.64 ft. is requested for this proposed development. In accordance with the Guidelines, the maximum building height of 12.2 m/40.0 ft. may be marginally increased for concrete construction of the residential component or where the site slopes more than 1.5 m/4.92 ft. Increases will only be considered where it can be demonstrated that there is no increased overshadowing or reduction of views of surrounding neighbours. Consideration should also be given to street character, overall building bulk, open space and amenity.

The proposed construction for this building is wood frame for the three residential levels above the first-storey commercial level and concrete for the first-storey commercial and the two levels of underground parking.

The site has a total cross fall slope of 2.6 m/8.52 ft., with its highest point at the southeast corner (Kingsway) of the site. The proposed building is four-storeys at street level, however, due to the slope of the site, it is five-storeys at lane level. The proposed height is 13.9 m/45.64 ft. (worst case condition) measured at the north side of the building and a small portion at the south side of the building is below the maximum outright height of 12.2 m/40.0 ft.

The applicant has minimized the floor-to-floor height of the building in a responsible manner, however, staff have concerns about the impacts of the fourth-storey height, massing and associated FSR facing the RS-1S parcels to the north. In addition, a shadow analysis confirms that the proposed development will increase overshadowing on several adjacent RS-1S backyards contrary to the criteria for sloping sites described under Section 4.3(a) of the Guidelines. Staff, therefore, do not support the requested height relaxation.

Massing and Density

The development proposes a total FSR of 2.87, of which 2.27 is for residential uses. This 2.27 FSR is comprised of 0.06 FSR on the first-storey and 2.21 FSR on the second- to the fourth-storeys. Section 4.7 of the C-2 Residential Guidelines suggests that the maximum allowable FSR of 2.5 for the second- to fourth-storeys will usually be achievable only for "all-residential" buildings or where the building height exceeds four-storeys. For mixed-use buildings on midblock sites, the Guidelines also suggest that 1.8 to 2.0 FSR of residential floor space will generally be achievable on the three-storeys above the first-storey, assuming that no commercial uses, including office, are above the first-storey.

The proposed building is located on a midblock site and has approximately 145.5 m¾/1,588.1 sq.ft. (0.22 FSR) of office area at the rear of the first-storey. The commercial storey is at grade level along Kingsway but due to the steep slope of the site, the same storey appears as a second-storey from the lane. Consequently, the office area at the rear is technically on the second-storey and must be included in the FSR above the first-storey. Staff believe the Guidelines suggest that a developer could expect a maximum combined FSR of 2.0 for residential/office uses above the first-storey. The applicant has proposed 2.43 FSR (2.21 + 0.22) for these uses.

The proposed development is too dense for the site when evaluating impacts of massing, density and associated height upon the residential backyards to the north. Staff, therefore, are recommending that the fourth-storey (five-storeys facing the lane) be reduced by approximately one-half via a single loaded corridor to mitigate against the impacts. Staff anticipate this would reduce the FSR by 0.43, thereby bringing the building into compliance with the 2.0 FSR contemplated within the Guidelines.

Design

Staff feel that this proposal is acceptable in terms of architectural design and detailing. Given the quality of the proposed materials, and support at the Urban Design Panel, staff have no concerns regarding general architectural quality.

URBAN DESIGN PANEL

At its meeting of August 11, 1999, the Urban Design Panel unanimously supported the proposed development.

A copy of the UDP minutes are attached as Appendix `D'.

NOTIFICATION

As part of the review of the most recent development application (DE404251), 88 neighbouring property owners were notified and a site sign was also placed on the site. No responses were received.

CONCLUSION

The proposed development has been assessed against the C-2 District Schedule and C-2 Residential Guidelines. The proposed building is generally well designed; however, despite the slope of the site and the efforts made by the architect to step the building to minimize associated impacts, staff do not support the proposed height relaxation. On the issue of massing and density, the proposed development is too dense for the site when evaluating impacts of massing, density and associated height upon the residential backyards to the north. The proposal, as was the previously proposed development, is also more dense than what would be approvable under the current Guidelines.

Staff believe that a reduction in the uppermost storey of the proposed development would achieve compliance with height, massing and density requirements of the Guidelines and meet the intent of Council's revised C-2 policies. Planning staff therefore support revisions to this development application with design conditions. However, before making a decision, the Director of Planning is seeking any advice which Council may wish to provide.

LINK TO APPENDICES A-C

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